It was a busy, and challenging first season, but we made some remarkable progress! Here’s the rundown, in order:
- The Chione
Started in early February, this boat moved from our garage to our friends at CarQuest in Lynn – but still we were working in temps around the teens! It was a challenge but we persisted. When we finally found our shared shop in Salem we finshed her up, and named her Chione, for the Greek Goddess of Frost and Snow as a reminder of our accomplishments in the face of fierce New England weather.
2. The Allison P.
We started this boat in April and, along with the Chione, finished up a few weeks later. Painted in the Lynn English Bulldog colors, red and gray, she’ll join the fleet rigged for rowing.
3. The RAW Arts boat
After some discussion in June, we decided to see how much we could do to get a third boat ready for the summer. As yet unnamed, this boat will go to RAW Arts in September for a final (and amazing) paint job and launch. Stay tuned to see the final result of these incredibly talented artists!
4. The Maddie
Named for our mascot, Maddie, the original Small Dog, this dingy was donated by North River Designs and after reconditioning the hull we’re planning to convert it to sail power. This boat is very similar in scale and shape to the legendary “Optimist” boats, a world-class standard for teaching kids to sail. Here’s what the rig looks like:
5. The Inflatables
OK, we can’t resist our favorite Dad joke, but these were our favorite 4-letter word: FREE! Donated by Dennis up in Ipswich, he said they needed work, but were strong boats, and he wasn’t lying. This is a 10 1/2′ Zodiac and an 8′ Bombard, both classic, strong inflatables and absolutely perfect for our rescue and recovery boat for Kayak and Sail Lynn! Not only do we get to clean up these boats, but it gives us an excuse to get our 2hp Evenrude up and running as well.
There’s more – we’re working on learning the CNC machine to make parts for boats to come, and have a major project coming up – learning to make our own oars – teaching us some very traditional skills, and equipping our fleet with some custom made accessories. Autumn is a tough time to schedule work parties, but we’ll see what we can pull together… stay tuned!