Rocky Alley is inside the boat where he and Randy Kelley worked since daybreak. He puts down his saw and takes a break. Lifting rails, which raise heavier boats in the water were decided against by Galen. Rocky, still pondering that decision, concludes, “If she don’t behave the way he wants her to in the water, he can change that.” Randy Kelley stands beside a roll of fiberglass with a sample of half-inch Airex coring used in building the boat. Fiberglass covers both sides of a honey-combed pattern of plastic cells. “I could pick this whole boat up myself,” he says. “The only wood in her is cedar stringers on the floor,” says Galen, exhausted by the memory of planks blown out during sea trials in his wooden boat. Rebuilding took “2,100 screws,” said Rocky. Behind a tarp are a Camaro and a Vega Galen races at Winterport. Richard Weaver did those engines, and one for LORNA R. While the new hull was laid up, Weaver’s phone rang. “Wes Shute (DAYDREAMER) is after you,” said the caller, signaling a show down. “She’s gonna be one wild bitch on the water,” figures Rocky Alley, “Get some air under her, I’m almost afraid of her.” In Ernest Libby Jr.’s shop, it’s evident he’s still got that alchemical touch that produces notoriously fast hulls. “This is how you do it from scratch,” says Ernest Libby Jr., walking towards a framework structure built to create a 31' mold. “You make a model, make the molds, cover it with luan, tear everything out, then glass over it. From a model, to the molds to a finish—this is from the old school. First, you take a piece of cedar or pine to make a model. Then you draw it on paper.” Libby moves in closer to his work. “You see that plywood stem?” Gesturing towards a large area of planking, he continues, “This’ll all come out, the keel will stay in it.” The next step is “to get it covered so they can get some glass on it,” he says. On the other side of the shop is a 34' he’s building—for himself. Ernest’s had a rough spell with his health, but that won’t stop him. Going through the worst of it, Libby built UNDERDOG, raced by Ellery Allery. Boatbuilders stick together—when UNDERDOG needed a racing wheel, Glen Holland lent them one. Three of Libby’s sons, and grandsons are rolling gel-coat on Ernest’s boat. “These are the same molds from UNDERDOG.” They hope to be done mid-April. Libby adds, “After they do the hull, they’ll glass together stringers, then put the house on it.” This winter, Libby’s crew took a one-off mold from Galen Alley’s LORNA R. They did the glass work and put core in it. Racing is in the blood. The desire to build fast hulls came way before the man they call Nerny walked through the doors at Young Brothers in Corea, There he designed SOPWITH CAMEL - (named by Glen Holland who raced against him in RED BARON) and CAMEL II, with an engine designed by Richard Weaver, who had formerly worked at Young’s. BETH SAID YES! and EMMA ROSE—both 40's designed by Libby—were the last boats from Young’s. Libby helped son Norman build a 41' X 16' mold. The first boat Norman laid up when NORMAN & SONS was established (2001) was MY BELLE, for his father. Norman worked 25 years with Ernest on the Island, building “probably 10 wooden boats” and a few fiberglass, before going on his own. Norman built AMANDA JOY AND LOGI BEAR, a 41', and is working on the 7th boat built in his shop—a 41' for Winfred Alley, Jr., “that’s still in the mold, but will be ready some time in May.” Norman guesses Alley will go with a CAT engine.
It was the one boat not named for his wife, Myrtle Belle. In the yard at Rachel Mae Welding in Columbia Falls is a wooden boat Libby built decades ago. It has the signature diamond windows cut into her trunk cabin—a reminder that Ernest Libby Jr. is a master of technology and tradition. At OSMOND’S, Erick Blackwood is reworking a 1955 Vinal Beal skiff design along with Osmond Beal. They are changing the tumblehome stern to a squared off, 16' X 5'7" version. The result will be a mold for building fiberglass skiffs. The inside is glassed, now the over-turned, strip planked hull needs fairing and some glass outside. Nailing down all the strips “Took, like, 15 pounds of nails,” recalled Blackwood, whose next job is a new wheelhouse for a Young Bros. 40'. Erick and Crystal Blackwood are Chairmen for the 2008 Moosabec Races. Osmond, who is 77, designs for H&H. Last year, the Steuben based company built three Osmond Beal 32's, a 35', a 36', two 38's, four 40's, two 42's and their first Osmond 47', RATTLESNAKE, launched December 19th, for Derrick Feeney of Cutler. It’s been said RATTLESNAKE, with its 800 hp Scania engine, does 22.5 knots—easily. CALVIN BEAL, JR. Is building a 36' for himself, and has a 27' going in his shop. He’s also has a 34' and two 38's - just hulls—being laid up.” Kyle Kennedy in Milbridge bought JEANNINE MARIE,” says Calvin, who built three 36's - LAST TIME, ‘BOUT TIME, REEL CATCH and three 38's LADY TAYLOR, SIBLING RIVALRY, SARAH JEAN last year. Mitchell Cove built two Calvin Beal Jr’s., MAYNIE’S MONEY and MISS SUNSHINE—and the 28' SU-SAN, raced by Billings, in Stonington. Calvin also built CATMAN, a 38' powered with an 850 hp C-15 CAT engine, launched December 26th. Another Calvin Beal, Jr. 33' REDNECK GIRLS was built at CROWLEY & BEAL. Which is where Bill Grant, who sold his 33' GLADIATOR, is having a modified 36' Calvin Beal, Jr. built. Jim’s son Keegan owns MEGALEXA, and mentions that he, Allen and Chris build boats “As if we’d be using them—we all lobster.” Beside Grant’s 36' is a 23' pleasure boat, for a client in Addison. Jim Beal built a Calvin Beal, Jr. 33' GIT R’ DONE, for himself.
IRA GUPTILL has “three weeks to go” on a Northern Bay 38' for a New Bedford client who will “possibly go with a 450 hp Cummins engine.” Parked by Ira’s Hall’s Hill, Jonesport shop is MYSTERY MACHINE, which he races. A prominent lobsterboat built at WAYNE BEAL’S boat shop was JUGGERNAUT, a Calvin Beal 46' launched in August at Winter Harbor for Chris Nelson. SARGENT’S finished Chris Nelson’s Calvin Beal, Jr. 46' JUGGERNAUT, and Phil Torrey’s MASTER SIMON, a Carroll Lowell 42' built by Downeast Boats and Composites. Master Simon won Pride of the Fleet at Winter Harbor at the races last year. Today, Joe’s crew—his Dad, Monteil, and Judd Curtis, are finishing a Calvin Beal, Jr. 36', with cherry cabinets, “the works,” for Block Island clients and another smaller sportsfisherman. Their first job was Torrey’s BACK IN BLACK. Their company, started in 2000, has done some first class work. T. JASON in Steuben completed two 35' Sports fishermen, GRAND SLAM, and another that goes to an owner in Greece, on which naval architect Peter Martin consulted. They also have a new 42' coming. RP BOAT SHOP was established in 1972. Richard Pinkham and Gene Robinson had both lobstered, and both worked for Terry Jason, of T. JASON BOATS, the first company to build fiberglass boats for the commercial fishing industry in Steuben. “We learned a lot from Terry,” says Pinkham, who refers to Eugene Robinson as ‘Mean Gene.’ Beal had worked for Harold Gower in the off season when he wasn’t fishing, then worked on his own.” After a while, Willis could see everybody else building in fiberglass, and that wooden boat building was getting pretty narrow,” says Pinkham. “Building in fiberglass makes you kind of immortal—take care of (the boat) it’ll last forever,” he says. One day in 1972, Pinkham was out brushing. “I come back, There’s a car setting in my driveway. I walk in, and setting there with my wife was Willis Beal—he had a model on the table. ‘Is that what you want?’ he asked. ‘Looks like a pretty good boat, Willis,’ said Richard. Beal told Pinkham ‘I’ll be starting next Monday.” According to Pinkham, that’s what started the whole thing. “He went to work, started that Monday. One of the models in that section station didn’t work. Willis worked ’till midnight but still couldn’t resolve the design. He was about ready to toss everything into the trash, but he slept on it. Next morning, over a cup of coffee, everything fell into place.” Pinkham laughs, remembering Willis Beal swearing he’d “Never have a fiberglass boat or a stinking diesel.” He’s a traditionalist, a perfectionist, with all he’s built in wood, including his torpedo stern boats. RP built Willis a 35' of his own—LUCY W. BEAL. Willis’ original 370 hp Volvo Penta 63 series diesel has served him well, with over 18,000 hours on it. “First I designed the high shear 35', which is what I’ve got , then a fisherman from Milbridge wanted a low-shear. On 18 August this year, my boat will be 14 years old,” said Willis. Recently, Beal designed a 38', RP is currently building the first one. “There’s not even one on the water yet, but Willis tells me it’s going to be a nice boat. That’s all I know!” says Pinkham. “Willis is one in a million, he’s taken great pains to build the way he does.” If Pinkham had to do it over again, he’d do it the same way.
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