Page 6. MAINE COASTAL NEWS November 2011 JOE SARGENT OF SARGENT'S CUSTOM BOATS OF MILBRIDGE
On your way out of Milbridge heading north on Route 1, just over a hill on the right side of the road sits a double bay building. This is the home of Sargent’s Custom Boats, which is run by Joe Sargent and his father Montel. They not only build lobster boats, but also sportfisherman, pleasure cruisers and even yacht club committee boats. Over the years they have built a fine reputation for the quality of work they have turned out and justifiably so.
Joe Sargent and his father Montel of Sargent's Custom Boats in Milbridge. LOBSTER BOAT RACE CALENDAR
13 of the best colour photographs from last year's races. $10.00 each. Include $2.50 postage and handling no matter the number ordered. To order send to: Maine Coastal News, P.O. Box 710, Winterport, ME, 04496 or call (207) 223-8846 and charge to your credit card.
Joe Sargent grew up in Winter Harbor and was always around boats. Unlike some builders he did not wander around boat- builder’s shops. The only building he did was repairing skiffs and other boats with his fa- ther. At this point in his life he was lobstering, which he started doing when he was 13. He never did lobster with his father, who by this time had quit fishing and was now doing carpentry work. Sargent started with a 15- foot lapstrake powerboat with a 6-hp Evinrude outboard. He later fished out of a 16- footer similar to a Boston Whaler. After high school he went stern on Jeff Alley, Sr.’s boat out of Prospect Harbor for a few years. He then went with Chris Beyers as they dove for sea urchins. He was running the boat, but after a slow winter, decided to seek another job. He went to work for Kelco in Milbridge and there he learned to do welding. After a couple years he was laid off and while job hunting discovered that Able Marine in Trenton was looking for boatbuilders. Sargent said, “I never thought in my life I would build boats. They were looking for a carpenter, but they wouldn’t hire me the first two times I went. While I was laid off I was building some furniture and I brought a piece of furniture down that I built and showed them. They hired me that day and have been building boats ever since.”
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He worked at Able Marine in 1996 and 1997 and then he went to work for The Hinckley Company in Manset, where he worked until July 2000. Initially he worked in deck hardware for awhile. He added, “We were doing everything. I actually worked on the last 44 Talaria powerboat. The last power boat before they went to the jet drives. I also worked on a sailboat for the owners of the Campbell Soup company, a big 70. I decided I wanted to go up into layup and got trans- ferred and built 69 of the Picnic boats." During the previous winter before leav-
ing Hinckley Sargent finished off a couple of lobster boats for local fisherman. Sargent explained, “One was a 35 Duffy, BACK N’ BLACK for Philip Torrey. The other one was a 29 H&H for Donny Lee. After I got done I wound up building the WILD, WILD WEST for Glenn Crawford.”
In July 2000 Sargent gave his notice at Hinckley and began his own career building boats in Milbridge. One of the first boats I remember was PITBULL, which was a sport- fisherman finished on a Calvin Beal 36 hull. She was built for a customer from Fairview, New Jersey, who would return for another two boats. Unfortunately while the third one was under construction he passed away. This was a 28 Muscle Ridge and is still at the yard waiting for an owner.
Last spring Sargent finished off a yacht club committee boat for the American Yacht Club at Rye, New York. She was built on a Mitchell Cove 35 hull and sported a walkaround house. Anyone who has worked on a committee boat can certainly understand how advantageous a walkaround house would be. Just from a safety perspective this is a great design.”
More and more people are asking for composite construction. “Everybody would like to do it,” said Sargent, “but not every- body can afford to do it. It is a lot more expensive. On this 47 I just bought all the materials to do the flooring. You know fram- ing, plywood, everything for a little over $2,000. The complete composite construc- tion, would be $8,000 just for the flooring and that is before you raised all your hull stringers up so you would probably have $10,000 to 12,000 into the floor construction.” The Osmond 47 now under construction is being finished out as a lobster boat for a customer from Point Pleasant, New Jersey. For accommodations she will have four berths, galley, a head, and a hydraulic closet. Up in the shelter she will have settee and a dinette table. As for power she has C-15 Cat. She is scheduled to be completed around the first of the year.
In 11 years Sargent has built about 30 boats and he finds enjoyment in doing it. There have been the usual ups and downs, but to date Sargent has been able to fill in the slow times in new boat construction with repair work. But for now it is new boat con- struction, which is his signature work.
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