Late summer, to my mind the prettiest season of all, has arrived on the Chesapeake. As the days get shorter and the nights get cooler, Labor Day weekend and the fall boat shows are waiting just over the horizon. Local shops are reporting a continuation of the surge in demand following our wet and reluctant spring.
Doug Lowery of Lowery Boat Shop in Tilghman, MD, and Craig Brittingham are starting restoration of a 1959 24-foot Chris Craft Sportsman
Classy Lassy. According to Craig, “She was used by the director and crew in the making of the movie ‘On Golden Pond.’ Restoration is scheduled to be completed mid-fall. The boat will be for sale upon completion.” Craig’s reference to the movie intrigued me, so I did a little research.
Classy Lassy was indeed a movie star. In one of the 1981 movie’s more dramatic sequences the
Lassy is run on the rocks, and the wreck throws Henry Fonda and his grandson into the water. The Chris Craft’s double-planked mahogany bottom refused to cooperate, simply bouncing off the rocks. After several unsuccessful takes, the special effects crew attached a false bottom which cracked and crunched satisfactorily! We always knew they were tough boats.
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s (CBMM) Vessel Maintenance Assistant Joe Connor reports, “The boatyard has been busy with several boats in the museum’s floating fleet. The 1955 skipjack
Rosie Parks was fully rigged and sailed with a media crew and staff in early June. The Jackson Skiff—or Pot Pie skiff—got her summer makeover with fresh paint, caulk, and zincs. Spar construction began for the newest log canoe in the sailing fleet,
Bufflehead, which was constructed at CBMM and launched in April 2015. Once the rig is measured, her sailmaking should commence. The 1909 seven-log bottom crab dredger Old Point, which was built in 1909 in Poquoson, VA, is next up on the marine railway, with a new boom and gaff to complete her dredging rig courtesy of Brooke Ricketts.”
Jason Corsini of Quiet Waters Boatworks in Riva, MD, brings us up to date. “Cerny Yacht Design and Quiet Waters Boatworks are excited to be collaborating on a new series of powerboats. The smallest of the Estivo line, the 16-foot runabout, is available in Classic or Sport models, making the boat suitable for any on-water activities. Various custom options are offered, with engines available from 50 to 70 hp. The first boat launched in late July, with a second hull hitting the water at press time. Both boats will be available for viewing at the Annapolis Power Boat Show in October.”
Rob Hardy of Composite Yacht in Trappe, MD, reports that well into summer, the shop is still very busy. “Numerous paint jobs have been completed, as well as the usual gamut of collision repairs, and fiberglass, and metal work. The 1972 Cigarette 25 we just finished restoring left the St Michaels Vintage Boat Show with several trophies! We have three 26s on the floor in various stages of completion, and two more being laid up. Our most recent delivery was our 26 in an Express with a single 300. We’re also in the design stage of our 32, which will be a big sister to the 26, and available as a Center Console, an Express, or a Pilot House. We anticipate beginning to shape the hull in the next couple of weeks.”
The ever busy Butch Garren of the Calvert Marine Museum (CMM) in Solomons, MD, sends us this report of an interesting project. “Always on the lookout for a new project, the Patuxent Small Craft Guild (PSCG) of CMM has chosen a unique marriage of old-style Chesapeake watercraft and modern propulsion. The idea came together when the guild met with Annapolis Hybrid Marine to talk about its line of Thoosa inboard DC electric propulsion systems.
The craft chosen is to be a Smith Island Crab Scrape of about 20 foot length, a unique representative of the shallow scrapes favored by Smith Island watermen. The joint venture is to begin in October as a winter project which is to be ready for the spring 2016 opening of boating season. The work will be managed by George Surgent and involve the volunteers from the Guild. Alan Suydam has begun the planning with a scale model, and Bill Wright and others have begun discussions with Hybrid Marine on sizing the entire propulsion train that may include solar panels. Visitors are welcome to visit and see the PSCG volunteers work on projects such as this on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. until approximately 3 p.m.”
Linda Destefano of Bluewater Yacht Yard’s service department in Hampton, VA, reports a busy and steady summer in the service yard. “We also just finished a complete re-fabrication on a hardtop. Removing all failed coring, we fabricated a custom jig to keep the original shape and completely rebuilt with core cell foam saving only the top skin of the original hardtop. We then applied fairing compound, primed, and painted and reinstalled a hardtop on a 2006 55-foot Altima pilothouse motor-yacht. We are currently working on a brand new 2016 62-foot Viking stock boat, installing teak cockpit and mezzanine. The boat was outfitted with an extensive electronics package and Lumishore underwater lights. Slated for completion by the time of the Ocean City White Marlin Open (August 3-7), she will be ready for a new owner.”
Tammy Eaton of Judge Yachts in Denton, MD, sends us the following upbeat report. “We are happy to report that we went into this year with great optimism, but frankly, the response we are seeing this summer is even better than our expectations, especially with regards to the Chesapeake 27 and Chesapeake 36. We recently delivered a Chesapeake 27 and currently have several boats in various stages of completion including three 27s, a sleek looking center console 24, a couple of 22s and, of course, the Chesapeake 36 with triple Suzuki 300 outboards that Bill and the crew are excited to be putting the finishing touches on. We expect the 36-footer to hit the water within the next 30 days.”
Dave Hannam with Classic Watercraft Restoration in Annapolis, MD, reports being busy as always. “The dog days of summer have been spent out on Spa Creek and the Bay, sea trialing all of winter’s classic woody projects and getting ready for final deliveries. The Gar Wood Speedster 16 replica is at final fitting stage of the hardware. It is just a matter of drilling big holes in the nice jewel-like finishes. The cutwater is also being custom-fabricated, fitted, and then shipping off to the chrome plater. See you on the South River!”
According to David Evans, Jr. from Evans Boats in Crisfield, MD, the shop is also having a good summer. “We are entering our final month and a half of work on our 53-foot by 21-foot catamaran that will be sailed to Boston, MA, in the harbor for use as a passenger vessel. Just pulled into the shop was our 36-foot mold to begin work immediately followed by a third Disney Cruise Line Crew Boat. I hope to have some pictures of the Catamaran for you next month, as well as news on more upcoming work!”
Reporting from Mathews Brothers Boat Works in Denton, MD, Meg Roney is equally upbeat about the summer. “It’s been a busy summer for us! We’ve had two Boatyard Brokerage Sale & Nautical Flea Market events now and hope to have one every month (check our website
mathewsboats.com for more details). One of our purchased brokerage Bay Cruisers just came out of the paint booth. She went from Green to Flag Blue.
In our main shop, we’re putting the finishing touches on a new Eastport 32. We’re also working on pieces for a 65-foot buy boat. We’ve installed the keel coolers and underwater hardware and are looking forward to working on her at our Mathews Landing location. It seems as if summer has just begun but unfortunately, Labor Day is just around the corner which means now is the time to sign up for boat storage. We’ll have indoor, outdoor, and covered boat storage available. And, of course, don’t
forget to come see us at the U.S. Power Boat Show in Annapolis October 15-18!”
by Capt. Rick Franke