Do You Really Want to Fix It?
In his article beginning on page 34 of this issue, contributing editor Greg Rössel offers a variety of approaches to repairing wooden boats that have been out of service for extended periods of time. Greg’s advice is meant not so much as an exhaustive treatment as it is an inspiration to try resourceful and unconventional processes, within the bounds of good practice.
Around the time Greg was completing his article, Todd Schwede wrote to us from San Diego, California, with an idea for an article. He had been central to the rehabilitation of the John Alden–designed schooner BAGHEERA there in the early 1980s and had written a piece that was part reminiscence, part paean to the schooner, and part instructional article. The 72' BAGHEERA (see page 50) was built by Rice Brothers Shipyard in East Boothbay, Maine, in 1924; she was severely run down when Todd and his associates first encountered her more than 40 years ago. Her condition, as described, recalled an admonition in Greg’s article: “Anything can be fixed. The question is, do you really want to fix it? How much time do you have? How much money? When do you want to get it in the water?” Those central questions, in BAGHEERA’s case, had clear answers: The owner had a funding source, a deep motivation, and a completion deadline. And the yacht had a purpose—chartering—envisioned for after the restoration.
As all of this was coming together, our own editorial assistant, Jasmine Thomas, was wrapping up phase one of the rehabilitation of an exquisitely built Gulfstream 30 sloop called ADVENTURESS. This boat was designed by Sparkman & Stephens and built in 1959 by Norman Hodgdon, also of East Boothbay, Maine. She’d been out of the water for a few decades and needed serious attention to float again. This project recalled another of Greg’s admonitions: “Order your priorities by breaking the project into three lists: 1) Must Do Now; 2) Work on Next Winter, and 3) Get to it Down the Road.” As Jasmine notes in her article beginning on page 48, she spent many a cold evening in a drafty boat shed last winter tending to list No. 1: Must Do Now. The process of rehabilitating the boat, she recalls, happened “deep in the bilges. It’s hard to distinguish seam compound from bruises gained from countless painful hours replacing fuel hoses.” Sailing the boat, however, “is worth every bit of blood, sweat, tears, and frustration.” You can view the results in the photographs in Jasmine’s article, which are drawn from a new video on the project that was recently posted to our Mastering Skills web site. (https://skills.woodenboat.com/).
BAGHEERA, the schooner, came back to her home state of Maine from Southern California more than two decades ago, to become the flagship of a charter business in Portland. She continues to operate there, under careful and consistent care, and has carried thousands of passengers who might otherwise never have experienced such a rare yacht. And as I write this, ADVENTURESS has recently been tucked back into her shed, where Jasmine will begin addressing List No. 2: Work on Next Winter. As with BAGHEERA, the results of this noble effort are likely to bring the joy of sailing a bespoke classic to generations to come.
Editor of WoodenBoat Magazine
