The East End Classic Boat Society
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| Vol. III Issue #1 | Winter 2010-11 |
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Sunshine Tender
Beetle Cat Restoration
A New Donation
Dec 18th Open House
Annual Holiday Dinner
Meet Betty Pyne
Laura B For Sale
2011 Calendar
The Pussy's Pond Bridge
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Greetings!
Here we are at the beginning of a new year with a great deal on our plate. The boat shop is busier than ever. Weekly challenges expand our horizons as we work our way through construction and restoration projects. It is a delight and pleasure to work with our committed members who solve each issue as it arises. New boats amazingly come together while old ones are restored and in the process new tools are invented. What a great and dynamic setting.
In addition, our message is reaching a much broader audience. Often telephone calls are received from individuals who have heard of our skills and hope we will be willing to complete a restoration project that had gotten beyond their skill level. We very carefully review each potential donation of a boat and only accept a few that either expand our resources or our financial base through resale. Both aspects of donations have contributed to our well-being.
Now it is time for you to come visit our shop and see it in action. We are open for your inspection every Wednesday and Saturday from 9 AM to 2 PM year-round except for those days or weekends when we are away promoting our organization and selling boat raffle tickets to an admiring public (see 2011 calendar below). I look forward to meeting you in person at the boat shop!
Your Skipper,
Ray Hartjen
P.S. Special note - we now have a revised web site which will soon include YouTube video. Check out our new web site. |
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Sunshine Tender - 2011 Raffle Boat
We are making slow but steady progress on the getting out of sub parts of this beautiful boat. Since we plan to make several of these boats over the years, we are creating patterns for each part, e.g. transom, stern post, sub keel, stem and stem knee. In some cases we are actually cutting two pieces as we have with the sub keel. In that instance the stock was twice as thick as was required. As a result, when we ran the stock through the band saw we had two matching parts, one of which is set aside for the next boat.
We also have a group of members who are working on the parts for the sail rig if we get to that point in the construction process. For instance, we have the parts for two dagger board trunks, but they will not be added to the hull if we are behind schedule. Our goal is to have a 90% completed boat by mid-June, the date of our first showing in Montauk. If we meet this goal or better it, then every effort will be made to build in its sailing rig. I will keep you posted on our progress.
Pictured above working on the mold of the Sunshine Tender from left to right: Don Schreiber, Burt Van Deusen and Richie Davgin.
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Beetle Cat Boat Restoration
The replacement of all the ribs of this 25 year-old boat is progressing at a slow but steady pace. In the above picture, Pierce Hance (far right), who is heading up this team, has worked out a system that enables the members to remove several old ribs, clean and prime the area and screw in new ones. Philip Dobler (far left) is hammering carefully as Craig Humphrey gets set to fasten a new rib in place.
Work was being delayed by their inability to hold a new rib securely while it was being refastened. The group put their heads together and designed a new tool to do the job. Tom Rusko built the tool in his shop and had it on the job the next workday. The tool was so successful in doing what it was designed for, some thought is being given to making it available to the wooden boat building schools across the country. See the tool in action in the picture to the right.
Since half of the work requires a member to be under the boat to drive home the new screws, we have purchased a crawler such as is found in an auto repair shop. A second one was donated by member Ron Ahlers. When you come visit you will see two members on their backs working under the boat.
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Tern - A New Donation
A Herreshoff 12 1/2
Hull Number 865 Built 1921
You can't imagine the excitement that went through the shop when word got out after Pierce Hance announced that he had convinced his friend Mark Hughes to donate the Tern, a Herreshoff 12 1/2, to the East End Classic Boat Society. The boat had been stored in Anders Langendal's shop in Greenport for several years. It is our plan to carefully survey the hull, draw up a list of items that require attention, and begin the process of restoration as it fits into our schedule of work that is to some degree backed up; volunteers are always welcome to help move the work schedule along!
We will eventually launch and moor her in Three Mile Harbor with the thought of making her available to members for sailing. We will be buying a new set of sails for her gaff rig. This will be a treasured resource for our members. Pictured above is member Kent Miller with the donated Herreshoff. Our thanks to Mark Hughes of Shelter Island for his classic donation.
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December 18th, 2010 Open House
Boat Raffle Drawing
We had a full house for our open house the afternoon of Saturday, December 18th. It was a beautiful early winter-like day. Of course, the drawing of the wining raffle ticket was a prime attraction. But the availability of great wine from the Stonecrop Vineyards of New Zealand donated by Andy Harris and his wife certainly helped to bring members and friends to this great occasion. Our dedicated crew of volunteer members sold 3,000 raffle tickets last year from June through October at festivals on the East End. Many members called me weeks prior to the drawing desiring to buy a book of raffle tickets, only to find that we had sold the last ones two months earlier.
The winning ticket was drawn by the young fellow in the picture above, with the able assistance of Kent Miller. As Kent had promised many of those buying raffle tickets, he was on the phone by 5:30PM that afternoon calling the lucky winner. Betty Pyne of Montauk received his call. (See more on Betty further below.)
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Annual Holiday Dinner at The American Hotel
December 29th, 2010
Sixty-four members and friends came to the American Hotel in Sag Harbor Wednesday, December 29th for the annual holiday dinner and were treated like kings and queens by the management and wait staff. Great wine flowed from the moment we walked into the room until after the dessert was served. I for one can attest to the quality and quantity of the roast beef. We began our socializing at 6PM and continued on until 10PM in a very comfortable atmosphere.
A bit of humor was added to the evening with a program prepared and passed around by the dinner committee with a keynote being my farewell message, which of course it wasn't (I' am not going anywhere!). I spent my few minutes applauding the comradere that has evolved with our group of boat builders and thanking those who have led the way. All who attended this event raved about every aspect and congratulated the dinner committee for selecting the American Hotel. We will surely return in the years to come.
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Meet Betty Pyne, the Raffle Winner of Our 2010 Catspaw Dinghy
Betty Pyne, pictured at left leaning on her winning boat, had attended an afternoon at the boat shop sponsored by the Friends of Guild Hall this past fall. In attendance were approximately twenty Guild Hall members who came to hear president Ray Hartjen talk about the mission of the Classic Boat Society and the subtle details of classic boat building. Like many of her friends, Betty bought a raffle ticket as a token of support for the boat shop, never dreaming that she would be the lucky winner.
While Betty is very impressed with the workmanship that went into the boat, she would like it to have a proper home where it would be appreciated and enjoyed. Therefore, she is offering it for sale. If you are interested in purchasing the boat, promptly contact Ray Hartjen at rhartjen@hamptons.com or 631-324-2490. The asking price is $5,000, which includes a pair of oars, a cover for the boat and a new trailer. The boat can be seen at the boat shop any Wednesday or Saturday from 9AM to 2PM.
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The Laura B is For Sale
This lovely 29' 6" Vineyard Vixen can be yours for a mere $16,500. She was donated to us last spring and accepted with the thought that she would enable us to have groups venture out on Gardiners Bay and learn the ropes of sailing a larger vessel and aspects of coastwise navigation. Over the course of the summer she only left the slip 5 times. The Town of East Hampton was gracious enough to allow us the use of their slip that was reserved for special purposes. But the Laura B required watching over and the addition of lines as storms approached. In the end, it became obvious that through lack of use she was more of a burden than an asset. She is listed for sale with Dave Corkery of Coecles Harbor Marina & Boatyard at 631-749-0700. If you know of anyone who may be interested, give Dave a call.
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2011 Calendar
The East End Classic Boat Society
The Sunshine Tender raffle boat will be displayed at the following events for ticket sales.
Sat, April 30th Annual Meeting Amagansett (Boat Shop)
Sat, June 11th Montauk Harbor Festival Montauk
Sat July 16th Classic Boat Fair Amagansett (Boat Shop)
Sun, Aug 7th *Classic Boat Picnic Louse Point
Sat Aug 13th Fisherman's Fair Springs
Sat & Sun Sept 10th & 11th Harborfest Sag Harbor
Sat Sept, 17th (tentative date) Largest Clam Contest Amagansett
Sat & Sun, Sept 24th & 25th Maritime Festival Greenport
Sat & Sun, Oct 8th & 9th 30th Annual Fall Festival Montauk
*Membership event of the Society |
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Beyond the Classic Boat Society
I wanted to let you know that I have added to my load by taking on the building of a new Pussy's Pond Bridge in Springs, at the headwaters of Accabonac Creek. If this is of interest to you, take a look at the website I created and consider making a donation of funds, manpower or specialized skill (e.g. I need an engineer who can calculate load of the arched span). Click here for bridge web site. |
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Your Skipper,
Ray Hartjen
The East End Classic Boat Society
rhartjen@hamptons.com
631-324-2490
P.S., You can forward a copy of this e-newsletter to a relative or friend by clicking the Forward email link below. You will have the option of including a short message. You are welcome to invite them to see the boat shop in action any Wednesday or Saturday year-round. Admission is always free. The Community Boat Shop is at 301 Bluff Road in Amagansett, NY.
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