The weather aside, the spring season has been good for area shops. The spring commissioning season went well, and most shops are reporting lots of repair and update work coming in for the summer. Supply issues seem to be resolving, although costs are still rising. So, business more or less as usual.
Andy Dize of Roudebush Yacht and Engine Works in Dundalk, MD, starts us off this month. “The smell of bottom paint is in the air and repair projects are in full swing at Roudebush Yacht and Engine Works to get boats back into the water for the summer season. Our main project is for an Awlgrip topside refresh on a Larson Cabrio 330. We recently completed the fabrication and installation of keel extensions on the Wave Rover 650 and are also working on the replacement of the inboard diesel engine on a Morgan Out Island 41. Our repair book is quickly filling up for the summer and includes a Bayliner 3288 for a major hull and deck fiberglass repair and a Carolina Sportfish 47 for deck replacement and topside painting. As boats are going back into the water, dry space is opening up for you DIY’ers to finish those last-minute repair items before your summer splash. Reach out to us if you are in need of space or assistance.”
Joe Reid of Mast and Mallet in Mayo, MD, brings us up to date on goings on in his shop. “At Mast and Mallet we are currently making repairs and upgrades to a 2003 Thomas Point 30. (One of the many boats in the Thomas Point line that Joe built.) Services include soft wood replacement in the propane locker and removing and installing new stainless steel window channels. The ply teak and holly sole has water damage. Bad wood has been repaired and new solid teak and holly will be installed and varnished. The electronics will all be upgraded with new radar as well. The boat operates with a four-cylinder Yanmar, 230-hp. The engine will receive regular maintenance with the addition of an Algaex and dual Racor fuel filter.
The 1962 Chris-Craft restoration is progressing with the addition of a Chris-Craft Chevy 283. New floorboards were made and covered with Lonseal mahogany/holly. A new fuel tank is in place. Seats, engine box and windshield will be added soon.”
Hank Reiser of Marine Services LLC at Pocohontas Marina in Edgewater, MD, describes what he’s got in the shop this month. “This is a 1937 Chris-Craft Special Barrel Back race boat. The design got that name from the extreme tumble home in the after part of the boat,” he explained. “It’s not as impractical as it looks,” he said. To prove the point, he lifted a small hatch in the after deck and exposed a hidden rear cockpit to convert the 16-foot boat to a runabout. “She’s in for an engine replacement,” he said. Hank also has a 1951 Chris-Craft U-22 Sportsman in for major restoration that is just about complete. When asked how his spring business was doing, “Excellent,” Hank answered. “We’ve been very busy with the launching and commissioning work, and we’ve also had a lot of restoration and mechanical work. We’re still working on the interior and paneling on a 52-foot Midnight Lace that’s in the yard. We’ve been on that since January and we’re close to wrapping it up.”
Nancy Noyes from Chesapeake Light Craft (CLC) in Annapolis, MD, reports on the organization’s annual event. “The team at CLC, the boat kit experts, marshalled the fleet and headed for Conquest Beach on the Chester River on Saturday, May 18, for the Big Little Boat Festival. The weather wasn’t the best, but the setting and turnout were spectacular, with more than 100 of our friends from as far away as South Carolina, Florida, and even California joining the fun. Many brought the beautiful boats they had built, to play on the water as well as to compete for awards for craftsmanship. Although the event has had different names and venues since the first iteration in 1999, this was the 25th year for CLC’s annual celebration of beautiful small boats and the people who love them. The event featured on-water demos and coaching as well as technical seminars on epoxy and fiberglass, small boat rigging, and finishing—with assistance from our friends at Interlux, an event sponsor—and a classic cardboard boat event for the kids, who built and raced the craft to the delight of everyone.” For a detailed recap of the event and lots of photos, visit clcboats.com.
From time to time, we have reported on activities at Chesapeake Shipyard in Salisbury, MD. The following is a portion of a recent press release from American Cruise lines.
“American Cruise Lines is pleased to announce two more new small ships coming in 2025: American Patriot and American Pioneer. These 125-passenger sister ships represent the fifth and sixth ships in the company’s Project Blue series of 12 new small ships for the U.S. market. The ships will be built at the company’s affiliated shipyard, Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Maryland.
“American Patriot will begin sailing in June 2025, and American Pioneer in November 2025, and both new ships will operate a host of American’s exclusive US itineraries up and down the East Coast, including all-new 15-Day Grand Florida Coast and Keys cruises. This new longer Florida itinerary follows the enormously successful 2024 launch of American’s eight-Day Florida Gulf Coast and Keys cruises, which are offered on several of the Line’s first four Project Blue ships, 100-passenger Coastal Cats: American Eagle and American Glory (2023), and American Liberty and American Legend (2024).
“American Patriot and American Pioneer will feature five decks and 56 staterooms. They will offer a more traditional bow construction and slightly deeper draft with full stabilization, enhancing coastwise capabilities for smooth sailing. These new ships will further broaden the itinerary possibilities for the company’s growing array of US coastal itineraries. American Cruise Lines remains the only company in the world with a fleet of 100 percent US flagged riverboats and small ships, enabling the Line to offer domestic cruises no one else sails across the USA—exploring both rivers and coasts.
“These two new ships will showcase elegant interior design and spacious 100 percent private balcony accommodations—including a range of large standard staterooms, suites, and singles. The ships’ fourth decks will offer all-suite accommodations ranging from 420 to 620 square feet, extraordinary for ships of this size.”
While not strictly speaking a Boatshop Report, we wanted to pass on the following good news we received from BoatUS for our many readers who spend some time in the ‘Ditch.’ “There’s good news for the hundreds of thousands of boaters who use the 1100-mile Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW) each year to recreate, either as part of their home waters or cruising America’s ‘Marine Highway 95,’ transiting the AIWW’s 10 states from Norfolk, VA, to Key West, FL. The Fiscal Year 2024 Energy and Water Appropriations bill recently passed with bipartisan support and with additional funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is delivering $48.5 million to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for a FY 2024 work plan to address critical waterway maintenance and dredging issues in five states. The breakdown of funding is as follows: Virginia: $5.3 million; North Carolina: $26.6 million; South Carolina: $8.5million; Georgia: $4 million; Florida: $4 million.”
That’s it for this month. Enjoy the summer weather. Be safe on the water and we’ll see you next month.