One of the most enjoyable aspects of assembling this column every month is the great variety of projects and stories that come my way. This month is no exception, with an eclectic mix of old and new, classic restorations and rebuilds, seasonal maintenance and scientific research, all reflecting the great variety and energy of our industry. Let’s start with a blast from the recent past. Captain Chris Parlin sends us this interesting report. “Jerry Herson is at it again. He is working on another Purely Pleasure. He is completing a refit on what he calls ‘a classic icon’ a 2005 60-foot Magnum, one of only eight produced. This Magnum is equipped with twin 16-cylinder, 2000-horsepower MTU diesel motors which are attached to Arneson surface drives. She was sea trialed with a top speed at over 60 miles per hour. Jerry searched out several boats of this pedigree to find the one he wanted. He found this Magnum in Athens, Greece, and traveled there in November to complete the sea trials and negotiate the purchase. The vessel was then shipped from Athens to Savanna, GA. “We took delivery on December 21, 2016. The boat is undergoing a refit and is due to return to the Chesapeake Bay in May to make an appearance at his 80th birthday party at the Cheshire Crab restaurant. The boat will be spending the summer berthed at the Yacht Basin in Annapolis. The refit work is being completed at the Lauderdale Marina and Boatyard in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
“Most of the refit is concentrated in the cabin where he is re-doing the galley, salon, cabins, and heads. Because the boat was wired for European electric, the wiring, breakers, pumps, air conditioners, and appliances are all being replaced. The cockpit will receive new cushions, a canvas top, an acrylic enclosure from 4u2Sea, and updated Garmin electronics. And yes, the boat has already been painted Jerry’s signature color yellow. Actually the final color scheme will be similar to his previous boats, which consists of yellow, white, red, and black. Jerry likes to point out these are the colors of the Maryland flag.” [gallery link="file" columns="2" size="medium" ids="19704,19716"] Alex Schlegel from Hartge Yacht Yard in Galesville, MD, sends us this newsy report: “We have a number of employees who have been with us for a very long time. One, Wells Dixon, 44 years and counting, as Hartge Yacht Yard’s stockroom manager, has his handsome 38-foot deadrise Lee Sea hauled for some prop and shaft work. A new prop is needed to match a new 300 horsepower Mercruiser, a marinized V8 based on the Chevy 350. Lee Sea was built in 1967 by the Green Brothers in Deltaville, for Jim Miller, a DC lawyer who lived in Galesville. Deltaville was known as a center of wooden Chesapeake deadrise boat building and the boats were very good looking. Lee Sea, a 1967 deadrise in the slings for bottom work and new running gear at Hartge Yacht Yard in Galesville, MD. Photo by Alex Schlegel “A pair of Duffy 22 foot electric boats are in our yard for some cosmetic fiberglass and gelcoat repairs. An unusual design feature is the location of the electric motor that sits on top of the rudder and the prop mounted to the rudder’s trailing edge. The whole drive train is part of the steering system. “We hauled a 42-foot trawler to look for a slight seawater leak coming into the bilge. There was no obvious defects on the outside other than some small nonstructural cracks at the aft end of the keel. These we ground, glassed and faired. The stainless steel channel bolted to the aft end of the keel that supports the bottom of the rudder was rebedded but it did not look like the problem. It was possible these were the source but not definitely. It took a while but a little water is still showing up. The next step is to check the fiberglass shaft tube for a crack.” John Cook of Hollywood, MD, reports that Eve, the five-log, 20-foot Tilghman log canoe he is building in his backyard is taking shape. As John puts it, “The boat is getting thinner.” She now looks like a boat instead of a pile of logs, and it is time to build up the topsides from cedar blocks and planks. Launch date is still sometime in June. Eve, a 20-foot, five-log, Tighlman-style racing canoe being built by John Cook of Hollywood, MD, takes shape in his backyard. Photo by John Cook The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) in St. Michaels reports in with an update. CBMM Shipwright James DelAguila, a former apprentice who recently re-joined the staff at CBMM, reports that CBMM is currently in the process of updating its documentation for the Floating Fleet of museum vessels. Using software available from Google, boatshop employees have a streamlined way of collecting, reporting, and sharing boat conditions over time. The documentation program helps guide yearly maintenance and supports curatorial record-keeping. Work also continues on the historic restoration of 1889 sailing log-bottomed bugeye Edna E. Lockwood, with all nine of the logs for her new hull shaped and pinned together in the boatyard. The restoration on the queen of CBMM’s fleet of historic Chesapeake vessels is being done in full public view and will continue through fall 2018. Shipwright apprentice Michael Allen (left) and CBMM boatyard manager Michael Gorman assist in the pinning together of the nine logs for the bottom of the bugeye Edna P Lockwood at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum boatyard in St. Michaels. Dave Hannam with Classic Watercraft Restoration in Annapolis reports that work continues moving forward on the 1938 Century Sea Maid 18-foot Double Cockpit. “Final touches in building out the deck. (We’re) checking and rechecking all the new planking prior to the final deck permanently going down; installing a new freshwater system and complete new wiring system; putting in new running gear, sealing, painting; and then bundling up the hardware for some fresh plating complete the job. Lastly, Hannam’s infamous varnish, varnish, varnish. You really can never have just enough coatings!” After weeks of dry fitting and piecing together, the new deck planks are finally being screwed down and plugged on the 1938 Sea Maid double cockpit runabout at Classic Watercraft Restoration in Annapolis. Nate Baugher of Maritime Applied Physics Corp. in Baltimore reports on the building of the Sagamore 10-boat water taxi fleet. “Hull two is back from paint and is in the final stages of outfitting. We are about two weeks out from launch and sea trials. It will be named Cal’s Streak, and we actually have Cal Ripken driving here (March 17) to see the progress on his boat. Hull three was rolled over, and the roof is about a week out from being installed.” Hull number three of the Sagamore water taxis takes shape upsidedown in the shop at Maritime Applied Physics Corp. in Baltimore, MD. Photo by Rick Franke Last month we reported on the project to repair and refurbish a salvaged Spencer 74 by Worton Creek Marina in Chestertown, MD. We excerpted this progress report by Patrick Callahan from the Worton Creek Marina newsletter. “The big news for the month is that we have gotten the engines, generators, and Seakeeper stabilizers out of the Spencer. This was another milestone in the repair of the boat and was quite an operation. The engines weigh 10,000 pounds each, so we had to rent a 40-ton mobile crane to lift them. We removed the fly bridge hardtop, cut a 10 foot by four foot “hatch” in the fly bridge deck, removed a hatch in the salon deck, and lifted everything straight out of the boat. (Patrick has been posting pictures on the Worton Creek Marina Facebook page.) Afunday, the salvaged Spencer 74, arrives at Worton Creek Marina in Chestertown, MD, for repairs and rebuilding. Photo by Patrick Callahan We are also hot and heavy into the bottom repairs. We are in the stage where we’re cutting out damaged fiberglass and exposing the laminated wooden stringers. Then we will cut everything back to undamaged areas and begin to add back the wood, foam, and fiberglass that was removed. The wonderful thing about epoxy resins and glue is that we can make repairs in damaged areas that will be every bit as strong as the original bottom.”  Geniene Nieves-Vigneri from Mathews Brothers in Denton, MD, reports on a unique project: “It’s been an exciting month here at Mathews Bros! We just finished producing the first mini-sailboat for Educational Passages. Based out of Washington College’s Center for Environment and Society, these five-foot unmanned mini boats are launched into the ocean and transmit their position twice a day to the Internet. We will be building 75 of these for global distribution. In February we started working on making the molds for these cool little boats that will help classrooms worldwide study ocean currents, tides, and wind and let classes from across ‘the pond’ collaborate. The first of 75 five-foot miniature sailboat hulls being produced by Mathews Brothers in Denton, MD, for Educational Passages, an oceanic research project at Washington College. “Boats launched in the Atlantic have ended up in Europe, the Caribbean, Panama, Nova Scotia, and many other places. The Pacific Regatta is next. We are very excited and honored to be a part of this program! For more information on this program, visit educationalpassages.com. “We’ve also been making steady progress on the Eastport 32. We’ve pulled the hull and the liner from the molds and most recently the deck from the mold. Assembly will begin shortly. We’re embracing the spring rush with steady launches that began at the end of March. What does that mean for Mathews Bros? We are finishing up requested repairs/refits and varnish. Then we begin commissioning, detailing, washing/waxing, and delivering to the customer’s ramp of choice or directly to their dock for a worry-free boating season!” From David Jr. at Evans Boats in Crisfield, MD, comes this update. “March came in like a flood! Tangier watermen came up for the railway as soon as some nice weather began in March, in hopes to be ready for the Virginia crabbing season. All who came up are now back in, and most of them are at work (as much as they can be after the cold snap). We are expecting more Maryland watermen to begin pulling up soon. I think the Maryland guys were waiting it out in hopes of the Oyster Sanctuary opening, but it’s not looking good for this year. We also have a new 50-foot Evans under construction for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. We are still in the beginning stages, but I hope to get you some photos as we make some progress.” by Captain Rick Franke More Photos [gallery columns="2" size="medium" ids="19720,19721,19722,19723" orderby="rand"]