November 2013 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 21. 70s Memories - Jarvis Newman


First time I recall actually meeting Jar- vis was sometime in the late 60’s when he and his wife Susan had purchased the only laundromat in Southwest Harbor, then pro- ceeded to build an extra large “garage” in the back to build rowboats. We both grew up in Southwest, but Jarvis had graduated in 1956, six years before me and young kids were in awe of olders. Besides, he lived way down in Seawall, two miles away. “Jarv” Had spent two years at Wentworth College in Aeronautics Maintenance then went out to Cincinnati to test jet engines for GE. Stayed there for 4 years. Enjoyed the work, but as a lot of coastal Mainers, missed the salt water. He and Susan Bunker were married in 1961 and moved to Lynn, Massachusetts where he worked 2 more years for GE. From there it was Marble- head and a job with Stanley Elevator for what Sue terms “half pay”. In the summer of “64” they had moved back to Southwest and that fall Jarvis went to work for the Henry R. Hinckley Co. in their fl edgling fi - berglass department where he picked up his lifelong association with fi berglass. Again at half pay. The fi rst rowboat was not a great mod-


Misc. CF New Continued from Page 20.


in coastal communities through more jobs, higher wages, and long-term prosperity. Currently, certain Canadian fi sh and seafood products face signifi cant tariffs in the EU as high as 20 per cent (e.g. frozen mackerel, cooked and peeled shrimp). Other iconic Canadian products also face varying tariffs, including lobster (6 to 16 per cent), salmon (up to 15 per cent), hake (up to 15 per cent), and dried and salted cod (13 per cent).


“Our Government is proud of the ac- tions we have taken to create opportunities that will strengthen the fi shing industry,” said Minister Shea. “We will continue to work closely with our fi shermen and fi sh and seafood producers to help them grow.


el. Nowhere near as pretty nor as good a rower as his second, one designed and built by Arthur Spurling from Islesford. As Jar- vis began to realize, there was more future in the larger boats, he decided in 1967 to leave HRH Co. and begin building a 25’ Friendship Sloop in fi berglass taken from a model James “Pebble” Rockefeller had built in 1965 at Bald Mt. Boatworks named “Old Baldy”. Wasn’t long before Jarvis and Susan realized Newman and Company had out- grown the Laundromat business and large garage fi berglass production and moved down to Manset and a house owned by Jar- vis great-aunt, a house big enough for the now family of four which included lovely daughters Kim and Kathy. A proper boat shed was soon built from which Friendship hulls and decks as well as the fi rst power- boat hull, a Hunt 25’ Surfhunter model be- gan to roll out the doors. Jarvis had hired his fi rst employee, Roland Stanley, and soon after, Roy Sprague, both from South- west, and between these three men, copi- ous amounts of fi berglass were converted to boats to sail upon the waters. Long days and weekends were of the order. I was fascinated watching and talking


with Jarvis. Two things caught my atten- tion: hard work and the reward of complet- ing a product to be proud of. Remember well having a conversation with Jim Willis who owned The Boathouse a small boat storage, repair, sales and rental yard across the street as we stood watching Jarvis and crew preparing a Bunker and Ellis 36 to be added to the Jarvis Newman Inc. line, and Jim saying, “He’s fi nally got it right. He’ll do much better with those powerboat hulls than fooling around with Friendship and go-fast models. You mark my words.” Jim couldn’t have been righter. Little did I realize as well, I would someday be in the business of fi nishing some of these New- man Hulls.


Orders began to pour in for the now named Newman 36. Both commercial and pleasure, aided in no small way by Ray- mond Bunker’s, (Susan’s father) reputation


as a hull designer, caught on immediately. At one time, there was a completed hull going out the door every eleven days. And, as Jarvis was ever quick to point out as competitors surfaced and time savers were invented, “We build ‘em with buckets and hand rollers. No sprayed chopped glass and resin. This is the best, the best. Strongest hulls.” Course it took awhile to realize the many benefi ts of “glass” and was no longer necessary to follow the old Maine adage of “if one plank will do add another”. Fiber- glass did not have to be as thick as wood and yes, a 30.30 bullet would penetrate, but with a lot more diffi culty than through a ce- dar or mahogany plank.


I came on the boatbuilding scene pure- ly by chance in 1973 when good friend and mentor, Les King, suggested after a career change I should go into boatbuilding. Jarvis was looking for shops to fi nish off his hulls and soon introduced my next door neighbor, Roger Pinkham, and I to our fi rst customer. From there, we became close friends. Jarvis and Sue, Heidi and I did boat shows togeth- er, sailed in the Caribbean, and partied. Jar- vis and I spent hours on the phone after the workday going over ideas and problems. Jarvis, ever since I’ve known him has been able to spot opportunities. He’s, not to give Sue a back seat, been able to see the next step in hull building, or purchase proper- ty, upgrade it, then successfully sell it and move on. One of his favorite phrases to this day is “Dollars, Dollars, Dollars!” The Bunker and Ellis 36’ was soon followed by a Ralph Stanley 32’ and then another Friendship Sloop. This one built in 1904 owned by the Chesney family on Deer Isle which Jarvis re-fi nished and took a mould. The original was sold to a Doctor in Nyack then sold to a school. Much later,


Jarvis bought it back. Refurbished it again and sold it back to a son in the Chesney family who converted it back to a “working Friendship” and now resides once again in Deer Isle.


By 1977 commercial fi shermen were looking for bigger boats to go offshore lobstering, gillnetting, and for inshore dragging. 200 mile limit had fi nally been passed, too late as always by our dithering Congress, and waterfront excitement was in the air. Jarvis hired Royal Lowell of Lowell and Spaulding, a well known designer of semi-displacement Maine lobsterboats, to design what I have always felt was Royal’s best, a 46’. Again, Jarvis had hit the tim- ing. This model was fun to build as well as being exceptionally seaworthy. Roomy, we could put a workshop of tools aboard as we built. Go to building in the morning, stay on board all day except for trips to the stock- rooms for wood and parts. Alfred Osgood told the story of coming back from offshore through an “hellacious” storm, through towers of water where they had to steer be- tween the towers in his 46. Pleasure boats, we could do two good staterooms below, two heads and adjoining shower, with large salon and ample galley. Great model. In 1978, Jarvis had decided to sell. He’d been breathing the fumes on a daily basis for long enough and I suspect his tim- ing was a factor as well when he sold the company to Lewis Moore from Northeast Harbor, and Wayne Wibby, a dentist from Bangor. Dr. Wayne left in 1979 and the business continued for several years after. Today, Jarvis with daughter Kathy own and operate Newman Boat Brokerage and Jar- vis, who never could be idle, repairs and fi nishes various boats in a new shed behind the brokerage offi ce.


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