The Chesapeake Heritage Conservancy in Havre de Grace, MD, has finally located a replacement mast for the skipjack Martha Lewis. An inspection two years ago after extensive repairs to the hull had been completed revealed that the mast needed to be replaced before the skipjack could resume sailing with passengers aboard. The tree they found is a traditional loblolly pine originally from a farm in Accomack County, VA, where it was cultivated from a managed yellow pine forest dedicated for large-scale timber production. It was graciously donated to the conservancy for the project by the Paul W. Jones Lumber Company in Snow Hill, MD. Now they just have to figure out how to get the 75-foot trunk safely from Snow Hill at the far southern reaches of Maryland’s Eastern Shore to Havre de Grace at the very top of the Chesapeake Bay. They hope to have Martha join her recently restored sistership Rosie Parks sailing again on the Bay this season. George Hazzard at Wooden Boat Restoration in Millington, MD, has finished up the varnish work on the 1947 Chris Craft 18-foot utility which will be spending spring in Florida at the Sunnyland Antique Boat Festival in Tavares and heading to Louisiana for a cruise on the bayou. They finished up the paint on the 1954 Chris Craft kit boat, and new decks are varnished and ready to be installed. The 14-foot Thompson had the new ribs installed as well as new plywood and keel.[gallery type="rectangular" link="file" ids="4887,4888,4889,4890" orderby="rand"] Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, MD, boatyard program manager Jenn Kuhn reports the museum’s Apprentice for a Day public boatbuilding participants continue on the construction of the 17.5-foot Merlin yawl.Designed by Kees Prins and Bill Bronaugh, the plywood lapstrake skiff is expected to launch in June. With the planking complete, the skiff has been flipped over with layout, patterns, and lamination of the canted mahogany frames completed and installed, with the inwales being let into the breast and aft hooks. The participants continue on the centerboard construction, decking, installation of thwarts, and floor boards. Next up is the construction of the mast, boom, and mizzen, with public participation welcome on Saturdays and Sundays through June. See the schedule on their website at cbmm.org/learn.htm. Campbell’s Boatyard in Oxford, MD, has a 37-foot Sea Ray in the shop at Jack’s Point getting a full gas to diesel makeover. They are replacing the main engines and the genset. The main propulsion will be new Cummins QSB 6.7L common rail diesels producing 480-hp each, an overall gain of 200-hp from the stock power. Over at their Bachelor Point yard they have a 39-foot Malcom Pettigrew downeast getting a new generator and an entirely new AC power system to add capacity for onboard air conditioning. They certainly didn’t need it the day PropTalk visited the yard this spring, but it will come into use soon enough in the coming Chesapeake summer. Jerry LeCompte at Dockside Boatworks in Easton, MD, is still looking for any information about the mysterious Hershey outboard runabout he is restoring. The boat has been in the owner’s family since it was bought new in 1961. Plenty of folks have heard of the famous chocolate company, but few remember the boat builder of the same name from Pennsylvania. Along with his other wooden projects he also found a 1955 15-foot Larson “plastic fantastic” that he is fixing up to give his grandchildren rides this summer. He is replacing the rotten wood floor, but he has been told that the original Evinrude outboard on the back still runs. He was even able to wind up the dashboard clock and get it telling the time again. [gallery type="rectangular" link="file" ids="4886,4885,4884,4892" orderby="rand"] Matthews Brothers in Denton, MD, has production on the new Eastport 32 in full swing with interior parts starting to go into the newly laid hull still in the mold. Other parts of the boat and deck are in molds surrounding the boat inside the shop. The 29-foot Patriot II is almost complete and will be with her new owners in Florida by the time you are reading this. They have labeled her “II” because this is the first 29 they have made with a tunnel drive for the prop, along with numerous other improvements throughout the hull and interior. They expect the reduced keel and draft to allow for tighter turns and better handling on the water, in addition to reducing the draft by almost a foot. The Sandy-damaged Maxum is nearly ready for paint after all the fiberglass repairs to the hull and deck. At Composite Yacht in Trappe, MD, Martin Hardy kept the whole crew busy with lots of work this winter. Although they burned a lot of heating fuel over the winter, he is a little glad that spring took a while to get here giving them more time to complete all their projects for the new season. Work on the 20-foot Mako continues. They have the deck back on and new 150-hp Yamaha on the bracket and are prepping the hull for painting. A 60-foot offshore sport fisherman is taking up the entire painting shed for new coatings top and bottom, while they rebuild engines on the inside. They also have a new 34-foot offshore under construction, which will soon have a pair of Yamaha 350s on a transom bracket. Ruark Boatworks in Cambridge MD, is framing up a reproduction of a 20-foot Coast Guard light station launch that will be placed on display at the Choptank River lighthouse in Cambridge. The cabin-style launch will float but will not have an engine or any internals installed, so that it may hang on display from the lighthouse davits. They are currently looking for a boatbuilder/educator to head up their next big project, re-creating the 65-foot bugeye Brown Smith Jones. Originally built in Cambridge in 1894, this oyster dredger was used by the Maryland Oyster police and was later commissioned by the United States Navy in World War I. They are also considering building a Cocktail Class racer. If anyone wants to get involved with that or any other projects, contact the Richardson Maritime Museum ([email protected]). [gallery type="rectangular" link="file" ids="4891,4883,4882" orderby="rand"] Dave Hannam with Classic Watercraft Restoration in Annapolis, MD, reports that his client’s 22-foot 1941 Morin Craft’s mahogany deck recently received six coats of varnish and is now prepped for the final ebony top coating. Additional gold striping will also be added prior to the final coatings, so as not to tint the delicate gold pin stripe. Once completed, this old woody will have a total of 12 coats—just on the top deck, which will make the surface look like glass. In the next step, Hannam plans to install a brand new 454 big block engine, replacing the old power plant, a 1962 Chrysler crown 115-hp, to accommodate the owner’s request for more power on the Bay this summer. “Does shovelling snow from boats and docks count as an activity for boatshop reports?” asks Joe Reid of Mast and Mallet Boatworks in Mayo, MD. For about a month this spring they have been prepping and painting the cockpit, engine box, and coamings of a 32-foot Wasque. They have also refinished the swim platform and varnished various trim. Next a new chartplotter will be installed and new bottom paint applied. After that Joe says: “Just add water.” The Jarvis Newman 36 that has been at the yard for the winter now has new plumbing and a private shower they built. The crew also removed the fixed side windows at the bridge deck and replaced them with sliding windows and trim. Next will be new paint on the decks and bottom paint, and she will be ready for water as well. Joe is also stripping down the hardware on two booms of a 36-foot Dickerson ketch and will finish them with Awlgrip. The seven-foot lapstrake dinghy he built is receiving many coats of varnish for her bright side and transom. The transom and seats are crafted from mahogany and the strakes from Western Cedar. Down in Galesville, MD, at the Hartge Yacht Yard on Tenthouse Creek, Captain Joe Richardson had his 1968, 37-foot Post sportfish Dancer hauled out for a Coast Guard inspection. The few repairs discovered by the inspection were quickly fixed by the carpenters, Ernie Stuermer and Jake Samberg. While hauled, Captain Joe also had the yard do some repairs to the transom plus normal paint and varnish work. Dancer is ready for another season of taking out fishing charter parties from W & P Nautical in Eastport next to the Chart House. Joe didn’t want his wooden boat hauled with a Travelift, so Dancer was hauled and launched with the Yard’s 25-ton submersible Brownell trailer. A Case 621C loader moves the trailer around the yard and controls it on the launch ramp. The Brownell trailer works somewhat like a traditional marine railway. The trailer rolls down a ramp controlled by a cable; the boat is positioned over the trailer; both move up the ramp as the boat’s keel rests on the trailer; and the boat begins to rise out of the water. Remote-controlled hydraulic arms stabilize the boat, but essentially all the weight is on the keel. There are no Travelift straps pulling on rails or fresh paint. Captain Joe has been taking out fishing parties for many years but his primary job since 1991 was being a mechanic at Hartge Yacht Yard. A few years ago he came to the conclusion that fishing-full time was more fun than crawling around in an engine room. Many boatyard workers have interesting backgrounds. Joe’s includes racing cars in various classes under the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and being crew chief on a Ferrari GTX Team that raced internationally. How cool is racing a Ferrari in LeMans? By Mark Talbott