Happy Holidays to all our readers! January is a good time to look back on the last year and to plan a bit for the New Year and the upcoming season. Our reports this month do both.
We don’t usually talk much about sailboats, but Caitlin Sims of North Point Yacht Sales in Annapolis sends us this interesting step-by-step story about what can be done in area boatshops regardless of the type of boat. “Brio came into our shop with the intent of a fresh coat of paint and then getting packed up to head to the owner’s new house in Charleston. From the start of the project, you could tell that Pete, the owner, was very excited to have the boat back and also have the opportunity to sail it some more. On the motor over to the boatyard from the boat’s slip, we started to discover that this Alerion 28 was going to need a bit more than just some paint. While working down below on the mast wiring, one of the North Point technicians discovered a large section of rot in the sole. As we started to poke around a bit more, we learned that the entire sole would have to be replaced. We also started seeing that most of the running rigging on the boat was also at the end of its lifespan,” she explained.
“Once we got a grasp on the scope of the project at hand and the boat was in the shop, the diversity of talent at North Point Yacht Services came to light. It was nice to see the ability of the team to tackle any issue that arose on the boat. Our fabrication team was able to produce a new custom teak and holly sole that matched perfectly with the contours of the interior. The sole was varnished with the complete Awlwood satin system to ensure it survives the tough life of a floor. This was followed up by our system technicians refreshing the head and re-installing it,” she added.
“At some point in its life Brio had teak and stainless rub rails installed on the hull sides, so the first step in the paint job was to remove these. The wood got sanded and sealed in an epoxy clearcoat before being finished in high gloss Awlwood. The hull paint was in overall good condition, with some minor dock rash on one side. The team started by sanding the hull, and it started to look great. No repairs were found, laying the groundwork for a beautiful finish. Epoxy primer was applied, and the fairing began. It took one full spray of primer and a couple of spot sprays to get everything prepped. We sprayed AwlCraft 3000 in Flag Blue followed by a Cloud White boot stripe and a Gold Flake cove stripe. Once that was complete, the entire hull was sprayed in AwlGrip HDT Clear to protect the fresh paint. When the boat was being hauled, we noted that the bottom paint was going to need some attention. The entire bottom was stripped, and a new barrier coat was applied followed by green Trinidad HD bottom paint. During this part of the project we uncovered a slight delamination in the leading edge of the rudder. The fabrication guys were able to lay a layer of glass to cover the seam and fair it in.
“The transformation that Brio saw from the day she entered the shop to the day she rolled out was remarkable. She looked like a brand-new boat as she rolled down the road to her new home in South Carolina,” she concluded.
Susan Campbell of Campbell’s Boatyards in Oxford, MD, sends us this comprehensive wrap-up. “It feels like 2024 flew by! Campbell’s Boatyards was busy all year taking care of customers and maintenance projects. We wrapped up the completion of the bulkhead/floating docks at Jack’s Point, which brings that marina up-to-date and complete. There are 50 floating dock slips, with seven slips under cover that are currently full with a waiting list.
“Customer projects for 2024 included replacing chain plates, standing and electronics on three Island Packet sailboats, paint jobs on boats from 17 to 44 feet in length, and repowering seven boats with Yamaha engines. The cabin tops and dash were painted on a 34-foot wooden Chris-Craft that has been restored over the years. Electronics and generators were installed in several boats.
We hauled and stored 195 boats on land and 30 boats inside our buildings for the winter. Campbell’s Yacht Sales has sold 16 boats this year and is looking to expand our inventory for 2025. Our crew has participated in many training courses to keep up to date on the latest technologies to include Yamaha, Cummins, Yanmar, and Awlgrip.”
Andy Dize of Roudebush Yacht and Engine Works in Dundalk, MD, sends us this newsy end of year report. “Although 2024 was a good one for RY&EW, the onset of the holidays looks to be keeping new projects on the sidelines. All is not lost though; this down period helps with performing a general cleanup of the yard as well as allowing us to perform maintenance on our support equipment and boats. We are still looking forward to the repair and construction projects previously reported to start in 2025. In addition to our current repair work, we are pulling boats for the winter storage season.
“The Sea Otter 18 refurbishment project is in high gear. The 150-hp jet-ski donor propulsion plant has been extracted, prepped, and installed. Next steps are to complete the glass work and to install the electrical and control systems. Another repair project underway is for the topside repair of a 32-foot Chris-Craft Heritage Express. The topside fiberglass is in the process of repair before starting the fairing and Awlgrip repaint. A new project we picked up is for a Sea Ray 42 for the removal of the port engine for a starter replacement and general engine repair. Please reach out to Andy to discuss your repair, refurbishment, or new construction needs. RY&EW is able to repair boats up to 44 feet long in our climate-controlled building. Happy holiday season to all!”
Sitting on a trailer outside the shop door at Marine Services LLC at Pocahontas Marina in Edgewater, MD, is a beautiful, varnished Chris-Craft. Hank Reiser explains: “It’s a 1951 U-22 Chris-Craft Sportsman coming into the shop for some varnish work and some woodwork over the winter.” Hank had another boat in the shop. “It’s a 1966 MFG. That stands for Molded Fiber Glass, ‘The greatest name in reinforced plastics.’ It’s in the shop for a minor restoration; new rails, new light, new transom, stuff like that.” We asked Hank how his order book looks for the winter. “It looks very good,” he answered. “We’re hoping to add a couple of months to the middle of winter this year so we can get everything done.” He said with a smile.
Weaver Boat Works in Tracys Landing and Deale, MD, reports, via their web page, that they have three boats under construction; a Weaver 80, a Weaver 43, and a Weaver 43AM. Recently the 80 was moved from the assembly shop in Deale, across the creek to the fitting-out shop at Herrington Harbor North in Tracys Landing. The boats are transported overland by a truck towing Weaver’s custom built hydraulic trailer. Always a big day in Deale!
While we are not big fans of the New Year’s resolution tradition (we never seem to keep ‘em!) we’d like to suggest a resolution to our readers. They should locate the nearest free lifejacket loaner location and possibly talk to their marina or club about participating. The following news release from BoatUS Foundation explains how the program works.
“Marinas, waterfront restaurants, businesses, boat clubs, and first responder organizations wishing to have an impact on boating safety in their home waters can apply now to become a BoatUS Foundation kid’s lifejacket loaner program site. Supported by BoatUS member donations, the program offers a simple way to help children and young adults get the right-sized lifejacket when they go boating, sailing, or fishing.
“We currently have more than 550 lifejacket loaner sites across the US, and over the past 30 years more than a million recreational boaters have had the need to borrow a lifejacket,” said BoatUS Foundation program administrator Lynne O’Hearn. She added, “We know that sometimes a boater may not have a suitable lifejacket when a youngster comes aboard. We’re looking for partners who are willing to make these lifejackets available to the public for the day or weekend. We supply everything you need, and there is never a charge to borrow a lifejacket.”
Speaking of New Year’s Resolutions, you might want to make one to stop by the Chesapeake Bay Boat Show at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, MD. The show, the first in our area, runs January 10 through 12. Now that’s a resolution that should be easy to keep!
Have a great holiday season, and we’ll see you next month.
By Captain Rick Franke