While the rest of us are enjoying the hazy, lazy days of summer, Chesapeake area boatshops have been humming with activity. The ‘do it yourself’ contingent has been busy as well. Dave Hannam with Classic Watercraft Restoration in Annapolis, MD, reports these past few months at the wood shop have been a full house. “We have been working toward getting the old woodies restored and ready for some summer fun on the Bay. CWR’s restoration jobs include three different classics including a rare Morin Craft, a Hackercraft, and a Chris Craft. The 22-foot Morin Craft is just about under full power now with the big block 454 Chevy installed and ready for testing. The 20-foot Hackercraft is in the process of having all topside coatings stripped. Once multiple coats of varnish are re-applied and faired in between, all refinished chrome hardware will be added back to the deck and she will be ready for a her shiny new bling bling look. The 19-foot Chris Craft Holiday is in the process of receiving an engine refit, so she too can get back out for a summer time cruise down Ego Alley!” [gallery type="rectangular" link="file" ids="5725,5726,5727,5728,5729"] Joe Reid of Mast and Mallet in Mayo, MD, sent us this report of a busy early summer. “Our crew has been prepping Thomas Point Yachts for the season. There is a new owner of a TP 40, painted Awlgrip San Mateo Wheat. The crew refinished the mahogany transom, and a new gold leaf name was applied. We refinished some interior varnish and freshened the bottom paint. Mast and Mallet has also been doing upgrades on a TP 34. We’ve installed a new SIDEPOWER 60 bow thruster and renewed the hull paint, Awlgrip Stars and Stripes. We also did a few interior modifications, including a ‘cat door’ to the head, a first for me. The new happy owners will be cruising from the Eastern Shore, moving from sail to power. Just arriving from New England and now in my shop is a boat I built that left the area after sea trials 16 years ago. It is a 26-foot express style picnic boat, I mean, brunch boat. Mast and Mallet hasn’t built many boats with gas engines for power. It has a V6 Crusader with engine box exposed, teak decks, mahogany horseshoe-shaped transom seats, and varnished mahogany transom and trim.” Bill Judge of Judge Yachts in Denton, MD, reports that interest in Chesapeake style boats seems to be increasing nationwide. In support of that idea, Bill points out that his crew just delivered a 27 Chesapeake to Boston, MA. His people also delivered a 27 Chesapeake to Napa, CA, and a 36 Chesapeake to Neptune City, NJ. Bill shared the fact that his shop is well into the planning process to begin building cold-molded sport fishing boats in the 50- to 60-foot class. The first of these new projects is scheduled to start this fall. John Harris of Chesapeake Light Craft in Annapolis, MD, sent us this announcement. “Since its 2012 launch, Chesapeake Light Craft’s Peeler Skiff kit has become very popular as a light and sturdy fishing and utility skiff. One of the most persistent inquiries has been whether the company would offer an option for a center console with remote controls for the outboard motor. After six months of mock ups and experimentation, designer John Harris has released a center console option. This really is a logical addition to what has proven to be a very popular and versatile boat,” says Harris. “The center console option provides great visibility for the helmsman when the boat’s at planing speed, along with a comfortable, stable seat for a passenger and a nice bit of secure dry storage.” [gallery type="rectangular" link="file" ids="5730,5731,5732,5733,5734,5735,5736"] Mike Moore of Cutts and Case in Oxford, MD, sent us the following update. “Wild Call is currently on the railway for maintenance. Bottom work on Spirit, a Stadell sloop, including soda blasting the iron keel ballast, is scheduled. Lots of bright work and painting in progress, we re-finished the outside bright work on Revelle, a Dyer 29, topsides, deck, and bottom paint on Ralph Wiley-built ketch Surfbird,topsides, and bottom paint on Cutts-designed and built Grizzly Bear, re-installation after servicing of a 60-year old Italian transmission, and general paint work on the small schooner Tether. Upcoming projects will have Ralph Wiley’s Tancook Whaler Vixen up and sailing, and deck repairs on another Wiley boat pending. The ‘Cutts Method’ Kevlar cording project on Country Girl is ongoing. Stop by and check it out in the front shop.” Joe Borrison of Parkton, MD, brings us up to date on his very ambitious project. “The boat is a 1977 Grady White Nassau. She had a V-8 matched to an outdrive which was removed and replaced with a bracket from D&D Marine. The transom was replaced with three and three quarter sheets of marine plywood. All items were sealed and bedded with RAKA Epoxy. Twin 27 series batteries were placed in front of the gas tank for balance, and the old engine compartment turned into a fish box. Stringers were replaced with three quarter inch marine plywood and four-pound flotation used to stiffen the hull. The sea trial revealed excellent fore and aft balance along with a very dry and solid ride. The original 21-foot boat is now extended to 23.5 feet and should weigh close to the original weight but is much stiffer and provides an improved ride. We just installed a 150-hp four-stroke Yamaha and tested the fuel consumption last week (four mpg at cruise). The 48-gallon tank should provide the range I need to run from West Palm Beach, FL, to Hopetown, Abaco, Bahamas, with a stop in West End, Grand Bahamas, to clear customs and top off the tank. I have plugged a route into my Garmin 740S weaving through the Little Bahamas Bank shoals and Cays and registered the EPIRB finalizing my preparation.” Mike Bickford at Campbell’s Bachelor Point Boat Yard sent us this update. “The crew at Bachelor Point has begun a restoration of the Chesapeake Bay Buyboat, Mr. Jim. She has been sold and is heading to the Bahamas as a cargo hauler, running between Nassau and a nearby island. The bottom is being replanked by Andrew Abreu. Campbell’s will be removing the original engine and installing a new Cummins C-series marine diesel engine. We are re-doing the center deck house, converting the top into a hinged opening to facilitate the storing of cargo. We are replacing and relocating the fuel and water tanks, replacing the electrical system and electronics, and installing air conditioning. The galley and head are being reconfigured to provide pilot house seating in a circular, settee arrangement. The decks are getting stripped to examine the substrate and will eventually be covered with fiberglass and epoxy before being finished with non-skid. The bottom, topsides, and decks will all be painted and refinished prior to launch later this fall.” Robb Lake of Dowell, MD, updates us on the final stages of construction of the Stella Grace, a Smith Island Crab Scrape. “…[We] should have her in the water in two weeks. It really has been a community effort getting her to this point. Ken Springs from Small Open Boats has been great helping with final outfitting, as have Rachel and Simon Dean from Solomons Island Heritage Tours. Sam from Reliable Marine, Gritty from Tool Engineering, and David Abell from McCreadys are helping me through the last leg. Funny that I was pretty much in isolation for two years, just pounding away, but it’s all coming together with the help of many at the end.” Eric Hedberg of Rionholdt Once and Future Boats, Ltd. in Gyynn’s Island VA, is reporting on a new project using PVC panels in place of wood to construct small boats. “At the moment, there are three of our boats here. Inside is a new build 14-foot flat-bottomed outboard skiff (PVC) ready for sanding and paint. In the water is a reproduction of an 18-foot Wright deadrise outboard skiff (PVC). The original skiff we used to go by is here also. And in the yard on a trailer is our first effort in PVC, a 22-foot Hooper Island Sharpie with an electric inboard. Also there is the Peggy of New Point a Mathews built (1926) deck boat which we recently re-decked and added a new pilothouse. And there is the shop itself which was built by Gil Klingel in the ‘50s to facilitate his pioneering building boats from steel. We are excited about what we have to offer the boating community in general and the deadrise culture in particular. Thank you for your interest in our boats.” Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) Boatyard Manager Michael Gorman reports the recently restored 1931 Potomac River Dory has launched along Oak Creek and the Miles River in St. Michaels, MD. The dory was towed dockside to CBMM and given time to swell up before her straight six Ford marine-converted gasoline engine was re-installed. Built by Francis Raymond “Peg Leg” Hayden at Banks O’Dee, MD, the 37-foot Big Dory was part of a fleet of boats historically used for tonging oysters in the Chesapeake’s tributaries. Now the boat can be seen dockside at CBMM, as part of its floating fleet of historic boats and the largest collection of Chesapeake watercraft in the world.