April & Kristi

On the 25th anniversary of its launch, Killer Smith’s 42' April & Kristy relaunched at the Jonesport Shipyard in May. Smith has been hauling out in the winter for the last six years. He is pictured with the designer-builder Willis Beal on the right. Beal is one of the wooden boat building greats in the long tradition of boat building in the Jonesport-Beals area. Beal built Smith’s last boat as well.

Smith runs a 540 Caterpillar 3406 in the April & Kristy. It’s his second 3406 in the boat. The first 3406 had 56,000 hours on it. The service from CAT was one of the reasons he has stayed with the 3406, said Smith.

Smith has always fished out of wooden boats. His first boat, the Hanna & Kathy, was built by others whose names have long been associated with boat building downeast. That 36' X 10'4" boat was built by Marriner “Lovie” Beal and his son Issac Beal. Smith recalled handlining cod on it off Mount Desert Rock in the 1980s. One day he caught 3,600 pounds.