The Buyboat THOMAS J.

By all reckoning, the Chesapeake Bay buyboat THOMAS J. should be dead. For fourteen years, this no-nonsense Chesapeake workhorse languished and rotted in a partially roofed-over slip at the Georgetown Yacht Basin on Maryland’s upper Eastern Shore. When hauled for a pre-purchase survey, the potential buyer saw that her bottom had extensive deterioration, and he walked away from the deal. That’s when Tom Parker bought the boat for $550, rebuilt the bottom, and refurbished the rest of the boat. He now works and cruises the THOMAS J., while helping to keep the buyboat legacy alive.

See more about WoodenBoat 231, March/April 2013