April 2015 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 5. Maine's Boatbuilder's Hall of Fame: 2015 Inductees
have done them all,” said Bruce. They have done Calvin Beal, Osmond Beal, Wayne Beal, Duffy & Duffy, Flye Point, Holland, Mitchell Cove, and Young Brothers hulls. These hulls have been fi nished out as
commercial fi shing boats or fi nely appointed yachts.
Does it make any difference whether a boat is commercial or pleasure? Bruce stated, “I take each one as an individual project. Sometimes the crew likes to do the commercial boats because they are quicker and they see their end results faster. But they take a lot of pride in any boat that goes out these doors.”
BRUCE FARRIN
Numerous boatbuilders on the Maine coast have been taught by another fi ne craftsman. One such person is Bruce Farrin of Farrin’s Boat Shop in Walpole who was schooled by Harvey Gamage of South Bris- tol and some of his workers.
Boatbuilding was sometimes passed on from generation to generation, but not in the case of Bruce. He was brought up in South Bristol within a family of commercial fi shermen. His father never fi shed, but his grandfather and uncles did.
Those that grew up around boats usually
fi nd a way to stay around them. Bruce opted not to go into the commercial fi shing indus- try, but instead went to work for Harvey Gamage in South Bristol in 1963. He said, “I began on the fl oor helping saw frames. The fi rst boat I worked on was the schooner SHENANDOAH.”
Bruce worked for Gamage for 9½ years. He said, “He was a great man to work for and he expected a lot out of his crew.” In 1971 Bruce left the Gamage yard and opened his own shop across the gut. His fi rst boatbuilding job was a 36 foot wooden lobster boat for his cousin who lived in South Bristol. The design of the boat was Alvin Beal’s of Beals Island. Bruce added, “We built the fi rst one and I changed it a little bit here and there on the second one and a little more on the third. They were all still basically his design.”
Disaster struck Bruce in 1978 when during a heavy nor’easter the shop was lifted up and went out into the gut and sank. There was a boat partially completed inside, and along with all of Bruce’s tools, nothing was saved. He said, “From there we came up here on the property in Walpole. My wife and I built the front shop. We were washed out in February and by the fi rst of June we laid the keel for a 32 foot wooden boat, which was delivered, I think, in November.” Following the fi rst boat at their new shop came a 37 foot Repco. This ushered in a new era for Bruce, and that was fi nishing off fi berglass hulls from other builders. “We
In 1984 they built the back shop, which is 24 x 52 feet. This was so they could be- come more effi cient with the crew. Bruce said, “We needed more than one boat to work on at one time. You get to a point where you don’t have anywhere else to go on one so you need another boat to make the crew effi cient.”
However, fi berglass fi nishing took a hiatus in 1986 when they built a 40 foot wooden trawler yacht, named the RED JACKET. However, it has been back to fi nishing fi berglass hulls ever since. Two employees are two of Bruce’s sons, Bruce and Brian. In a 1995 interview Bruce said, “They are doing just about everything. They are keeping the shop clean as well is going up and doing carpentry work. Two or three years ago I didn’t think either one of them would work here. Now they both are. They have always worked along with me. Back when I built my fi rst wooden boat they were about three years old and they would go along carrying the clamps.” Today Bruce, Jr. and Brian are an inte- gral part of the business as Bruce runs the business.
When Bruce started his shop in the early 1970s there were several builders in the area. Besides Gamage, there was Sumner McFarlane, who built rowing skiffs; Peter McFarland was down at Christmas Cove; and his brother Winthrop, used to build lobster boats. Today, there is Farrin’s Boat Shop, Flower’s Boat Shop and John’s Bay Boat.
Bruce has built all sorts of vessels over his career from lobster boats, eastern rig draggers, passenger schooners to fancy lobster-style yachts. He has carried on the tradition and passed it on to his sons that have continued a fi ne tradition and reputa- tion in the boatbuilding industry.
LEE WILBUR
Lee S. Wilbur began his company in 1973 as a one man shop in the backyard of his home. His neighbor, Roger Pinkham, taught him the art of boatbuilding and worked with
him nights and weekends. However, he said a majority of his help came from Ralph Ellis. “If I ran into a problem, he knew how to solve it,” said Lee.
Lee began by building a 36 footer and then a couple of 32s. After working at his home for three years, he bought the land where the business operates from today. When he bought it there was an apartment house on it and he built a shed behind that. After the fi rst year the business was going so well that he tore the apartment house down for the added room.
When Lee began in the business he
bought his fi berglass hulls from Jarvis New- man, also from Manset. However, when that business was sold, he decided to go with his own designs. He began with a 38 footer, which was followed by the 34 and the 61. None of the hulls were laid up at Lee’s shop. They were laid up at Northend Marine in Rockland.
Lee loved the boatbuilding business. “I do not think in any business you will fi nd a group of people who are as much fun to deal with as the boating public. Boatbuilders, especially custom builders, get to work out a lot of great ideas.”
In 1988 they introduced the Wilbur 29, which was going to be a faster boat aimed at the day and weekend boating crowd. This was successful so the following the next year with modifi cations to their 34, which was fi nished out as a bass boat/day boat. The fi rst one sent to Gilman Yachts, Palm Beach, who was a dealer for them. Gilman also took this boat to the Miami Boat Show.
In 1999 Lee introduced at the Miami Boat Show the Dirigo 31. Lee wanted to produce this one as a production boat of- fered through a dealer network. They did a
number of these as well as fi nishing off other builder’s hulls.
In 2003 after 30 years in the boatbuild- ing business Lee and his ex-wife Heidi Crock decided to sell to their daughter and son-in-law Ingrid and John Kachmar, who still operate from the same location in Man- set.
One thing that Lee did was market the Maine lobster boat not just to commercial fi shermen, but yachters. Not relying on ad- vertisements and word of mouth he headed far south to the Florida boat shows where he found a number of customers. Lee educated those from away who were not knowledge- able in the Downeast hull and this helped him to become one of the most successful builders of lobster-yachts on the coast of Maine.
Bring your boat to New England’s most capable yacht yard for the care she deserves. Repairs, refi ts, storage and dockage available for vessels up to 200 feet and 480 tons.
Belfast,Maine 207-930-3740
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