July 2012 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 19. Lowell Brothers Launch Hull #1 of New Lowell 38 Design
YARMOUTH - The Lowell Brothers of Yarmouth, Maine, introduce THOROBRED, a Lowell 38 lobster cruising yacht. The Lowell 38 is a new design in their line of Lowell production fiberglass boats. The design was originally created for a one-off boat, but it seemed good-looking and efficient, so the Lowell Brothers created a mold. THOROBRED is the first boat of this new design, featuring a cored vinylester hull and carbon fiber/epoxy cabin.
Jamie and Joe Lowell draw on expertise from a veritable family dynasty of boat build- ers/designers, including father Carroll, uncle Royal, and great-grandfather Will Frost. Jamie describes this boat as built-down, with a fine entry and a lot of deadrise. The bottom is streamlined, and she shows a little tumblehome. The bow is pleasantly flared. Joe described building the boat. “I en- joyed the molding and construction details – some of the stuff was pretty cool. It was hard to do, but the carbon fiber and epoxy cabin lends well to a lower center of gravity on the boat, which leads to good sea handling char- acteristics. And, it sounds little, but I also enjoyed making the corner details around the bulkheads and interior of the boat.” In the water, THOROBRED moves easily and smoothly. Her bow rises, but only slightly, in the same way that the early Jonesporters sliced through the surf. The long, clear wave off the bow doesn’t break until nearly aft of the cabin. She handles with ease and accelerates rapidly, her 800 hp MAN diesel engine reaching 22 knots at 1600 rpm. Top speed on the initial voyage was clocked at 32.8 knots.
Veteran marine surveyor Cap Leonard Continued from Page 10.
stated that THOROBRED was the best-riding Lowell boat he’d seen, and that she exhibited “exemplary craftsmanship”.
Owner John St. Hilaire commented, “Joe and Jamie have outdone themselves on this design. It’s exceptional all around. What I notice the most is overall its seakeeping abili- ties, specifically, the way the boat behaves whether we’re going into a sea head on, or taking a beam sea, the boat is the most stable boat I’ve ever been on.”
St. Hilaire came to the Lowell Brothers looking for a Maine lobster boat hull. He grew up boating with his family, but is the first to own lobster boats.
St. Hilaire named the boat THOROBRED after a 1915 Will Frost boat. The original THOROBRED and her sister ship RED WING were famous in the Jonesport area for their ongoing racing competitions.
THOROBRED features a raised-floor upper cabin that encloses the helm, two high captain’s benches, and a salon area with settee, with the galley opposite. In the lower cabin is a large v-berth, an additional sleeping bench, a hanging locker, and “an incredibly spacious head” with sink and shower, said Joe. The berth is surrounded by glowing hand-selected pine ceiling. Mahogany trim accentuates the Herreshoff finish, above the teak & holly sole. A mahogany shipswheel at the helm, with bronze name plate, was created by South Shore Boatworks of Halifax, MA. Cushions were provided by A.L. Brown in Freeport.
The exterior sports a teak swim platform, varnished teak pulpit and rails, stainless steel deck hardware, and Bomon aluminum frame windows. A Lofrans Project 1000 windlass
USN to Name Vessel after Millinocket According to the U.S. Navy, the USNS
final name assignment. According to the U.S. Navy, the Naval Historical Center compiles a list of ship name recommendations and pro- vides these to the Chief of Naval Operations. After consideration at various levels of the chain of command, the Chief of Naval Opera- tions will then provide naming recommenda- tions for the Navy’s building program for the current year to the SECNAV.
The USNS Millinocket is the first naval vessel to be named in honor of Millinocket and East Millinocket. It will be constructed by Austal USA Mobile, Alabama.
Clearance Sale on Parts and Accessories!
WE ALSO DO: · Fiberglass Repair · Detailing
· Bottom Paint · Varnish
· Repair of All Makes
MILLINOCKET will replace the USS STEPHEN W. GROVES, which was decom- missioned on February 24, 2012. The USS GROVES was a guided missile frigate built at Bath Iron Works and commissioned on April 17, 1982. Ensign Groves was a 1934 graduate of Schenck High School in East Millinocket and a 1939 graduate of the University of Maine. According to the Navy, he joined in December 1940 and boarded the carrier HOR- NET in 1941, which transported bomber air- craft to Japanese waters for the Battle of Midway. Ensign Groves was the first service- man from East Millinocket to be killed in World War II.
holds a Suncor polished stainless anchor. The cockpit area has saltwater and freshwa- ter washdowns and a handheld shower. (Ad- ditional saltwater washdown on the bow.) The boat has tankage for 87 gal of fresh water, 327 gal of fuel, and a 25 gal holding tank. The hull, deck, and bulkhead are vinylester, cored with 1” CoreCell A550 foam. The entire cabin, wheelhouse back, and salon sole are constructed of carbon fiber with
epoxy.The hull is AwlGrip’s Sunfast Red. The hull bottom was primed with Interlux Interprotect 2000 and then painted with Interlux VC Offshore. Painting and custom deck hatches were done by Casey Yacht Enterprises of Freeport. The hand-drawn design was converted to CAD by Turcotte Yacht Design of Topsham.
Prop, shaft, and rudder were provided by Nautilus Marine Fabrication of Trenton. They also fabricated the bow rails, radar mast, custom anchor roller, and custom steps. The carbon fiber cabin is so thin that the
Join the crew of the
life raft latches and tree were set on G10 bases drilled and tapped for the bolts; the bases were then adhered to the cabin roof. The Lowell Brothers Jamie and Joe are descended from more than six generations boatbuilders & designers. Their great-grand- father Will Frost is credited with the develop- ment of the Maine lobsterboat hull. Their passion is for lobster hull design and the custom creation of a boat, in wood or fiber- glass, for commercial or pleasure use.
for an epic voyage to the
Explore exotic islands while learning traditional seafaring skills.
Pick up Polynesian dance at Palmerston, snorkel on the reef at Moorea, drink from coconuts at Aitutaki, take the small boats on expeditions in the lagoon at Bora Bora.
Take your turn at the helm, heave up the anchor, haul on lines to set and take in sail.
Reap the rewards of sailing your way to these remote corners of the world.
No sailing experience is necessary, just the desire to learn and be part of the crew that sails the ship.
1.902.634.9984 •
info@picton-castle.com •
picton-castle.com HISTORY FOR YOURWALLS
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