Roseway at Sample's

[JeffH]

I stopped by the poor ol' Roseway, now residing at Sample's Shipyard in Boothbay, ME, on my way back from Portland this weekend. For those of you out-o-staters, the Roseway was built in the '20's in Essex, MA originally as a yacht in the style of the classic fishing schooner, then a coastal patrol boat, then a Boston pilot boat for many years. She ended her active career as a Maine windjammer about three years ago after the Coast Guard withdrew certification (the stern was falling off) and the bank repossesed the boat. She had been languishing, uncovered and without maintenance, until this past fall when the bank donated her to a non-profit school and she was hauled at Sample's.

The boat is now in the most depressing stage of any restoration: The hull is stripped and most of the structure exposed, which means all that must be done is painfully evident, and you're left wondering how it's all going to happen. Only this is on a pretty grand scale (125', if memory serves).

This is the current state of the starboard bow:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid56/p9c588e199e88cd59081205e252d05e22/fc7544be.jpg

Looking closely, you can see a little remnant of the scrollwork, in yellow.

A few frames back it doesn't improve much:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid56/p7bfb80a015fc4bc849bea0c69bbf7df9/fc7544bc.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid56/p22622c3eba29b7bedc93ad2a165333d7/fc753bc6.jpg

In the background of this picture you can see that they have welded several 12" steel posts to the cradle that are keeping the stern from falling off. The bottom planking actually isn't bad but, sadly, that's about it. The rest is pretty much compost in the shape of a boat.

In the grand scheme of things, the condition of the Roseway is hardly surprising, considering she's pushing eighty years old and is mostly original. As one aquantence of mine remarked, "have you ever seen an eighty-year-old loaf of bread?"

I hear this project is expected to last up to three years, as fundraising to the tune of a couple million progresses. I do most certainly wish them the best of luck in their endevours.

Jeff

[ 03-23-2003, 10:06 PM: Message edited by: JeffH ]

[Concordia..41]

Ok Jeff, you started it. How about a link to the project and their fund raising efforts??? They must have some kind of organization.

[trull]

Thank you for the pictures, I have been wondering on the state of the restoration. It appears that Roseway is still on the railway. I wonder how they can tie that up for the duration of this restoration. Here's a link to the World Ocean School.

web page (http://www.worldoceanschool.org/)

[pjwalsh]

Jeff,

Thanks for the pictures and update. I worked at Sample's in the mid 90's and Roseway was the first boat I helped haul on the big railway. I can remember watching peices of concrete literally being shot out of the seams after she was out of the water and supporting her own weight - scary even then.

The folks running Sample's now have plenty of experience with big wooden repair and are certainly capable of getting it done. Hope the money finds it's way to this boat.

[ 03-24-2003, 09:13 AM: Message edited by: pjwalsh ]

[JeffH]

Thanks Alden... I was drawing a blank on the name of their organization. Could only remember that 'world' and 'ocean' were somehow involved.

I was wondering the same thing about the railway, considering she probably won't be in any condition to float anytime in the next year or so. Things must be slow in the big boat world..

Jeff

[pjwalsh]

Actually, Sample's has a pretty long history of doing major big boat renovations on their 700 ton railway - they also have 50 ton railway that gets most of the smaller craft.

Recent big railway customers have been the deisel electric tug Luna, and the hollywood Bounty. I think both of these projects were in the range of a year long. The bigger fishing boats that they used to service with that railway have pretty much gone away so being able to haul a lot of boats each season is no longer really the point there.

The Braga's who own the yard have put together a crew experienced in repairing large wooden boats and seem to be able to keep that type of work going consistently.

[Norske3]

Ed Harrow's next project...maybe? smile.gif