This is a Mussel Ridge 42 being finished off as a charter boat for a customer from Rhode Island.
This Duffy 35 is in to increase her accommodations and likely be repowered. The current engine, a 3116 Caterpillar only has 1100 hours, but the owner is worried about reliability.
Farrin’s Boat Shop, Walpole, ME
In the first work bay they have a Young Brothers 40, which is being finished off as a utility boat for a customer from the Caribbean. For accommodations she will have a twin V-berth, head, and a galley down. The galley will have a cold plate, custom made refrigeration unit, and an LP drop in cook top. She is powered with a 725-hp Volvo diesel engine hooked to an Aquadrive. What sets this boat apart from others is that the owner has opted for a traditional look with wooden toe and spray rails with bronze trim. The top was custom built and similar to a pleasure cruiser with no back, offering more protection from the sun since she will be in the Caribbean. The house has Diamond Sea Glazed windows and there are side curtains. They also added more ventilation on the shelter for more air supply to the engine. She will be rigged for tuna fishing, with rocket launcher and a large icebox in the fir and rubber decked cockpit. The owner processes the fish as soon as he catches them and then gives them away to the islanders. He also grows palm trees, which he also gives away to those places devasted by hurricanes.
They still have some plumbing, install the windows, electrical and electronics, and lay the fir deck to do. They expect to have her over late fall or early winter. She will be sea trialed and then they are planning on trucking her to Florida and placing her on a transport.
In the back work bay they have a Duffy 35, which is owned by a family on Diamond Island off Portland. This boat was finished for a couple, but the new owners have three daughters and would like comfortable accommodations for them. The boat is powered with a 3116 Caterpillar with 1,100 hours and the owners are seriously thinking about repowering her. The salt air has created rust on the engine, and they want to make sure that the engine is reliable.
As for alterations to the interior the owners have not finalized their design. It is thought that the galley will be moved up in the shelter and that would allow for a double berth stateroom down below.
A Wayne Beal 36 DANGEROUS LIASION, a lobster boat from New Harbor, was in to be lengthened three feet.
Before that they had a Lowell 43 in. She had her transom removed and a trap extension added.
Out in the yard waiting to come in is an Ellis 28. They removed her deck and fuel tanks and are now installing the new tanks.
Bruce Farrin, Sr., said that there is still a lot of interest, but no one has committed yet.
Samoset Boat Works, Boothbay, ME
In the far work bay they have a Mussel Ridge 42, being finished off as a charter boat homeported in North Kingston, Rhode Island. The engine, a 1,150-hp V8 Scania is sitting on her engine mounts with the shaft in but not hooked up. When they were finishing the last Mussel Ridge 42, they made some extra parts and pieces, knowing this boat was going to need some of the same things. Some of the things they have already made are in-deck live-well, on-deck live-well, galley counter, box that the helm seat is going to sit on and the bench seat for the passengers on the port side. For accommodations she has a V-berth, single berth to starboard, enclosed head with separate shower and a simple galley. The galley has a two-draw freezer, two door refrigerator, a sink in the middle and a microwave. The forward cabin is in just before finish primer and there is an 8-inch hole through the bottom of her keel for a 360 Sonar. They are also working on everything that goes under the platform. This boat should be ready to launch next spring or early summer.
In another work bay they have another Mussel Ridge 42, which is being finished off more as a pleasure boat, but will do some fishing, for a customer from Nova Scotia. She is powered with a 900-hp Scania. The owner likes cruising for a week or two up and down the East Coast and out to the islands. For accommodations she will have a V-berth with another large berth to port and a smaller one above, galley, wet head, meaning there is no separate shower stall. The interior will be trimmed out in Sepo, African mahogany. She will also have a water maker, on deck live well, tuna coffin, hauler, davit, second steering station outside. They have some done on this boat, but she is not scheduled to be launched until 2027.
Next, they are putting a proposal together for a Mussel Ridge finished off as a commercial fishing boat, both for lobstering and tuna fishing. She will be modified, widened by four feet, a foot added to her shear, two live-wells, transom cut out, galley and have a West Coast windshield. For power they were thinking of a 1,200-hp medium continuous duty MAN, which means she will need diesel exhaust scrubbers, and they will likely need a 140-gallon DEF tank.
I have always wondered about the pluses of infusing a hull. Matt Sledge, owner of Samoset Boat Works, said that when he did some 42-foot hulls, using a split mould, two other persons and him, could load both halves, thermal fit the core. Put the underskin on, patch as needed in five days. They would then infuse, and this used just 44-gallons per side. The whole process took about three weeks to complete. The end result is a lighter and stronger hull. Sometimes creating a lighter structure can be problematic and you may need to make an alteration. Another plus is once you remove the vacuum bag the piece is perfectly smooth, needing to sanding.
