The boat show is over, and it is definitely fall. But there is still a lot of good boating weather and fall fishing out there. Put off the “fall haul” for a while and enjoy some autumn boating. While gearing up for the fall hauling season, area boatshops are reporting lots of winter plans and a good winter season. Let’s hope they are right!
Andy Dize of Roudebush Yacht and Engine Works in Dundalk, MD, checks in with us. “With the summer boating season ending, in addition to the work we are currently performing, we are looking forward to a few repair and new construction projects showing up at the yard. We recently repaired a 34-foot Pacemaker for engine starting issues and at the same time picked up the client as a new slip holder. We also performed a bottom clean, repair, and paint as well as replaced the tilt-trim assembly on a 26-foot Carolina Skiff.
“We are in talks with a local client to build a new 28-foot aluminum workboat for their commercial diving operations. The boat will be powered with twin 115-hp outboards. Additional new construction efforts being looked at include a new class of aluminum workboats for use aboard USCG inland river tenders. For your refurbishment or new construction needs, please reach out to Andy to discuss. We can handle boats up to 44 feet long in our climate-controlled building.”
J.J. Williams of Osprey Marine Restorations in Tracys Landing, MD, reports that a major project in their shop is nearing completion. A Canadian built Neptunas 47 yacht has had its teak deck removed and replaced by a fiberglass deck with non-skid panels. The project is in its final stages and should be completed within a week. J.J. also reports that the order book is filling rapidly, and he expects a busy winter with repair and refinishing jobs.
Buster Phipps at Phipps Boat Works in Deale, MD, reports the completion of a long-term project to replace the windows and rotted out frames on an Island Gypsy trawler yacht. The boat also had all her varnish work redone. As soon as the trawler left the shop, the crew brought in Miss West River, a classic wooden bay built, for some routine annual maintenance. Next up is a wooden downeast style boat with serious rot problems in the cabin top. Phipps is also anticipating a busy winter.
Rob Hardy of Composite Yacht in Trappe, MD, reports that they are busier than ever. “We’ve got a few things going on. We’ve been doing a massive refit on a North Bay 38, a New England boat. It’s practically a full refit. We are still working on Burt Reynolds’s old boat. It’s a high side express pilothouse; I think it’s a Palm Beach 42. We are just wrapping up our all-new 39-footer. We are really excited about that boat. She’s built for outboards.
“We just finished a new 26 with an upper station. We also have a 42 under construction. This is the Markley 46 hull cut down to 42 feet. We added a bracket and hung three Suzuki 350s on it. We made some modifications to make her look more modern. Most deadrises have a boxy trunk cabin, but we rounded that off to give it a sleeker look. We sea trialed her the other day and we are really happy about how she’s shaping up; she ran really well.” In response to my question about the need for hull modifications on the 42, Rob replied, “No, deadrise hulls do really well with outboards. The hull flattens out in the rear and makes for a good running bottom.”
Rob continued, “New builds that we have coming up include a contract to build a 46 on our 46 hull. We have a contract for a research vessel for St. Mary’s College that we’re getting ready to start. We also have a contract, based on our 55 hull, for a large yacht tender. That will be a 55-foot walkaround with a pair of jets powered by C-18 Caterpillars. Also, we have the regular paint jobs and repair jobs coming and going. With the fiberglass capability we have, and being a full service outfit, it’s a constant stream of painting, repairs, and upgrades. Needless to say, we will be busy all winter.”
Most of us are familiar with the gyroscopic vessel stabilizers manufactured by Seakeeper and a few other companies. These stabilizers are very effective but are best suited to larger vessels. Recently Seakeeper introduced a new system called Seakeeper Ride that is suitable for smaller vessels and operates on a completely different principle. John Norton from Annapolis Harbor Boat Yard explained how the system works.
“Ride is a vessel attitude control system. It is very similar to a trim tab. The actuators or controllers are mounted on the transom, but it operates about a hundred times faster than a trim tab. Inside that actuator is a direct drive electric motor that adjusts the angle so much faster than a human can respond. It is fully automated, so it’s not necessary to do manual inputs on the Ride. There is a sensor that’s mounted inside the boat. It tells the system whether it’s rolling port or starboard or pitching up or down and automatically adjusts to counter that up to a hundred times a second. It is very effective both when up on plane and also at lower speeds.” The Ride system comes in three sizes: the 450 is for boats up to 26 feet, the 525 for 27 to 30 feet, and the 600 for boats 31 to 35 feet.
Joe Reid of Mast and Mallet in Mayo, MD, shares his latest project “It’s an Ellis downeast boat which was constructed up in Southwest Harbor Maine. It was originally built in 1989 as a launch and at some time during her life got converted into a cabin style cruising boat. It’s diesel powered and has teak cabin sides, teak coamings, and windshield frames. The traditional hardware is all bronze. Right now it needs repair on the starboard coamings for rot caused by freshwater leakage into it. I’ll be repairing that and replacing the wood; maybe the entire cabin side. I’m not sure about that yet until I open it up.” Joe pointed across the parking lot to a green-hulled Chesapeake-style cruiser. “That’s the first boat I built in the Thomas Point line. The prototype was called a Rabbit 38 by Kaufman design. As soon as I bought the design, I changed the name. I’m doing some minor repairs and sprucing it up so the owner can put it on the market.”
Hank Reiser of Marine Services LLC at Pocahontas Marina in Edgewater, MD, reports in. “We have a 1966 MFG 15 that we are doing a restoration on and right now the transom is being replaced by a coosa board core. The other boat is a 1946 Hutchinson Sport Utility 26. It’s getting a complete restoration—paint, varnish, hardware, the whole works. It’s an inboard. It was re-powered with a Crusader V-6. Originally it was Chrysler-powered back in the forties.” Hank shared his winter outlook. “It’s looking like a good strong winter. We have a lot of work on the books. Of course we can always use more.”
On that positive note, we’ll wrap up this report. Remember, if you are on the water in this late season, be extra careful. The water is cooling fast, so hypothermia can become a real issue. Also, there are not as many other boaters out and about if you should need assistance. Be safe and we’ll see you next month.