Blog Archives

In compliance with current state and county regulations regarding COVID-19, we are closed until further notice.

3/31/2020

We are so grateful for our crew! They work incredibly well together, are beautifully skilled, and pour all of their love and efforts into masterful restoration.

As we've had to close due to state and county wide orders, our crew is out of work. In order for them to qualify for unemployment, we cannot continue paying them through the company, which was becoming unsustainable in any case. So, the crew will have to go without income entirely for at least two weeks, which is not an option for many of them.

If you are able to help, this money will ensure our crew can make ends meet for the foreseeable future. We plan to distribute the majority of these funds evenly, and reserve the rest for any of our employees that have an emergency or outstanding need.

The crew will be so grateful if you can give and help them through this difficult time. They work so hard and would love nothing more than to be able to get back to it and finish these boats! Your help will ensure they can do just that when all this is over.

Please click here if you are interested in donating.

Thank you!!

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COVID-19 Update from the Crew

3/18/2020

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Dear Customers,

At this time, we are asking our clients and friends to postpone any plans for visits to the shop. We want to keep working as long as possible, and in order to do that, we think it would be best to limit our contact in the shop to just our little crew of five. We do expect a slow-down or potential closures, but will do our best to maintain progress on your boats and update you as things change. Due to childcare and school closures here in NC, half of our staff are already working reduced hours. We are grateful for your patience and understanding regarding delayed communications and postponed visits during this time.

Thank you,

Gary, Linda, Nicolas, Jack, and Shane at Lowell Boats

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Weekly Update

3/13/2020

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Spring is coming! And so are inquiries for surveys and barely contained excitement for getting these boats into the water. Let's hope we all stay healthy so we can keep up the pace!

This week, the 55' Continental continued to see steady progress. Jack used lifecaulk to bed and permanently mount the lower side planks, which had been removed, along with the out chine pieces. He worked on heat gunning and scraping the varnish off the sides of the boat, and is nearly done removing that section of old varnish. He bunged and filled all of the holes on the lower side planks that had been newly installed and trimmed off the excess overhanging wood on the transom. Jack and Shane continued sanding the bottom and began sanding the sides of the boat in preparation for the paint and varnish process. Shane also began to screw holes on the side hull, and he's been cleaning them out and filling them with 410 epoxy.

I missed the Lyman last week, which has had some significant progress. Nicolas installed the skeg on the keel, which he had to strip, sand, and prep prior to installation. He dry fit the skeg, applied caulk to bond it to the keel, then permanently installed it with bronze screws. He also made and installed triangular supports to help hold pressure on the ribs and started the process of permanently installing the frame to the planks. He did this by driving in screws through the ribs from underneath the boat. You can see which frames he installed on the last photo by noticing which holes no longer have washers in them. The second and third photos show the triangular supports, and the fourth and fifth show the skeg held in place using clamps.

Shane spent some time carefully sanding and prepping the deck of the 18' Continental. He also managed to apply the first two coats of varnish to seal the wood on the deck. It's important to take your time on the primary sanding and the first few coats, so you don't sand through the stain.

Shane applied the sixth coat of varnish to the hull, seats, and railing, gunwhale, etc. of the Skerry. It's finally time for the major sanding and final coat!

Shane worked on prepping and varnishing the windshield frames of the 26' Sea Skiff, along with the toe rails, light fixture housing, and a few other small parts. I think it's really cool to see the frames hanging from the 2 ton lift as they dry in between coats.

Gary has been putting finishing touches on the Budsin, making small adjustments to the electronics of the Pelican, and working on our two engine projects. He also spent some time with Jack yesterday timing the riveting process on the International 12. Each of our projects are so unique and require specific processes, and the potentials surprises with antique wooden boats can vary widely. Timing individual processes like riveting helps us to get a better sense of the overall expectations for each type of boat.

Here at Lowell Boats, we have to work together a lot at various times throughout the restoration process. This, of course, means we have to like each other and practice communicating with each other outside of work. This week, we decided to have a spontaneous early morning pancake breakfast in the office. Shane made banana walnut batter, I brought in my electric griddle, and Jack made a yummy brown sugar smear. Unfortunately, Gary couldn't make it, so we all had to eat an extra pancake in his honor. As Gary would say, "A good time was had by all!"

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Weekly Update

3/7/2020

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On the '55 Continental, Jack continued to fill all the screw holes with epoxy putty, and began
sanding the bottom. Then, he refilled holes and sanded again to ensure a smooth, even surface. He made some repairs on the lower side planks and made new aft outer chine logs. He also made a scarfed in piece to repair one of the broken bottom planks.

On the 18' Continental, Shane, Gary and Nicolas sanded and prepped the splash rails and deck for stain. They chiseled out any excess or old caulk, and then stained the deck. It's looking beautiful!

On the 26' Sea Skiff, Jack completed the remaining caulk lines on the deck. Those long, curvy ones that span the length of the deck require a lot of precision and patience.

Shane sanded, prepped and varnished two more coats on the rudder and tiller of the International 12. Nicolas continued prepping the frames for permanent installation by removing them, scraping and sanding them, priming them, and putting them back in place. He's nearly done with this portion of the restoration, which should keep the boat in good shape for years to come.

Shane applied coat number five of varnish to the seats, knees, bilge, interior hull, and bulkheads of the Skerry. He also got another coat on the spars, rudder, tiller, and gunwhales. Getting shinier (and more "water resistant") every week!

Shane and Gary finished installing battery boxes on the Pelican and finally completed the wiring. When we opened up this boat, we noticed that someone had previously reconfigured everything backwards, so we had to completely redo it rather than just replace old wiring. You never what you'll get with old boats sometimes, they have a long history. I can't wait to share a photo of this boat out on the water, hopefully next week if all goes well!

Thanks for reading about boats! Enjoy your weekend everyone.

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Merrily Merrily
Goes the shop

In compliance with current state and county regulations regarding COVID-19, we are closed until further notice.

COVID-19 Update from the Crew

Weekly Update

Weekly Update

Welcome!

Archives

Categories

Merrily Merrily​Goes the shop

In compliance with current state and county regulations regarding COVID-19, we are closed until further notice.

COVID-19 Update from the Crew

Weekly Update

Weekly Update

Welcome!

Archives

Categories

Merrily Merrily
Goes the shop