Peterson Schooners

[The Schooner Etain]

Hi all,

First, I was very excited to see the artical in this month's Wooden Boat Mag, about Murray Peterson. Since I have just bought a Murray Peterson Schooner, it was interesting to see the write up. It did raise some questions though.

The broker told me that as far as he knew, it was built in Spain around 1981, then spent along time in the Dominican Republic. I noticed in the artical though, the fact that they used alot of galvanized iron for rigging during the depression era, when Peterson was designing these boats. The boat I bought has all galvanized iron rigging fixtures. The surveyor noted that they seemed to have been custom cast for the wood they were on. Does anyone know if they used galvanized iron in Spain up into the 80's. Do you think it's possible that the boat I bought is actually a 1930's construction? How would I go about checking it out, or finding a history? Any help would be great.

Thanks
Chris

[Dale Harvey]

Ownership of large wooden boats and sireing of children should both require a license with qualifications, and a sureity bond. What kind of paperwork did you get with this boat? Who are you going to register it with? Anything that comes out of the Dominican Republic is going to be difficult to re- register. They hide a lot of things down there, and the people at most state registration agencies know it. You had better start dotting "i" s and crossing "t" s before you spend anymore money. Title by condemnation would be too shakey for most of us to invest in. Legal worms are far more insidious than Teredo worms, and they seldom show up 'till all the expensive work is done.

[rbgarr]

You might try contacting Bill Peterson of South Bristol, Maine. He may have records of when your schooner's plans were purchased and when and where, specifically, she was built.

Regarding paperwork, note that Chris didn't say that he got the boat in the Dominican Republic, or even imported her from abroad... just that he owns her. He's also in Canada where he may have the boat and where things are different than here.

[Thad]

Bill Peterson -- 207-644-8100

[DrunkenMick]

Speaking of which, did the owner successfully find buyer for her? She is a sweetheart. I was damn near inclined to attempt to pick her up myself. Just hate to see her rot away into nothing.

[Bob Cleek]

There ought to be a registration number carved in a main beam somewhere. That should give you somewhere to start. Then you have to find out where she was registered and check their documentation office. (USCG in the USA) Frankly, being once a broker myself, no broker worth his salt would represent a boat as having been built in 1981 if it were really possibly built in the 1930's. A reliable experienced broker ought to be able to tell the age of a vessel just by looking at the methods and materials of construction and their condition. I'm dubious that your surveyor observed her fittings "appear to be cast for the wood they are on." What the heck else would they be cast for? If they were cast to fit anything else, they wouldn't fit! And, if they were iron, I doubt they'd be galvanized. Steel is galvanized, generally. Iron is painted. When did the surveyor say it was built? He ought to know what he is looking at even better than the broker, for pete's sake. What Peterson is it? One of the Coasters? There weren't that many built, really. It shouldn't be too difficult to narrow down... if it really is a Peterson design. Given the questionable provenance of your broker... well... enjoy the boat for what it is.

[The Schooner Etain]

Thanks for the info Bob. I'll be finally getting her into my own port tomorrow in fact. I'll try to check some of the beams and such and see what I can find. As far as the broker and the surveyor, I think they were a couple of boobs really. I don't care, I love her look and I'll do what it takes to make her sail again. I doubt either of them had any real experience with wooden boats before. The broker seemed to deal mostly with production cats and powerboats. I'll try to get more info to you all, along with additional pictures, as soon as I have her safely on the hard here in Toronto.

As far as being a Peterson design, when I first inquired about the boat, they didn't really know who had designed it. I found a similar looking boat, started to compare the specs and determined that I had a Peterson Coaster on my hands. I think a Coaster 3. Hope to know more soon.

Chris

[This message has been edited by The Schooner Etain (edited 08-06-2001).]