Many Chesapeake boaters consider fall the best time of the year. The days are cooler, the waterways are less crowded, and the crabs are fatter! This writer’s very unscientific survey indicates that after a cool and rainy start this was a pretty good summer season. Repair and maintenance business continues to indicate that people are using their boats. New boat orders are still on the slow side, but are still coming in. So, before the fall haul-out frenzy begins, we’ll take a quick look at what’s going on in area shops.
Smokey Glover of Lake Assault Boats in Portsmouth, VA, starts us off this month with a newsy update. “Lake Assault Boats is painting, outfitting, and commissioning a 24-foot landing craft style fireboat to be delivered to Eagle Bay, NJ. The hull was fabricated at the Lake Assault fabrication plant in Superior, WI, and sent to Virginia for completion and delivery. This is not uncommon for a boat that is being delivered on the East Coast. The boat will have a standard electronics package, a Hale HBX450-b35 fire pump, twin Yamaha 150-hp outboards, and a tandem axle float-on trailer.”
Tim Kraus of Annapolis Gelcoat and Restoration in Annapolis, MD, sent us a neat photo and this update: “An American classic! The Larson All American. Proud to have saved this boat and helped make it new again, or at least the transom, which was failing; they nearly lost the engine, actually. We removed the entire transom and rebuilt the inside and exterior. We glassed into the boat hull sides to ensure a strong finish. Great boat. We were honored to help this customer get a classic boat back on the water for safe boating this season.”
Joe Reid of Mast and Mallet in Edgewater, MD, brings us up to date. “Activity at Mast and Mallet has been mostly working on wooden boats. In for maintenance was a 27-foot Wayne Goddard deadrise: fresh varnish for the transom, new boot stripe paint, and fresh coat of non-skid paint in the cockpit. I also had a design of my own, called a Chesapeake 22, in for maintenance. The teak rub rails and coaming were stripped of its varnish. New varnish was then applied as well to the transom and engine trim. A new seat was built of cedar at the bow. This boat has a cold-molded hull and is based on the Smith Island crab scrape design. I am just finishing working on a Thomas Point 34, one of five Mast and Mallet built. Repairs were done to the rub rails and the swim platform. When completed, they were painted with Awlgrip Stars and Stripes paint. The four side windows were removed and new stainless steel felt tracks were installed.”
Rob Hardy of Composite Yacht in Trappe, MD, sent us a rare photo of an important building technique from his shop in Trappe, MD. “Infusion underway! Resin infusion allows us to pull resin evenly through the entire layup, ensuring complete saturation and a consistent, high-quality structure. The result is a strong, lightweight, and durable part, built to perform for years to come. It’s a process that takes planning, precision, and teamwork—and we couldn’t be prouder of the crew that makes it happen.”
Chesapeake Light Craft in Annapolis, MD, extends the following invitation to prospective boaters who’d rather build a boat than look at them at the Boat Show. “In 2025, join us for a hands-on, two-week boatbuilding class at Chesapeake Light Craft’s Annapolis, MD, factory. Our expert instructors will guide you through every step of the build over the course of two weeks, working Monday through Saturday each week. By the end of the course, you’ll have a fully assembled Rhode Runner hull ready for final epoxy work, finish work, and outfitting at home. You’ll leave with a seaworthy foundation, the skills to complete the project, and the confidence to customize your boat—whether installing the motor, fitting out the interior, or adding finishing touches that make it unique.
Regular drivers on Route 2 in Edgewater, MD, are used to seeing the Abell Marine logo at Gingerville Marine Center. No more, explained owner Jeff Abell: “We’ve been in business for 40 years, and we do a full range of restoration and maintenance work on diesel and gas engines, wood and fiberglass, paintwork, and gelcoat work. We do pretty much everything in-house. We were working out of Gingerville Marina for about 15 years. The marina was sold to Waterfront Marine. They are boat dealers and needed the space we were leasing, so we had to move here (Pike Ridge Road in Edgewater) temporarily. We are a long way into the process of buying Casa Rio Marina. As of October first we should be relocating down there, keeping the business moving in a forward direction.”
Hank Reiser of Marine Services LLC at Pocahontas Marina in Edgewater, MD, always seems to have a full shop. This month, Hank says he has: “A 26-foot 1968 Lyman Cruisette in for varnish work on the deck and a 1963 Chris-Craft Sea Skiff 20 with some damage on the bottom which is being repaired. In the yard we have a 1966 Chris-Craft Tri-Cabin powered with twin Chris-Craft 327s. She has a lot of rot up forward under the rub rails. We are also re-varnishing her transom. We also have a 1943 Deale-built deadrise in with a beautiful powerplant that won’t run. It’s most likely just a fuel line problem.”
When asked how his summer business turned out Hank had his usual upbeat answer. “Good, we’ve been busy. We were really busy in the beginning of the summer, but it slowed down to a “normal” pace in August and I expect it to be about the same in September. It always is. And, we do have some winter work lined up already. We have several restorations coming in that should fill the shop from December through March.”
Another full shop bringing us up to date is George Hazzard’s Wooden Boat Restoration in Millington, MD. George explained, “We just brought in a 26-foot 1966 replica Hacker Craft. We’re redoing the varnish on the deck and revarnishing the hull sides. We’ll do the decks completely, strip down to bare wood, and redo the varnish. The hull sides are in pretty good shape, so they’ll get sanded and a couple of coats of varnish and some bottom paint. We are also doing some rewiring; the boat has some wiring issues. We’ve got a 1946 Norse, a Canadian-built lapstrake boat. She’s 23 feet. It was the customer’s grandparent’s boat. She’s in sad shape; she’s pretty rough. We will restore her completely. She should be done by next year, but that might be a stretch. Every time we take something off, we find more stuff wrong.
“We also have a 1968 Chris-Craft ski boat where we are doing some insurance work, rebuilding one side deck damaged by running into a dock harder than she should have. Also, we have a Schooleya built in Annapolis. He built two boats that I know of in his back yard. It looks a lot like a Cobra. It has a big fin on the back. It’s a cool boat but it’s really rough. He used luan plywood on the decks. That might hold up on your kitchen floor but not on a boat. We have a lot of wood to replace.” Obviously, George is anticipating a busy winter. He’s taken on two part-timers to help with the workload.
That’s it for this month. Enjoy the fall weather and don’t forget the Annapolis Powerboat Show coming up soon (October 2-5). See you there.