May '25 Newsletter
Hello from Belfast!
As most of you know, Amanda and I bought a house in town. Hard to believe that we moved in during that Nor'easter and now flowers are popping up all over the yard, as tempus tends to fugit. Per usual, I'll showcase some recent boat and custom furniture work, plus share a couple boat designs from the catalog.
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Traditional Fox Isles Skiff
This gem, that's at least 100 years old, got a new stern assembly and four bottom planks. With luck on my side (my wife's birthday), I steam bent all eight replacement frames in successfully. Her new tapered sole, mahogany thwarts and stern sheets will really pop in the sunlight. I'm looking forward to delivering this beauty back to a great client on Vinalhaven.
Seaway 23 Pilothouse
A large proportion of my labor lately has been into a complete rebuild of this wheelhouse. I timber-joined high quality "utile" mahogany, marine plywood, and fiberglass to regain structure. Glass install and paintwork will be finished this week so that the client can take her back out for some recreational lobstering.
Rock Row Health Campus
We attended the grand opening of the Rock Row Health campus in Westbrook a few weeks back. I built two walnut daybeds, four angled benches also of walnut, six rolling cabinets with removable bins, 20 box-like shelves with hidden hardware, and four table substrates with steamed oak nosing for the massive, beautiful lobby. It was a great pleasure working with the interior designers and upholsterers on this one. Keep an eye on Instagram as more photos come out, but here are some nice ones.
In the last newsletter I discussed an elegant Gartside dingy docker and an Arch Davis sailboat for cruising the Maine Island Trail. This time, I'd like to introduce a tender flat bottomed skiff and a downeast style outboard skiff.
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11’6” Sea Urchin - David Stimson
Reminiscent of Pete Culler’s work, this handsome skiff could be perfect for getting kids on the water or for those with shallow waters and beach access. Though possible with modern plywood techniques, it would probably deserve cedar over oak. Row, sail, or throw an electric outboard on a fitted bracket.
15’6” Jericho bay lobster skiff - Joel White
This slender lobster boat hull is typically strip-planked and ‘glassed for a low maintenance interior, but here you can see traditional framing. Her slight forward flare fends off spray while delicate tumblehome catches a boater’s eye. This craft would make a great vehicle for exploring bays or commuting to your friend’s mooring. Similar concept to the West pointers and downeast 18’ers but a bit smaller for towing with your Subaru.
I'm looking ahead at some more interior work with designers as well as potential boat commissions. Summer is booking up so please contact me if there's anything I can help you with. I hope you all are having a great spring - I’ll leave you with some incredible news that the spec build Acorn 17 rowboat JUST SOLD. A wonderful gentleman from Vermont made the trek with a new trailer for her, and they’ll be exploring lakes and rivers for years to come.
Cheers,
Elijah
