Dave Hannam with Classic Watercraft Restoration in Edgewater, MD, reports that after replacing 2860 fasteners and custom-drilled mahogany plugs and then re-installing the topside of the rare 1946 Chris-Craft U22, he is still plugging along! Next on the restoration list is adding a new mahogany engine box and a new interior layout to accommodate the owner’s friends. Also in the works, a new reliable power plant for more limo pickup. The old rusty four-wheel farm trailer that this ole gal came in on, is being replaced with something roadworthy and one that won›t try and pass him next time he pulls it.
Buster Phipps of Phipps Boat works in Deale, MD, has had a busy time recently. His team repaired a 1962 Pacemaker which had most of her port quarter ripped off in a disastrous attempt at being towed off a shoal. Buster is also replacing and extending the cabin sides on Jester, a 40-foot custom being rebuilt as part of the preparation by her owner for a Great Loop cruise.
Dennis Elzey of Elzey Custom Boats in Cambridge, MD, starts us off this month with some new boats. “Here some pictures of a new Shore Built 24 being built for fishing and crabbing on the south river, and a new Shore Built 18 being built for a new owner. It will be for sale or display for new orders, and a new Shore Built 18 almost ready for pickup.”
Tracy Munson of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) in St. Michaels, MD, sends us this neat boat, complete with her provenance. “The Museum’s 1926 trunk cabin power cruiser Isabel has received much needed maintenance this summer. All of her mahogany bright work has been sanded down and re-stained with a special CBMM mahogany blend before seven coats of Z-Spar Flagship varnish were applied. Hauled out on the museum’s marine railway in September, Isabel also received her yearly maintenance, including new bottom and topside paint. She was a gift to CBMM from Eleanor F. and J. Thomas Requardt and can now be seen dockside in St. Michaels or out on the Miles River hosting private charters.
“Shipped to Baltimore by the Mathews Company as a display model,
Isabel was purchased by the donor’s parents in 1926 and remained in the same family for nearly 70 years. As a show boat,
Isabel came equipped not only with gear such as anchors and life rings, but completely outfitted with monogrammed china, linen, and silver. Owners Tom and Eleanor Requardt did much of the maintenance themselves, adding fresh coats of varnish every season. In the early 1970s, they were among the founders of the Classic YC of America, a group of like-minded owners of older boats. Except for a new Cummins 6BT diesel engine, the boat retains most of her original equipment and fittings. She was built in1926 in Port Clinton, OH, by the Mathews Company and is 38 feet long with a beam of 11 feet.”
Jake Glover of Ferry Point Marina in Trappe, MD, reports. “We›ve recently completed two re-powers. A 23-foot Grady White received a new Yamaha F200 along with an updated gauge package. The owner has been thrilled with the smooth and quiet operation of the Yamaha along with her increased fuel economy. We are in the process of pricing a custom hardtop for the same boat which will be completed this winter. Our latest re-power was replacing the old PCM in a 27-foot Shamrock CC. The owner wisely chose a Marine Power 5.7L 325HP MPI. As we are now in the process of becoming the area›s newest Marine Power dealer, the manufacturer works hand in hand with us to ensure each engine is built to the proper specs allowing for an easy transition.
“Our Robalo project is also complete. This boat had been in storage for four years. After a thorough systems service and working out some kinks in her fuel system her Mercury outboard is running great once again. The owner was so excited he had us install a new Lowrance electronics package along with updated gauges and a custom dash overlay. She also received a new Interlux InterProtect and Bottom Paint package along with a new canvas top. The owner decided to slip her here being one of the Bay›s best fall fisheries is right in front of our marina. We›ve also beefed up our tackle order and the store will stay open seven days a week until Thanksgiving to ensure the fall fisherman will be taken care of.”
Nancy Bray at Hartge Yacht Harbor in Galesville, MD, has an unusual project to tell us about this month. “Hartge Yacht Harbor in Galesville on the West River has begun the preparation for painting a 42-foot, custom-made aluminum sailboat. The boat is scheduled for hull side painting as well as painting the entire deck and cabin. The preparation for an aluminum boat is quite different than a fiberglass or wood hull and involves many labor intensive steps to prepare the hull for applying Awlgrip. After the surface has been blasted, it is immediately coated with corrosion inhibitor, followed by several coats of primer before applying the topcoat.
“We are proud to announce that Billy Seaborn has joined the staff as an additional mechanic. His knowledge and experience of many types of both gasoline and diesel engines are invaluable. He is enthusiastic and truly loves his profession. His pride in complete engine services shows with every job. We are happy to have him on staff just in time for winterizations. Hartge Yacht Harbor is already making preparations for fall hauling and winter land storage. After two harsh winters, more boaters are hauling and shrink wrapping for protection from the harsh winter elements.”
Joe Reid of Mast and Mallet in Mayo MD, reports, “This past summer season we’ve been working on quite a few wooden boats. Recently, we did plank replacement on a 36-foot Dickerson, side plank on a Grand Banks trawler, and bottom and side planks on a 40-foot Alden design sailboat. I replaced a teak cap rail on a Freedom 40, as well as the woodwork a lot hull side painting and topside varnishing. I just finished replacing the starboard chine plank on a Maynard Lowery 28 bay built, Honey Do, side and bottom paint included. In the shop now is a 1960s 16-foot SkiCraft outboard boat built by Amish hands. We varnished all her mahogany interior and windshield and transom. The hull was painted with Interlux blue glow white, and the accent trim and boot stripe painted with Gloucester golden buff and Pettit Shipendec Catalina turquoise, part of my old enamel paint collection. Look around my shop, you might even stumble upon some red lead.”
George Hazzard reports from Wooden Boat Restoration up in Millington, MD, “Here are some of our latest projects. The 1948 25-foot Chris-Craft Sportsman is stripped to her bare bones for a complete restoration. The 1955 21-foot Chris-Craft Cobra is in for replacement of a cracked shear plank. Other projects are the restoration of a 1961 16-foot Whirlwind that sat in a barn for more than 30 years.”
Rob Hardy of Composite Yacht (CY) in Trappe, MD, reports that the pace in their shop has not slacked off. “Still going strong here at CY. We’re moving along on shaping the hull for an all new CY32, which is the big sister to the 26. We have several builds underway, including an all new CY26 Chesapeake Bay Style Day Cruiser powered by a single Yamaha 300. Of course we still have numerous other jobs underway like paint jobs, re-powers, tank replacements, and other fabrication projects.”
Lauren DiStefano of Bluewater Yacht Yards in Hampton, VA, reports a great, steady summer and great winter line up. They are working on a 54-foot Hatteras engine repower, cutting the back of the bulkhead out, removing all furniture, countertops, and aft window. After cutting the salon floor out, pulling the engines out, and ultimately replacing the engines they will reassemble the boat back to the original condition. They are preparing for the winter season, when their service yard typically winterizes 200 plus boats. Some of their customers have their boats shrink wrapped for winter storage.
Meg Roney of Mathews Brothers in Denton, MD, is staying busier than ever. “Activity down at Mathews Landing has been nonstop since the Crow Bros buy boat and a 51-foot Dettling arrived a couple of weeks ago for refits; this has included minor repairs to the washing machine, as well as removing the headliner and re-covering with new foam and fabric. We’ve painted above and below decks on Crow Bros and are now in the throes of mechanical layout: engines, generator, head systems, and AC/Heat. It’s an exciting job. Here in the shop, we’ve gotten the Crow Bros pilothouse structure sealed with epoxy, and we’re underway with the insulation so assembly can begin.
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Check Six, a Robbins 40 by Mathews Bros, has come back to Maryland from Virginia for new varnish and a general spruce up before heading across the Bay for the U.S. Powerboat Show. We’re excited to have the boat back locally (and for sale) and are looking forward to seeing everyone in Annapolis! The Powerboat Show will signal the start of the majority of the fall rush as pickups ramp up shortly thereafter. The boats will come to the shop for winterization and storage over the winter.
“On the new boat front, Pete has been working with a customer interested in a Mathews 40. He has drawings underway for an extended cabin built on the proven Robbins 40 hull that will provide more enclosed cruising space, but still retain plenty of cockpit space for entertaining, fishing, or just relaxing in the fresh air.”
“We will host our fifth annual Fall Festival November 14 from noon to 6 p.m. We had such a favorable turnout last year that we’ve decided to host it at our main shop in Denton again this year. We look forward to catching up with everyone, and want to hear how they spent their boating season! Everyone is welcome to come to the Fall Festival - check mathewsboats.com for more details.
Jim Weaver of Weaver Boats in Tracys Landing and Deale, MD, reports that they are very happy with their expansion into the new facilities at Hidden Harbor Marina in Deale. Now that they have more space, they have five boats under construction, the largest being a 90-foot Sportfish still upside down in their new Deale shop. Since the boats are too big to go under the fixed bridge over Rockhold Creek, they must be trucked across the creek to their shop at Herrington Harbor North to be launched. Weaver designed and built a custom boat trailer that can accommodate boats as large as 95 feet to expedite this process.
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by Capt. Rick Franke