If our recent heat wave is any indicator, it seems as if it’s going to be a hot summer. That’s good weather to get out on the water. If there’s one word that applies to our area shops this summer, it is busy. Boating continues to be popular, and people are using their boats.
This month’s report includes a nice selection of photos from Alex Schlegel at Hartge Yacht Yard in Galesville, MD. Alex said he was “Too busy to write very much.” So he sent us pictures instead! Thanks Alex, we always like good pictures.
Smokey Glover of Lake Assault Boats in Portsmouth, VA, sends us an update and some pictures of a repowering project in their shop. “Attached are some pictures of the modifications done to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission vessel J.B. Baylor required to install a new John Deere 6090SFM85 main engine with Twin Disc MG5065A gear. Due to the increased size of the current engine compared to the original engine, significant modifications had to be done to the stringers, main deck, engine box, and engine box cover as well as increasing the exhaust path clearance and relocating raw water pickup thru-hull. I will have some more stuff for you soon.”
Andy Dize from Roudebush Yacht and Engine Works in Dundalk, MD, sends us this news. “With the reopening of the Key Bridge channel, our slip holders have us in high gear to get their boats launched for the summer. We recently completed the refurbishment of a Larson 3300 which included an Awlgrip topside paint, nonskid decks, and bottom paint.
"Current projects in the yard include a re-engine for a Morgan Out Island 41 and a Bayliner 2200 with extensive hull and deck fiberglass repairs. We have picked up a major refit job for a classic 1974 Herreshoff Sea Otter 18 (one of seven built) motor launch that includes fiberglass hull and deck refurbishment, replacement of the inboard diesel to a 90-hp well-mounted outboard, teak refinishing, and fuel tank replacement. In regard to our workload for the remainder of the year, our current level of repair work is consistent with our previous year’s efforts. Approximately one to two short projects per month and one long term project.”
Judge Yachts’s Facebook page reflects a busy summer as well with this message: “One stock 2024 boat remains for sale. This is your last chance to get into a brand-new Judge immediately for summer 2024. Only build slots for 2025 models remain on new boats.” Featured is a 22 Center Console with full transom and jack-plate. The boat includes: spray rails, T-top, Optimus power steering, 175-hp Suzuki outboard, Zipwake auto trim system, and more.
Laura Shackleford of Tiffany Yachts in Burgess, VA, tells us that they have had a very busy first half of the season. “People are using their boats and sometimes things are breaking, so they bring them into us for repair,” she laughed. “So, we’re busy. We just started an interesting project on a Buddy Harris wooden sportfisherman. It is an older boat built of wood and then fiberglassed. There’s some rot and bad wood in some of the planking. We’ll remove all that and re-plank the hull, replace the fiberglass, and repaint the hull.” When asked about the business outlook for the rest of the summer, she replied, “It’s hard to predict. I do expect it to slow down a bit in August; that’s more or less normal. Then it will pick up again after Labor Day. But we are staying busy.”
Jim Weaver of Weaver Boat Works in Deale, MD, is also experiencing a busy summer. “We just delivered a 70-foot sportfish, and we have an 80-foot sportfish, a 23-foot Chesapeake style boat, and a 41-foot center console all under construction. We are really busy. And we have new projects coming along for the next year, so I don’t see any slowdown in the near future.” Jim also commented on the two perennial industry problems of workforce and supply issues. “We are doing okay as far as our workforce issues right now, but we are always looking for good people who want to work. Supply issues are pretty much stabilized, but prices of materials just keep going up. That’s our biggest headache now. Prices are ridiculous and delivery is sometime slow, so you have to plan carefully. It just seems like everybody in the supply chain is short of workers. It just seems like they are not out there.”
That’s it for this month. We hope you enjoyed our summer photo gallery; more to come next month. Until then, get out on the water and enjoy this summer weather. Stay safe and don’t forget your sunscreen.