Vineyard Open House Blog

On the Hard, in the Snow, at Gannon & Benjamin Shipyard, Vineyard Haven

Martha's Vineyard got hit with 5-7 inches last night, adding to what was already on the ground. Meanwhile, work continues in the sheds and boatyard at Gannon & Benjamin on Beach Rd. Can't wait for spring and new boat launchings!

Wooden Boat Specialist Far Cry Boats Is "Launched" in the Lagoon in Vineyard Haven

Far Cry Boats owner Rick Brown has given new meaning to the phrase "launching a business." He has spent the past summer building a floating workshop for his wooden-boat construction and repair service and as you can see in the photo above, the business has officially been launched.

Brown has been working with wooden boats for more than 40 years, most recently at the nearby Maciel Marine. He specializes in boats up to 22' and has built or repaired peapods, dorys and skiffs.

Far Cry Boats, which is about a half mile away from the more well-known builder Gannon & Benjamin, adds further evidence to the realization that Martha's Vineyard is becoming a center for wooden boats.

To contact Rick Brown at Far Cry Boats, call 508-693-6930

Gannon & Benjamin Work on Morgan Whaleboat Nears Finish

This winter, Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway on Vineyard Haven harbor is at work recreating a small piece of the nation's maritime history.

The Island boatbuilders, designers and builders of pleasure craft large and small, power and sail, are building one of the whaleboats that will be carried by the Charles W. Morgan, the last remaining wooden whaleship and the oldest American commercial vessel still in existence.

Whaleboat plans

The Morgan is now undergoing a multi-million dollar restoration at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut.

Caulking with cotton.

Built in 1841 in New Bedford, she made 37 voyages under sail around the globe during an 80-year whaling career. The vessel arrived at Mystic Seaport in 1941 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1967.

The museum expects to relaunch Morgan this July, and in 2014 she will begin her 38th voyage, this one to historic ports in New England, including Vineyard Haven.

In all, nine whaleboats are under construction by third parties that include, in addition to Gannon & Benjamin, the Lowell Boat Shop and the Philadelphia Independence Seaport Museum.

Here are more photos and description about the restoration of the Morgan

 

The Price of Phoenix, a 64' S&S Commuter Yacht, Takes a Dramatic 20% Tumble

Phoenix in her glory days in the 1930s.

    * Boat Name: Phoenix
    * Year: 1937
    * Current Price: US $250,000  $199,000 $155,000
    * Located in Boothbay Harbor, ME
    * Hull Material: Wood
    * Engine/Fuel Type: Twin diesel
    * YW# 1877-2212250

The very determined owner of Phoenix, a 64' Sparkman & Stephens commuter yacht built in 1937, is pressing hard to sell his boat. Just one week after annoucing that it was for sale for $250,00, he has announced a 20% reduction to $199,000.

UPDATE: Price has been further reduced to $155,000.

Still looking good.

Phoenix has been trucked across country to a well respected boatyard that specializes in classic yachts on the coast of Maine where she awaits her next owner and the restoration that will give this unique piece of yachting history a new life. The most recent price reduction indicates the current owners desire to sell the boat immediately.  All reasonable offers are encouraged.

Gold-Plated History
The Consolidated Shipbuilding of New York City built some of the most famous commuter yachts of the 1920s and '30s. These sleek, swift yet elegant vessels were the preferred method of transportation to and from the financial district of Manhattan for the Wall Street magnates and industrialists that resided in the Connecticut and Long Island suburbs. Sparkman & Stephens collaborated with Consolidated on a number of famous Commuters. Phoenix was designed and built for E.E. Dickenson Jr. in 1937.

On a run.

However, this is the very last available Sparkman & Stephens commuter in existence. A change of plans has sparked the owner's sales plan and this further price reduction is indicative of his desire to move this boat. 

Some TLC is in order.

Phoenix represents an opportunity for a new owner to put her through restoration and own a historically significant commuter. A partial trade would be considered, such as a 28'-35' Down East style lobster yacht or similar. This is a unique opportunity to own a piece of yachting history.

For more information, contact Central Agent - Jeff Grey,  Office: 401-847-5449, Cell: 774-454-7638

Holmes Hole SA Celebrates at Mid-Winter Dinner, Offers Visions & Boating Updates

More than 30 sailors and spouses attended the Holmes Hole Sailing Association mid-winter dinner at the Wharf in Edgartown on Sunday, Feb. 13.

New Commodore Dan Culkin spoke after dinner welcoming everyone and gave out brass plaques to the season series winners who attended.

Roger Becker (above left), the erstwhile handicapper, unveiled a new boat rating system in which he was assisted by his PhD daughter. Looking at his charts you could understand why. The fleet is anxiously awaiting his final numbers.

One of the three options for dinner, this was the salmon (verdict: very good!).

HHSA News Shorts
Here are some mid-winter updates from those who couldn't make the dinner.

"Our Sonar is in RI at Waterline Systems getting repaired.  It was a sad day when she hit the beach, but I feel confident that Waterline will do a good job.  It took some time to get the insurance company and Waterline to work together, but I think all is going to be ok."
 
"We are in FL until April avoiding the snow up north.  I have been working on the YHYC Yearbook with Jack Gagnon and Margot Weston. Jack is doing a great job on layout and design and Margo has put in a ton of hours trying to get the directory as complete and correct as possible."-- Mary Worrell
 

Encore under sail in an earlier time.

"Greetings from Jackson Hole WY where we’ve had an excellent winter to date, 325” up on the hill. Are you aware that Tom Graham sold/traded SWALLOWS and bought ENCORE, one of G&B’s early boats and Nat is in the midst of a major redo? Cheers from us both." John & Lisa Stout

"Jill and I are doing well, but looking forward to the summer at VH and being with u all. We now have two grandchildren, William (2) who has been with us on the boat at VH, and our new grandchild of 2 weeks, Emma,---9.8 lbs!!! All doing fine.  'Arrant Rose' is having some inside work done, but we plan to take her back home to VH late May"-- Rich Glaser

Finally, I bumped into Mo Flam on the ferry as I was leaving the island. He was on his way to Rhode Island to look at his new Alerion28. He later sent me a photo, see below!

This new Alerion28 will join the HHSA fleet in 2011.

Send your Holmes Hole updates to David Lott.

Avanti Out of the Water for the Winter Starts Getting Ready for Next Year

Avanti is out of the water and sitting on the front lawn. An active summer (17 races in Holmes Hole alone) brought about dings, a grounding and other adventures. With the weather still good, my friend Chris gets to work repairing the rub rail which has to be replaced. First he takes off what's left of the old rail, cleans the surface and fills the holes left by old screws.

Close by a is a Japanese Maple looking magnificent in its autumn colors.

Photo Essay: Herreshoff Marine Museum Celebrates the Golden Age of Yacht Design

If you've ever been boatstruck by a beautiful boat, then the Herreshoff Marine Museum is your kind of place. Filled with boats of all shapes and sizes, mementos and photos, it's enough to make you wish you had been alive back in the eighteen to nineteen hundreds during the golden age of sail design when Nathaniel Herreshoff and the Herreshoff family was beautifying the world with sleek and breath-taking creations.

It all got started in 1878 when John Brown Herreshoff, a blind boatbuilder from Bristol, Rhode Island, who had been in business since 1863, went into partnership with his younger brother, Nathanael Green Herreshoff, a naval architect and steam engineer. The name of their new firm was the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company.

Coquina, a little daysailer that Herreshoff designed in the winter of 1889 and sailed most of his life.

Herreshof boasted he could make a better launch, or vedette, than those being built by John White of Cowes, who enjoyed a monopoly supplying such boats to the British Navy. In a contest with boats of the same length, Herreshoff's launch was declared a unanimous winner and the monopoly was broken.

Model of Reliance, he 1903 America's Cup defender, the fourth America's Cup defender from designer Nat Herreshoff.

Reliance bested her America's Cup challenger, Sir Thomas Lipton's Shamrock III, designed by William Fife, in all three races they competed, and promptly retired undefeated. Reportedly the largest gaff-rigged cutter ever built, she measured 201 feet long and the tip of her mast was 199 feet above the water--the height of a 20-story building.

Her total sail area of 16,156.6 sq ft was the equivalent of eight 12 meter class yachts and needed a crew of 64. Understandably, she was referred to as a 'freak.' After her brief career, she was sold for scrap in 1913.

Distinctive and recognizable lines immediately say to a viewer, "That's a Herreshoff!"

When a Herreshoff yacht was delivered to its owner, it came complete with its own set of china.

Bow of Torch, a Fisher Island 31, built in 1929.

Torch cockpit.

Torch interior.

Head on Torch, note butterfly skylight.

Better engines were a Herreshoff development, too.

If you like beautiful boats, then also check out Ballentine's Boat Shop and Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway.

 

Restored "Windhound" 1966 Aluminum S&S 48 Now for Sale from Sparkman & Stephens

 

"Windhound"  under sail.

Sparkman & Stephens announces its appointment as Central Agent for the "Windhound" 1966 Aluminum S&S 48.

Windhound "before."

A Story of Renewal
In August of 2008 S&S sent out a cry for help to rescue a vintage S&S boat from being sent to the scrap yard.  The boat was rescued and moved to the Great Lakes for restoring.  Now, nearly two years later, the boat is almost finished a complete rebuild and on the market for resale.

Thanks to a wonderful new owner, the decision was made to restore the ex "Windhound" to better than new condition.  The boat has undergone a keel up transformation into a shining example of how you can take a classic and make it even better.
  Cockpit being revived.
  Forward berth.  

Upgraded head w/shower.
 
Faired bottom & new rudder design

The aluminum hull was fully gone over and any needed repairs made.  Then the hull was fully faired and painted in its original white color.  The deckhouse and deck were removed and a complete new deck and deckhouse were put in. 

The new deck now has laid teak over the entire deck, including the cockpit.  The engine is a Yanmar with approximately 40 hours run time.  The plumbing has been redone as well as the electrical system.  The original spar has been replaced with a taller and lighter mast. 
New U settee.

The boom and spinnaker pole have be replaced as well.  The winches have been replaced and upgraded.  The boat will have a new mainsail, roller furling genoa and asymmetrical cruising spinnaker.  The list of equipment upgrades, replacements and new are too many to list here.

The interior has been fully varnished and updated.  A modification has been made to the starboard settee to turn it into a u-shaped dinning area.  This makes the interior of the boat much more user friendly.  The head has been enlarged and refit, including a shower and a stone countertop to add some elegance. A new forward facing nav station has been added as well.

New teak decks. 

There are still some choices to be made in the final stages of completion such as the instrument package and some other items.                    

The new and improved "Windhound" is now available for sale to the next owner who will enjoy the wonderful benefit of this great restoration and improvement of the original boat.  She is as close to a new boat as you can get and in many ways is much better than "Windhound" was when she was first launched.
She is now being offered for sale at a price of $459,000.0. See full listing.

Contact Central Agent - Kevin Dailey
Office: 212-661-6170
Cell: 203-434-6060

 

 

Rebuilt Schooner Heron Sails Again

Going sailing on rebuilt schooner Heron this weekend. Here's her story of rebirth

Morris Yachts to Offer Presentation on How to Treat Wet Cored Hulls and Decks

Infrared image of a hull's wet core. Notice the keel and jacks.

You are invited to attend a presentation and demonstration on how to repair wet (cored) hulls and decks at Morris Yacht Service next Wednesday, May 19th at 10am.

Over the past few years the Morris Service Team has had the opportunity to develop a system to replace the core of vessels suffering from wet (cored) hulls and decks. In the process the company has evolved into a regional expert.

This process and expertise has been born out of necessity, as several owners of yachts with wet hulls have come to Morris Yachts seeking a remedy to their issues.

As most of you know, boat builders have chosen to use cored materials in the construction of their hulls and decks in recent years, based on the fact that cores provide us with vessels that are lighter, stiffer, drier, and faster. However, as these vessels age and begin to show signs of wear and tear, it is extremely important to place the cored sections of the boat in the overall maintenance schedule.

Wet core is typically caused by: anything that has pierced either the inner or outer skin of the core, including deck hardware that has not been properly bedded (or in which the bedding has failed); stress cracks in gelcoat; canvas snaps for dodgers and biminis etc.

Proper identification and maintenance of any of the aforementioned is the key difference between a small repair or a large one. If caught early, most wet core issues can dealt with efficiently and quickly.

You're Invited
Thus, you are invited to attend a presentation and demonstration next Wednesday, May 19th at 10am on the repair of wet (cored) hulls and decks at Morris Service. For more information on signing up for this event - go to Morris Service Open House or call 207-244-5511 to sign up. Deadline is Monday, May 17th. To preview the process, read Bill Hodges' report here.