Mae Timmons has been helping out in the office, keeping us on a steadier course. She is a full time Speech Pathologist with the schools here and we appreciate her devotion and clear-headedness.

Brian Burke has joined us in the shop. Brian originally hails from Quincy but has spent the last so many years in the Florida Keys. He has brought some order, a great sense of humor and wonderful energy to the shop. In a very short time, Brian has wrapped up several lingering projects that have now freed us up to go forward into the spring work! He hopes to work in the wood shop, building parts for catboats and getting involved in as much of the workload as he can.

Ian Ellison, world class timber framer, has been working on Sea Duck, who is finally getting the attention she deserves. We came up with a plan after much discussion with Dan Gould, head boat builder from Arey's Pond Boat Yard. We have designed stainless steel bracket to strengthen the inner stem, which has weakened considerably with time and a couple of attempted repairs. We added a couple of new frames and new garboards. She'll be allowed to swell up before we paint her and deliver her back to the Vorenkamps in New York next month.

Young Fellas' Report:

Conor Benoit is dividing his time between school, staying on the Honor Roll, and the shop. Summer will soon be here, Conor!

His brother Ryan, who was a work study student here, last year, is building a flat bottom skiff at Nauset High School. It's the first boat to be built at that school in a very long time. It is a plywood/epoxy construction, and we hear that it is going to be finished in time for the annual school Arts and Crafts Fair in May. We hope that Ryan will display it when we show at the Cape Cod Maritime Museum show in May, representing our shop.

Brenden McVickar, our freshman at large, will be home and back in the shop (none too soon!) by mid-May, after spending his first years away at Fitchburg State College.

We took Bob Belnap's almost finished Classic Cat, Jubilant II up to the Maine Boat Builders Show this past March. The changes (improvements!) we made to the boat were so well received that in spite of the winter snowstorm, we still had a fantastic show. When we got back, we signed two Classic Cat contracts to be delivered in July. One will go to Ken Hamel on Martha's Vineyard. The other will go to Judy and John Fisher of the Thimble Islands. We will add a third boat so that we can hopefully travel up to the Maine Boats, Harbors and Home Show in early August. Keep checking to see if we make it by logging on to their web site at www.maineboats.com.

We will definitely be at the Woodenboat Show at the end of June. You can find us in our booth #85 in Tent B. The dates are June 29-July 1. You can find out more by logging on to www.woodenboatshow.com.

Finally, we remember our dear dear friend and ardent supporter, Keith Staples, who passed away suddenly on April 4th. Keith pushed and cajoled when we were struggling, and cheered and rallied us when we made it to the next step. We will remember his humor, his love and kindness always. Marine Restoration and Salvage exists because of people like Keith. He will be very much missed but never forgotten.

Ian Ellison removed the plywood bottom, revealing much water damage to all the frames. The trunk was still good, so we replaced frames and keelsons with new mahogany, the bottom with 2 layers of 1/8” sapele plywood, which was then sheathed with Xynol and epoxy. The boat should last for many more years to come, and the owners Cam and Marty Koblish hope to sail her without worries around Oyster River, Chatham.

Sea Duck Sees Daylight!

Sea Duck has been out of the water for nearly two years now, undergoing several repairs, starting with a broken centerboard pin. The persistent leak was finally and we hope correctly diagnosed as a complicated stem story. See Sea Duck for a more detailed description of the repairs, and new photos.

Sea Duck Restoration Crew

Sea Wren, a circa 1950 Spaulding Dunbar Cat-About owned by John and Lynn Reynolds, came in initially for re-caulking. Unfortunately, the problem proved more involved. We laminated in two new frames aft of the mast step, in order to sister the existing broken ones. That allowed the garboards on both sides to get fastened to the frames. There is evidence of some serious iron rot in the very delicate (as are all catboats) stem area. Later this summer, we will replace the heavy solid fir mast for a hollow spruce one, eliminating some unnecessary weight. She has been completely re-caulked, painted and will surely be seen ailing on Pleasant Bay this summer.

We recently received photos of the Leah main mast that we built here last winter. See spar page for updates.

The second box mast (52 feet) was picked up in early May and we hope to post photos of that mast installed.

Bob Belnap's Classic Cat Jubilant II was delivered on May 19th. It looked great all rigged in the shop. Now we're waiting to get in the water shots, and to hear how well she performs.

Our first Classic Cat built by Brian Lavalle of Cape Composites was delivered on May 26th. Brian has worked with us to make significant improvements on the way both the hull and deck are constructed. This first one had some glitches that we solved. He will start the second hull June 1st. Check out construction photos of this boat on the Classic Cat page.

We still have a dozen spars to build, among them a set for a Legnos 20, a Hinckley 28, and a couple of Beetle cats, to name a few. Several flagpoles are going out as well.

We recently salvaged hull #1 of the Compass Classic Bay Bird mold. Carol Hayward will take ownership once we get her back in shape. She will be added to the Namequoit Sailing Association Bay Bird fleet, now numbering 6 according to fleet captain Jenny Avellar. See our Bay Bird page for more details.

Memorial Day marked the start of the mad rush to get all our customers into the water and off enjoying the magnificent waters of Cape Cod. From the beginning of May through July 4th, we will be crazy mad with bottoms to paint, hulls to compound or if they're wood, more paint, rigging to check, and boats to deliver. It's a wild time!

Staff News

Brian Burke has been doing a wonderful job wearing many hats. He is our Closer (baseball term). His ability to assess a project and see it through to the bitter end is what has saved us from a scheduling disaster. He worked under Don Brett for two years before he moved up here to Orleans. His experience there plus his innate attention to detail and work ethic have been a wonderful addition to the level of craftsmanship in the shop. His humor helps get us through the tough moments, too. Brian has discovered fishing on the Cape. He was a long time fisherman down in the Keys so it was only a matter of time. We hear about them but haven't seen his catch yet.

Ian Ellison finished up Sea Duck and Belle, ending two very complicated restoration projects successfully. His understanding of the issues with Sea Duck and his solutions will surely add immeasurably to her renewed sea-worthiness. You can follow the progress on Sea Duck's page.

Brenden McVickar is back from his first year at college. Because this season will mark his 5th year at the shop, he has been promoted to Yard Manager. He will be in charge of scheduling and moving boats, setting them up for spring commissioning, and reading them for delivery. His dependable crew is made up of Conor Benoit and Colton Ellison. All three will take part in the daily work of painting and varnishing as well as yard work.

Conor is planning to take a weeklong course at Mass Maritime Academy this summer. He hopes to apply there for college next year. He'll report back in these pages after his adventure.

Ryan Benoit's Maiden Voyage!

Thanks to the team, associates, and all of you boat enthusiasts out there!
May you stay safe and enjoy the good weather.
Suzanne

Photo of the lathe with a mast on it

The yard filling up with Classic Cats

This summer, we launched two new Classic Cats: Charlotte Jane went to the Fishers in the Thimbles, joining 10 other CC's. Sang Pei went to the Hamels on the Vineyard. The boats are the second and third new version and their performance lived up to our expectations.

Marine Restoration, Arey's Pond Boat Yard and Namequoit Sailing Association hosted an incredible event in August: the NY Sandbaggers Bull and Bear came to Pleasant Bay for a week of sailing with kids from several sailing programs on the bay and beyond. The outpouring of community support and enthusiasm was incredible. We raised $10,000.00 that was earmarked for area sailing programs. If you are wondering what sandbaggers are, visit their web site at www.bullandbear.com. The organization is set up to train kids quickly so that they get to sail the boats. On one day alone, we had over 150 kids sailing throughout the day!

Photos by Jennifer Stello

Photos by Barry Donahue

Once we got over that excitement, we restored a Baybird which we launched at the end of August and began racing her with the other BB's off Namequoit Point on Pleasant Bay. This boat was a mess when we got her. Now she is turning heads wherever she sails. Her new owner, Carol Hayward will sail her with her daughters Libby and Emma from Namequoit Sailing Association.

Baybird before restoration.

Baybird after restoration.

Namequoit Race

Brian Burke, our head builder, is finishing up a spec Classic Cat, and is beginning to build a new Baybird for Dr. Allen Ward of Chatham. We have several CC orders to build which will keep Brian busy all winter.

Brian is working on a Baybird

Conor Benoit is completing his Senior Year at Nauset High School, but continues to help out every day after school. He is currently applying to colleges and we will keep you posted.

Brenden McVickar was promoted to Yard Manager this summer and did an excellent job running the yard. He is in his Sophomore Year at Fitchburg in Central Massachusetts and will work with us when he can.

We have a new work study student, Brian Porter who is also a Nauset Senior. He is thinking about going on to a boat building school, and as his Senior Project, he is building a Cosine Wherry at the high school shop.

Other work: Cleopatra is a mongrel cat purchased by Ned Hitchcock and Terry Gipps this past spring. Her history is not clear but this is the story we're sticking with: the 18'6" hull was built in the seventies and the cabin and interior was build by another guy later. Two other guys bought her and nothing was done for years until Ned and Terry found her. Now she's in the shop for power and to finish up some wood work. We are having John Brady of Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia advise us on the sail and rig. Cleopatra will sail out of Wellfleet here on the Cape.

Also on the board:

• Rhodes 19 new frames
• Handy Cat: new sole and seats
• Many spars
• Many flagpoles
• We're still working with the Federal reserve Bank on a 4 pole project.