|
|
|
|
The Unofficial Newsletter of Lyman–Morse Boatbuilding - SPRING/SUMMER 2005
You’d think after 93 boats and cruising over 235,000 miles, he’d have something to say!
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
MOOSE ON THE LOOSE! |
||||||||||||||||||
While a visit to downtown Thomaston is a bit unusual, moose are well known roamers and can cover considerable territory. As part of the deer family they definitely have a different look. They are so ungainly, but are one of the most fascinating animals to watch. We are getting greener! To win the Governor's Award we had to significantly reduce our emissions and use of chemicals as well as increase our employee safety and training programs. This process has been expensive and time consuming so it is rewarding to be recognized for the effort. Just the paperwork is a full time job and it has taken a good part of a year for Ron Defoe to catalog and evaluate the many types of chemicals and emissions used at the yard.
And greener!
Because of our efforts we were selected for the Step Up
Program. This is another welcomed recognition that we have been successful in
our efforts. We will act as a mentor for the other boatyards in Maine and pass
on to them the experience and knowledge we have gained. In addition we are
committed to keep reducing our chemical waste, lowering our heating energy use,
and maintaining our safety standards. However, the primary benefit of being in
this program is that the state will now help to represent us whenever we have to
deal with the various agencies like EPA or OSHA. In other words, they are
recognizing the fact that many agencies involved in the environment and safety
of the work place are onerous to say the least. Hopefully, the cavalry is
coming! And greener! As part of the construction for the travelift, we added a wash-down in partnership with the state Department of Environmental Protect. The DEP funded half the project and it will serve as a model for boatyards for the rest of the state. All the wash-down water drains to the center and is then filtered as it makes its way to the river in a specially designed sluiceway. We have always had a pit to catch the solids, but this is bigger and better and the river will stay cleaner. In New Zealand a boat owner beached his boat, dried it out on the tide and then proceeded to wash and paint the bottom of his boat in bare feet. After a few hours of this, they took him to the hospital in a sorry state because he had absorbed the toxins from the paint through his bare feet. Makes you think!
Most of the days in the summer, we have lots of space at our docks in Thomaston. We usually know when the fog becomes thick as that is when cruisers tend to sail the five miles up the St Georges River. But those who pass us by are missing a lot. Thomaston is the best kept secret in Maine, with a rich history of boatbuilding and a beautiful town, which many consider to be the finest example of federal architecture anywhere. It's a great place to walk and explore as well as having a well stocked grocery store, three banks, Laundromat, and some good restaurants. The airport is only 10 minutes away and RTE 1 goes through town, making this an ideal spot to change crews.
LM Fabrication -- The whole "Fab" shop is picking up steam with some very high quality stainless parts. We have a new C&C machine to produce precision custom parts like the custom stainless steel chocks for ANNIE ROSE, the 2005 38 jet boat we built for Chip and Annie Williams. The 58' STEADYSAILER, our first aluminum boat is well underway and about to be turned over to the carpenters now that the deck and pilothouse are in place. This spring we started our second aluminum boat, a 60' LONG RANGE VOYAGER by Michael Porter. The skill of our crew is legendary: They were all first-round draft picks. Click here to see more about the shop.
Tenants Harbor Boatyard -- We will be operating the yard with an eye on becoming a cruising center for the best part of Maine. The new building with 10,000 sq. ft. of fantastic space should be ready for the summer. The new building is probably one of the nicer buildings a boatyard could have with radiant floor heating, stress skin panels to provide the siding and insulation, three floors for a variety of activities at he same time, and an excellent working bay for large boats. The old railway is being torn down and a new ramp is being built to accommodate a hydraulic trailer. Aesthetically, we all wanted to keep the traditional railway, but it was not useable. It is impossible to satisfactorily work on boat bottoms while on a railway and keep pollutants from entering the ocean. With new docks and a wonderful building, most repairs can be accomplished in Tenants Harbor. There will be a laundry, Internet access (we may even have wireless by the summer), and access to transportation. A great spot to use as a base for your cruising plans. Click here to see more about our Tenant yard.
We arrived back in New Zealand in April with a plan to sail to Papua, New Guinea and then on to the Indian Ocean and Thailand for Christmas. After a Milford trek and with the boat all stocked and our departure imminent, I decided that a summer in Maine would be preferable to cruising for the next five months. Heidi wanted to stay and continue sailing, but a summer in Maine for the first time in five years was pretty appealing. We tied the boat in a friend's slip in Tutakaka, put the cover on her, and headed home. Heidi proceeded to bring the house and grounds back into shape after four years of neglect and I caught up with the yard and generally got in JB's way. During the process we decided to put CHEWINK on a ship in Auckland and ship her to Golfito, Costa Rica. This was a compromise between the two of us. I wanted the boat close to home for awhile and Heidi wanted to do more exotic cruising. The jungles of Panama and the birdlife makes Heidi happy and the short plane trips makes me feel a lot closer to the kids and the action. Additionally we had a fantastic month cruising New Zealand before putting CHEWINK on the ship -- so now I am more energized. The boatyard is making some significant improvements and the kids are settling down. We will miss New Zealand though - lots of good friends, a stress-free style of life, and everyone connected to the water. For more, click on Cabot's Log. T he Sidney Hobart Race was clobbered again with 50% of the boats having to drop out and a maxi upside down. So is the southern ocean getting too violent! Are the boats getting too light! Is the envelope getting pushed too far! Are the new designs simply downwind machines! Who knows! We surely do not want to stop the technical innovations that have occurred, but perhaps it is time for some new thinking. After going to great extremes to keep our hulls light we then fill the boat with generators, TV's, heavy batteries, water makers, etc. Maybe it is time to re-think the whole process.Instead of making the skins lighter and lighter, perhaps we should concentrate on how to lighten what we put into a boat. Our use of fresh water versus salt water, the number of heads, refrigeration/freezer systems, water makers, air conditioning, and number of staterooms should all be examined. Three of the main users of energy are air conditioning, refrigeration, and watermakers. AC is only needed at docks and fans work well 95% of the time, watermakers add more weight than they are supposed to save, and new refrigeration technology has eliminated the need for heavy compressors. Huisman is undertaking a new 185' with a lot of these concepts planned. Click here to visit the Rocky Mountain Institute's website to read more. Perhaps this is basically a discussion of the KISS principle. |
||||||||||||||||||
To bring our financial system up to the same quality as our service and boatbuilding departments, we have hired Don Thiemes who comes to us from the Outward Bound School at Hurricane Island where he was the CFO for fourteen years. They are reorganizing with the other Outward Bound schools and cutting their administrative and management functions in Maine. Don has with a wealth of experience and knowledge of the boating world in which we operate. With his strong business manager's outlook, we expect that Don will shape all of us up, however, the main purpose we welcome him aboard is to improve our efficiency and competence by upgrading our financial systems to best serve our customers.
ARGENT -- She is a 72' Hunt designed aluminum power boat here for a completely new paint job, but before the final paint we are going to great lengths to eliminate or forestall any future corrosion under the paint and places like under the caprail. We are putting on new teak decking, aft cockpit, new caprails and replacing the windows and ports. A big job centered around cosmetics. AXEL D -- This Hunt 61' power boat was sold this past summer to Dick McDaniel who is a long time boat owner as well as a knowledgeable marine professional. We reworked the forward cabin, added air conditioning, installed a watermaker and a new air intake system. WINDWALKER II -- She lost her GMT-built carbon rig in the Bermuda race last year about 200 miles out from Newport. The riggers were busy this summer putting the new GMT rig in and all new rod rigging from Bay Sailing. Win Fowler built some new sails and WINDWALKER II is now in Antigua for the winter. WINDWALKER I -- She has been taken off the market and we are doing a major re-fit for the Wordens. The 44's are great boats built during the high point of boatbuilding and design in the early mid-80's. These types of boats are irreplaceable and I could not be more pleased Alan and Nicole have decided to keep her. She is getting repainted, new electronics, a varnish upgrade and generally brought up to speed. ALERT -- This Seguin 44 was bought by Chuck and Peggy Steward, old friends from our college days. Chuck and I had fun getting her back in shape with attention to a lot of details. ALERT was particularly satisfying to have back in the yard. Originally built for Bob and Louise Armstrong, she was almost the original boat in all respects. A good testimony to how well these boats were built. FINBACK -- She is back for a major refit and is now looking good with a shiny new paint job. It is always a joy to work with Eric. (Editor's note: FINBACK was placed on the market in spring of 2006. Click here for listing and contact information.) GALAVANT -- This sweetheart is getting an upgraded varnish job by the Caribbean experts. She really looks good now! This is Brenda's department, but Ken won't let her talk to our painters/varnishers. Says she keeps them too busy. MUGSY -- She is getting some attention with a new paint job and new electronics. DREADNOUGHT -- Jamie Wyeth's boat is getting a complete electrical upgrade along with a new radar/plotter, carbon fiber cockpit doors and new varnish. ELLIDA -- This 1922 schooner was built here and is back for the winter after 82 years. PELAGOS/RADIO WAVES -- Robert and Hilary Friedman have purchased the 38' Hunt-designed RADIO WAVES and renamed her PELAGOS. This is one of our favorite boats with her great handling characteristics. She has very few hours, but an upgrade of electronics and a new stereo will make her even better. The enthusiasm of the Friedmans is infectious and it is nice to have them aboard as new owners.
|
LIONHEARTED-- She is the fastest of our 44's and the most upgraded (new keel and rudder). This is an unusually thorough upgrade and she is essentially a new boat. She is the only Seguin 44 presently on the market. You could not build a new boat that is as good as this 44'. She was built during the best years for design and building and is irreplaceable. She would cost well over a million dollars to replace today. ONE IRON -- A Perry 42' that we essentially gutted. Well worth the price as she is essentially a new boat carrying on Ken Sawyer's practice of bringing boats back better than ever. BADGER -- This is one of our 25's and a real gem. She has not seen hard use and has been maintained and stored by us since she was built. If you want a nice handling jet boat that has a lot of aesthetic appeal, this is the right boat. HERON -- A rarity. One of our Walters designed Sequin 40's on the market. These boats are really great with their two foot draft and fantastic sailing ability. PASTIME -- 49' lobster boat design with twin Detroit diesels. A great interior with crew cabin forward, guest cabin, and a big owner's cabin aft. She was built for an experienced yachtsman. PRESSURE...
PRESSURE... PRESSURE... We have been caught not having enough lead time in our schedule to order materials. With China and our own military's appetites for materials, we are fighting for carbon, aluminum, steel, and cores. And we all know what happens to the price of materials that are under high demand. Stay tuned. |
||
|
|
||
Top of page |
