Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) in St. Michaels, MD, Vessel Maintenance Manager Michael Gorman reports the 1931 Potomac River Dory now under restoration has its planking underway. With the steaming and fastening completed on the tough bow planks, she sits on schedule for an April launch. Once the white cedar and juniper planking is finished, the garboard seam will be caulked and planks faired and ready for paint. The water line will be marked out and the “Big Dory” will be ready to bring out of the shop. The engine to be installed in the Dory is a straight 6 Ford marine-converted gasoline engine. CBMM is looking forward to having the dory boat out on the river along with the rest of the floating fleet for public boat rides early this summer. Tim Taylor, Service Manager at Harrison’s Yacht Yard in Stevensville, MD, reports that the refinishing of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department’s fire boat is proceeding on schedule for an April launch. The soda blasting was completed in late February. Tim also reports that the spring refit and commissioning season is off to an early start. Weaver Boatworks in Tracys Landing, MD, has delivered its latest build, a Weaver 80, to her proud owner. This light blue piece of floating sculpture, named Escapade, was launched at the Herrington Harbor North Weaver facility. Scuttlebutt on the waterfront, confirmed by a sign on the fence, is that Weaver has acquired a second facility up Rockhold Creek in Deale, MD, at the former Gates/Hidden Harbor Marina. Plans apparently call for the entire operation to move to the new location in the near future. Currently under construction is another Weaver 80, due for completion in spring 2015. Two Weaver 75s are also in the shop, one due to launch in fall 2014 and the second in fall 2015.[gallery type="rectangular" link="file" ids="4657,4658,4659,4660,4661,4662,4663,4664,4665,4666,4667,4668,4669,4670"] Diana Gerhardt, Service Manager at the Bay Bridge Marina in Stevensville, MD, reports a busy winter and anticipates an equally busy spring. The marina is in its second year of new management, and many new improvements are obvious. Diana pointed out that their 12,350-square-foot service shop had 10 boats inside this spring. Two major projects included an Ocean 46 in for a complete soda blasting and hull refinishing as well as a Carver 48 receiving new generators and probably a main engine replacement as well. Jim Jacobs, General Manager of Osprey Composites in Tracys Landing, MD, reports at least three projects involving leaking fuel tanks. Ethanol in fuel can be very corrosive, especially to older fiberglass and even metal tanks. A Luhrs 28 is nearing completion after replacement of a leaking fuel tank which required removal and replacement of most of the cockpit sole. An even more challenging project, according to Jim, was a mid-80s era Supra 21 ski boat brought in after an owner installed fuel tank leaked. The entire bilge, including the stringers, engine bed and floors were saturated with gasoline. “We had to handle that one carefully,” Jim said and chuckled. Larger boats often have their fuel tanks in hard to access locations. The best solution is often to cut a hole in the side of the hull large enough to remove and replace the tank. The hole is then re-glassed and finished to match. Osmotic blister repair is also a major portion of Osprey’s work. Three boats wait right outside the shop door and a fourth is inside receiving a new barrier coat in anticipation their spring bottom paint. Most of us have had the experience of having a propeller repaired or re-pitched and after the expense and inconvenience, finding little or no improvement in performance. Digital tuning may be the answer, according to Ralph Beatty of the Digital Prop Shop in Tracy’s Landing, MD. “We use the Hale MRI System to precisely measure the diameter, pitch, position, blade shape, and tracking of each blade on your propeller. This system uses optical encoders for measurement resolution calculations to .0000000000001 of an inch, and provides us with a complete picture of your prop relative to ISO Tolerances. The tuning and repair process still involves lots of sweat and the use of hammers or hydraulics to adjust each blade for position and pitch in local areas along each radius. After each adjustment, the propeller is again measured on the MRI to gage progress toward the desired targets. It may take many iterations of adjusting and measuring in what is a time-consuming and often tedious process, but the end result is a propeller that will do its torque to thrust job as efficiently as possible... This is true even with new propellers; customers consistently tell us of improved speed and smoothness.” Needless to say, spring is a busy time at Ralph’s shop. Patrick Callahan from Worton Creek Marina in Chestertown, MD has two ongoing major projects. “We have a Bertram 31 in the shop for a complete ‘re-manfacture.’ The boat is completely stripped down to the stringers and rebuilt from the bottom up. Worton Creek has completed eight of these Bertram projects to date. This boat is number nine. She will be re-powered with Cummins diesels and is scheduled for delivery in October 2014. This spring we should complete the major refit of the Hatteras 70 we have in the shop now. She’s getting all new custom cabinetry throughout, all new LED lighting, a new domestic water system, new generators, a new bow thruster, a complete paint job and much more. We expect to have her back in the water by May.” Many of us traditionalists were afraid that the sale of the Sarles and Petrini Boatyards in 2012 marked the end of an era on Spa Creek in Annapolis. I was pleased to learn that the heart of the oldest boat yard in Annapolis, Sarles’ marine railway, is still doing business. Deb Smith, former owner of Sarles, is operating the railway as Sarles Boat Services, offering wooden boat work and restoration, as part of the new South Annapolis Yacht Center in Annapolis. Shipwright Finley Mackenzie is preparing to launch Picnic, a 1973 Easton-built wooden Bay built yacht conversion, going back in the water just in time for spring. As soon as Picnic is off the railway Finley has a 40ft. 1961 Tilghman built work boat ready to haul. He has already started restoration work on the boat. She is just a hull and an engine now, but Finley has plans to fully restore her to her former appearance. Annapolis Harbor Boat Yard in Annapolis has had a busy winter season. Major projects have included re-coring the deck on a Shamrock 20, refinishing a 35-foot Everglades and a complete refinish on a Vicem 56 Motor yacht. The Bachelor Point crew at Campbell’s Yacht Yard in Oxford, MD, completed an unusual project when they repowered the popular St. Michaels based tour and cruise boat the Patriot. The Patriot is a 65 ft. two level 149 passenger vessel. Her new Cummins diesel had to be installed so she could go back in service in early April. Composite Yachts in Trappe, MD, is reporting three new launches just in time for spring. The Composite 35 is a bit of a departure in that she’s a down-east style with a high sheer forward and round bilges. The Composite 37 is more of a traditional Chesapeake Bay design, as is the Composite 46, named Storm Trouble. Based on the standard Composite 46 design, she is a real Chesapeake deadrise with hard chines, gentle sheer, and a single 500 HP Cummins diesel, full keel and skeg, and a midships steering station. All similarity to a work boat ends there, however, as the plush interior appointments and the usual fine Composite Yachts fit and finish leave no doubt that Storm Trouble is a fine yacht. At Lilly Sport Boats in Arnold, MD, modification and re-rigging continues unabated. Work currently in the shop includes; Tug It, a Phantom 30, undergoing a complete re-rigging including a new cockpit that will accept the installation of shock seats. LBS, an Extreme 29, is getting a newly-aerated step bottom along with aerodynamic work to the deck and drive height and weight distribution adjustments. Both of these Super Vee Light class racing boats and are expected to be ready for the beginning of the racing season in early May. On the mechanical side, an Eliminator 36 Cat is having new power installed. Structurally, hull blue printing of a Concept 36 in underwa,y and there are six custom paint jobs waiting in the wings.