Hello! It’s been a busy spring here at the boat shop, as you’ll see from our updates. The end of the construction line is moving quickly toward the end of summer so if you are in a hurry for a boat, check out the boats that are on the Available Now listings. If you want a custom boat for late summer, early fall, now is the time to call. We are open Monday thru Friday 9am to 5pm. But if you want a chance to go out on the water for a test row or sail, please call ahead at Contact us, as we are busy making boats for all our summer customers.
Gearing up for Summer
Spring time at the shop is our busy time as we work hard to get everyone’s boat ready for their summer adventure and trips. Here are some photos of Falk working on a Jersey Skiff for a customer out on Long Island, NY.
 A photo of Falk varnishing the rub rail |
 Scarfing the rub rail onto the bow plate |
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 Hand fitting the rail to match the shape of the hull. |
 Laying on the transom rub rails. |
We build all of our boats with this level of care and skill. That’s why the construction line is long; it takes time to do this job well. Quality is not something you can rush. We know that when you get your boat you will be impressed — as will your friends — that people still work this way.
The right mix of old world craftsmanship and modern materials creates a long-lasting, low-maintenance boat that will bring joy every time you use it.
Atlantic Challenge Update
 The specialized row rigs we built for this race. |
 A closeup of the row rigs. |
In January at the Seattle Boat Show, we saw a very interesting display. There were 4 guys who had a row boat and intended to row across the Atlantic in a race. We took one look at their sliding seat rigs and wondered if they would hold up for such a big trip. After volunteering to become a corporate sponsor, we agreed that our best contribution would be to design and build a unique sliding seat rig modeled after our recreational rigs. You can see the photos of what we had to work from in our February Newsletter. And more photos of our day spent measuring in our March Newsletter.
In April, the guys from Oar Northwest took delivery of the brand-new rowing rigs for the Atlantic Challenge. These rigs are a super custom design based on the rigs we use in our Melonseed However, they are considerably beefier and come with seat belts so that in case of a capsize, or severe roll, the rowers will stay in the boat. That’s not a feature our regular customers tend to need.
For a test run, the guys took their boat out for a 10-day cruise through the San Juans and down to Port Townsend. They encountered both dead calm and 30-knot winds with 8- to 10- foot swells — and that was just the first run! For a second sea trial, they took the boat out the straits of Juan de Fuca and rowed down the Washington Coast to Grays Harbor. Coming in, they crossed the bar in 15 ft swells, surfing at times. The boat, the rigs and the rowers all held up great. They say that the toughest days of a long distance race are the first two weeks as you get to really, really know one another. After that, it’s just a long routine of row, eat and sleep — unless the weather comes up, whereupon you crawl inside the hatches and sleep like babies. . . meaning, of course, that you wake up every two hours and cry for your mother. But these guys are tough, and we expect great things from them.
The oar Northwest team has attracted some media attention. They have been on Evening Edition twice, and they were also featured in our local Newspaper the Peninsula Gateway. And we just heard from Jordan that they will be on Good Morning Amercia Thursday June 8th, and will appear on 20/20, June 23rd or 26th.
The rowers will leave NYC on June 10th. We think they look like winners but as we all know the Atlantic Ocean is a tough competitor.
 Our recreational speed demon and the Oar Northwest Race boat. |
 A photo of the hatch, and if you look close, and you’ll see our sponsorship logo! |
The official web site for this effort is Oar NorthWest. So bookmark your browser and check back every few days to follow their progress.
From the Boatshop Mailbag
In April a customer of ours sent these gorgeous photos of his Whitehall 14 up at Crowley Lake in California. We used to think that we lived in the most beautiful place in the country, but after looking at these photos, we think we’ve seen a place that is at least as nice!
Thought you might like some pictures of my 14 ft. Whitehall on Crowley Lake at 7000 feet in the Eastern Sierra Region of California. Taken today, one week after the opening of fishing season. G. Shultz CA
The boat about to be launched.
A view looking down the lake in the other direction.
Wow! What a view. We hear that in addition to these views, this lake may also have trout!
One of our customers here in the Seattle area, sailing on Lake Union. As you can see it was a picture perfect day.
Lou bought a Navigator dinghy and upgraded it to the performance option, adding the bowsprit and jib. You can see that it’s a fun boat to sail.
Lou out on Lake Union, an urban working waterway in Seattle WA (Photo by Darren Emmens)
A nice beat on a starboard tack. (Photo by Darren Emmens)
A close reach to port. (Photo by Darren Emmens)
Lou having more fun than most folks get in a month of working in the yard! (Photo by Darren Emmens)
So that’s all the news for now. We’ll be posting some more photos from Oar Northwest race. And if you write in and send photos, we’ll be glad to put them up. So check back and look for our up and coming newsletters!