March 2015 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 23.


Riley, Elihu and Ben Beal, Adrian Beal and his son Lester, Erwart Lenfestey, Fred Lenfestey, Clifford Alley and Richard Alley, were kept busy turning out wooden boats. Alley worked at Riley’s shop during


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a four-year period alternating his time be- tween that shop and Alvin Beal’s shop on Beals. He also worked for Harold Gower assisting on the construction of at least fi ve boats during one period of employment all the while honing his boatbuilding skills by working with some of the master craftsman of the day. Alley gives credit to those men saying that he learned how to design and work from a half model from Riley Beal, “but I learned how to build from Harold Gower,” he concluded.


By 1961 Richard and Clifford Alley built a shop at Alley’s Bay and went into business for themselves. “We work together for seven years,” Richard said. “I designed the boats and we turned out fi ve or six boats a year from that shop.”


During the summer of 1968 Richard began to build his own shop where he would continue his boatbuilding career on his own. “The fi rst boat I built there was a 39 by 12-foot lobster boat for Hartford Cook of Tenants Harbor,” Alley said. The largest boat built inside Alley’s new shop was a 40 by 13-foot, 9-inch lobster boat for Jeff Alley of Prospect Harbor. When Alley began to get orders for boats that were too large to build inside his shop, he didn’t let that stop him. He just set them up in the yard between his house and the road and built them there. At one time a 58 by 18-foot boat fi lled the space between his front yard and the road. “If I built them any longer I’d have had to build a bridge over them for people to drive over,” he joked. The 58-foot boat was built as an off- shore scallop dragger for Robert Tracy of Gouldsboro. She was stripped planked in spruce and then fi berglass inside and out. The last boat that Alley built outside was a 46 by 14-foot burned out fi berglass hull brought to him by Robert Johnson of Jonesport. Johnson bought the hull from an insurance company and presented Alley with the massive task of turning it back into a working fi shing boat. “The boat had been through a fi re and was gutted,” Alley said. “Holes were burned completely through the hull, and the cabin and decks were gone.” Alley put his boatbuilding skills to work, put a keel on her and began to build her over. The


fi nished boat included a completely outfi tted galley and was powered by a Volvo diesel. While building Johnsons boat, Alley also rebuilt a “Novie” boat inside of his shop for Ira Guptill.


Alley also got into designing for the


fi berglass boat industry. A 31 by 10-foot, 8 inch model was designed by Alley for production by Jimmy Beal of Milbridge. The mould was later sold to Paul West of Steuben and is currently produced by West Bay Boats.


When Guptill’s boat was fi nished Alley was forced to quit building boats. Problems with his knees forced surgery and Alley was no longer able to go into his shop and work. It was clear that Alley missed working on full-size boats. “Sometimes I just go out into the shop and sit in a chair and dream,” he says. “Boatbuilding has been my life’s work since I got out of the Army in 1955.” Alley was honored at the Maine Boat-


builder’s Show in Portland by induction into the Maine Boatbuilder’s Hall of Fame in 1994.


He is survived by his wife Ina (Wood-


ward)(Barnes) Alley, son Bryon Alley, son Broderick Alley and Wife Dwina (Beal) Alley, a very special granddaughter Jennifer Alley and her dog (Bigfoot) AKA Gramps Boy, all of Beals, Step daughters Leanne and husband John Beal Jr. of Jonesport, Laurel and husband Nathan Beal of Marshfi eld, Lynda and husband Thad Dolley of Machias, Laureen Libby of Frankfort, brother-in-law John Alley Sr. of Augusta, sister-in-law Adele (Lenfestey) Alley of Addison, broth- er-in-law William Alley and wife Jessie (Crowley) Alley of Addison. Several step grandchildren and great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins. A nephew Charles Merchant Jr. who was more like a son.


Richard was predeceased by his par- ents, his wife of 39 years Evelyn M. (Alley) Alley, his sister Arlena (Alley) Alley, broth- er Eben Alley, sister-in-law Francis (Alley) Alley, brother Joseph Alley Jr., step-father Isaac Seavey, father-in-law Levi Alley, mother-in-law Adeline(Alley) Alley, sister- in-law Annie (Alley)Merchant, and Bryon’s friend Rhonda Leighton.


As requested by the family, visiting hours and funeral services was private. A graveside committal service will be held in the spring.


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