Page 14. MAINE COASTAL NEWS March 2011 Boat And Ship Yard News
Rumery’s Boat Yard in Biddeford has three projects on the main floor, but the most interesting is the progress they are making on their racing shells.
When they purchased the racing shell company a couple of years ago they did not realize how involved this project was going to be. The learning curve has been straight up. They had to build a 65-foot oven to accommo- date the moulds for these boats and learn everything about the boat and materials to build them so that they were competitive with others on the market. They have certainly stepped to the plate and have done an incred- ible job. The first hull, which is pre-preg, had a weight savings of nearly 30 pounds and no VOCs. They are refining the manufacturing process and continue to look for ways to make their product better. One item that be- came an issue was the rigger, which is used to attach the oar to the shell. This did not hold up so they redesigned it making it stronger and lighter. It was being built in China, but now they are being manufactured by a local company in Biddeford. Another innovation is that watertight bulkheads are placed under each seat. This makes the boat stiffer and does not allow the water to move so that it does not affect the boat’s performance. They are going to construct three more shells and then go on the road this spring to potential customers and allow them to try them out. The yard’s work boat, a Holland 22, is in for a new deck. They removed the old deck and completely ground the interior. She will receive a new engine box and coamings as well as being rewired and then painted inside and out.
Also in the shop is an Alden Challenger, which they did extensive work on six years ago. At that time they redid her cockpit, replaced the chain plates, and Awlgripped the hull. This year they are going to finish the interior which includes putting in a V-berth and head.
An Ensign, which is being restored for a Cape Elizabeth customer, is having her inte-
rior cleaned up, brightwork refinished and a new cockpit put in. The cockpit had been mahogany and will now be teak. A Newman 32, which was finished off by Wilbur, is in her annual maintenance and cosmetics.
A Sabre 452 will be coming in to have her varnish redone, both inside and out. MOXIE, a Holland 38 which was finished off at the yard a number of years ago, is back for an electronic upgrade. They are going to add a WiFi/Mac-based navigational system throughout the boat. Presently they are re- searching the system and should start instal- lation soon.
Royal River Boat Yard in Yarmouth has been very busy this winter like most yards on the Maine coast.
One project has been the rebuilding of a Hamilton jet-drive on a Hinckley 36 picnic boat. They also will be redoing all her brightwork.
A Cape Dory 36 has been in the shop. Her engine was removed so that they could re-
build her engine beds.
A 34 foot sailboat was in to be re-pow- ered. They removed her Yanmar diesel, which was replaced with a newer model. There are three other re-powers this spring. One will receive a 150 hp Mercury outboard and two will be getting 200 hp Mercury outboards.
An Alden 37 is in and they are redoing her rigging, electrical system, adding lighten- ing protection, and installing new electron- ics.
They just completed work on a 42 foot Wesmac commercial fishing boat after it hit a ledge. The damage was significant to its keel and chine. They had to repair approximately 7 feet of the keel. This project has been completed and the boat has been relaunched. Up in the yard under a temporary build- ing is 56 foot Duffy commercial fishing boat. She suffered extensive damage after being hit by a steel dragger. The damage was to the hull and cabin on the port side. This project is scheduled to be completed in March. In the shop is a T. Jason 25 lobster boat.
They removed her platform, engine and fuel tanks. They have replaced the fuel tanks with bigger ones and added new running gear. They are now in the process of redoing the platform. This project will be completed this spring.
The paint shop has been extremely busy this year. They have two Aldens 44s, an Alerion, a Pursuit 34, a Sabre 42, a Sabre 38 sailboat and a Holland 32 still on the sched- ule.
Edgecomb Boat Works in Edgecomb has had two 26-foot Lymans in the shop this year for total restoration. One is a hardtop version and the other a soft top. Both had whatever needed repair replaced and both will be ready to go over this spring. One of these boats also got a bow thruster, which makes docking them much, much easier. A 29-foot Lyman Express Cruiser is un- dergoing the first stage of a major restoration. They are putting in a holding tank and up- grading the electrical system this year. The NELLIE G, which was built in 1937,
Compass Project News
New STEM Programs This Spring! South Portland High School: English Language Learning Math Class This is the second year of this success- ful class for English Language Learners. South Portland High School math teacher, Geoff Slack, and Shane Hall, Compass Project program manager, have created an effective curriculum that uses boat building tech- niques to illustrate concepts students are studying in math class, providing an authen- tic hands-on learning experience. Falmouth High School: GPS-tracked Mini Sailboat and Model Boat Building Starting in March, Falmouth High School students will begin building model boats while they study geography, boat de- sign, navigation and oceanography related to our GPS-Tracked Mini Sailboat, which was
launched in November along with 3 other small 5-foot unmanned vessels in a race to Europe. See our MiniBoat Update section below for more on the boats’ progress! Small Elementary School, South Portland: GPS-Tracked Mini Sailboat and Creative Boat Building
Our first program with Small School is also starting in March. Students will design and build their own model boats and will use the GPS-Mini Sailboat to study geography, oceanography, navigation and boat design. Meanwhile, our 8 ongoing programs will complete their boat projects this semester and will launch their boats in May and June. Boat Racks at East End Beach Special Thanks are due to the Friends of the Eastern Prom who contributed funding and volunteers to help us build a boat rack at
East End Beach in Portland. Thanks to them, our two dories and a variety of skiffs have a permanent home at East End Beach, allowing our students easier access to our boats and to the water.
GPS-Tracked Mini Sailboat Update You may recall that the projected route of the 5' unmanned vessels which were launched in the Caribbean was for the boats to be pushed by the trade winds over to Florida where they could pick up the Gulf Stream and head north to Europe. Of the four boats, the Compass Project boat, “Bridges,” is still making headway in the Caribbean — she is about 100 miles from Grand Turk Island. Follow the voyage on
www.iboattrack.com. The three other boats have gone ashore in various locations - the Dominican Repub- lic, the Bahamas and Panama - recovery op- erations are underway!
The best laid plans of unmanned sail- boat voyagers was summed up nicely by Robert Burns:
But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane, In proving foresight may be vain; The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men Gang aft agley,
And lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain For promised joy!
•Wash, Check & Repair (In house)
•Clean & Waterproof (Canvas)
• Repair & Store Only •Wash & Store Only
HALLETT CANVAS & SAILS 215 Foreside Rd, Falmouth, Maine (207) 781-7070 (800) 639-9907
www.h2ube.com www.hallettcanvasandsails.com Senators
Applaud Navy Contract Award to BIW
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins applauded an additional $6,700,000 million awarded by the Department of the Navy to Bath Iron Works to a previously awarded contract to provide additional systems engineering services associated with the detail design and construction of the Zumwalt (DDG-1000) class destroyer. “This contract addition will allow the first-class team at Bath Iron Works to continue critical engineering work on the DDG-1000 Zumwalt destroyer program. The workforce at Bath Iron Works is making tremendous progress on the DDG-1000, and this award is another reminder that Bath Iron Works remains the crown jewel of the Navy’s shipbuilding industrial base,” said Senators Snowe and Collins.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32