Lobster Boat Hull
Many sailors reach a point in their sailing careers when their bones tell them to it may be time to “retire” from sailing. It is a hard notion in which to come to terms. Sailors are usually dyed in the wool when it comes to their affection and need to feel the breeze and enjoy the quiet that only a sailboat will offer. Most keep on sailing, but the aches and pains that result from a weekend or a day on the water start to diminish the enjoyment.
Yes, there are many happy memories. The good news is: There are more to come. All you need to do is simply “graduate.”
It is hard to imagine spending time on the water any other way, than sailing. Certainly, “graduating” to a plastic looking, contorted excuse for a boat is unacceptable. Why, there is no way you would ever join the wake throwing, sometimes rude, obviously not able to navigate crowd.
Rejoice! Many people have retired from sailing and have found the perfect way to continue their enjoyment of the water. Not all power boaters are rude or incompetent boaters. In fact many of them are just like you, sailors, and were in the same shoes. Often, our old clients find their yachting careers can continue in a yacht quality Downeast built boat. They often appeal to sailors because of their very sailboat like feel. In fact, true Downeast built yachts owe their very existence to sailboats. The other appealing thing is they are often slow going, with lower powered, economical single diesel engines, like a sailboat.
Downeast boats were built to be tough work machines and not for the light of heart. These time-tested designs have carried lobstermen to the grueling Maine fishing grounds for decades; usually all winter long! Many places, it could mean going miles offshore, by yourself, in the worst possible weather you could imagine. A small craft warning will not stop you from returning home after a weekend out in a Downeast built boat. Imagine the seafood store telling you they had no lobster or fish today because it was too rough!
After folks discovered the typical Downeast built workboat was so tough, a great idea was born: Turn it into a yacht. When you combine the elements of a tank-like hull with a sexy sheer line, and traditional New England yacht-like finish and joinery, you have the answer as to why these boats appeal to sailors. Try to imagine a plastic production powerboat with a Herreshoff interior, bronze ports, teak and holly sole, highly varnished teak cap rails, cherry and mahogany cabinets and lockers. In reality, your vision is probably more like a Las Vegas hotel room from the 70’s.
Downeast built boats is a study unto itself. These boats were not built in mass production facilities, but, in many cases, in single-bay sheds belonging to builders you have never heard of; generally hand built. To complicate matters, the hull is useless without an honest design, generally done by another obscure gent. Later, the boat may have been finished by a yard, complicating the matter more. Well, don’t worry, because, with a little research, you will soon discover some of those folks are rock stars of Downeast boat building. They are generally known by the names of the folks who were responsible for their birth. A Royal Lowell, Jarvis Newman, Lyman Morse 36 footer? You have a tri-fecta winner! A Spencer Lincoln designed, Young Brothers built, Cabot Lyman finished hardtop you say? Bingo, another class act! Ralph Stanley, the fiddle-playing guy with the ball cap, suspenders and flannel shirt? Rock Star! The list of names will quickly resemble a Norman Rockwell era, very Yankee sounding phone book.
With Downeast built yachts, it’s all about pedigree. The people who build them didn’t pick up an easy boat job to avoid “real” work. Many of these folks build boats because their father, grandfather and great grandfather built them, sometimes with the same design over decades, of wood then glass. Downeast boats were built out of necessity. Your neighbor had to make a living lobstering or your mail and groceries had to be delivered to the island on which you lived, miles offshore. Maybe, your child had to get to a doctor on the mainland. Building boats was as important and absolutely necessary to the Maine way of life and culture as a farmer growing feed corn for dairy cows in Wisconsin. So, building a solid, safe boat for these builders was not only a matter of pride and tradition, it was for the protection and safety of their brother, uncle, neighbor and child.
The real beauty in a Downeast boat is in the hull. Sailors understand this all too well, because these boats were built to be displacement boats. They move through the water, rather than on top of it. Over the years, as friendship sloops, used for recreation and work, received auxiliary power, the boats used for work had their keels reduced. Today, if you look at the two main types of Downeast built boats, they will have a keel and a skeg hung rudder. While the study of Downeast built boats and their distinct keels and designs deserve an article of its own, the two main types of hulls are the “built down” hull and the “skeg built” hull.
The “built down” hull provides a gently curved turn at the bilge, then transitioning into the keel. In fact, if you lengthened the keel draft, it would more resemble a sailboat, than a powerboat. While underway, the “built down” boat will behave much like a sailboat. The ride will generally be comfortable, with minimum motion. Due to the intent to have the “built down” boat move through the water, maximizing the use of the keel, engine sizes can be minimized, which translates into fuel economy. They make an excellent choice for a powerboat to go cruising, over long distances, in open water.
The “skeg built” boat came into being for many reasons, but the main one was the need for speed. During prohibition, many of the people on the Maine Islands found it was easier to make a living “rum running” than fishing. Of course the government didn’t like it a whole lot and there was a constant game of cat and mouse being played on the Maine coast, between the Coast Guard and moonlighting lobstermen. With Yankee ingenuity, larger engines were placed in these boats and the hull was changed to provide more of a planing action, where the boat moved over the water. The look of a “skeg built” hull has a sharper, angular turn in the bilge, providing a flatter surface on the hull. Many folks credit the Young family for being on the forefront of the “skeg built” boat. The family is still around and known as Young Brothers. They build some of the most beautiful and powerful hulls available. Spencer Lincoln, the designer of the venerable Duffy 35, is one of the most prominent designers of the “skeg built” hull.
Downeast built boats, lobster boats to many, are an excellent choice for the retiring sailor to go cruising once again, in relative comfort. If your bones are telling you it’s time to retire from sailing, you owe it to yourself to have a look at a Downeast built boat. It will appeal to the sailor in you, in many ways. This article only mentioned the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the study of Downeast built boats. I suggest working with a knowledgeable yacht broker, who has spent a great deal of time learning about these boats, to find one that suites your needs. Once you find one and fall in love with boating all over again, it may cure all that ails you.
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