- Visitors to the museum and passers-by on the walkway to the sea can see first-hand how the restoration of vintage boats progresses outdoors on site.
fireAll around us, including the Cape Cod Maritime Museum, where a 24.5-foot wooden surfboat built in 1944 rests on a cradle in a plastic sheet enclosure next to the museum’s Cook Boat Shop. has different stories.
The Race Point surfboat was donated to the Maritime Museum’s permanent collection of historic boats in 2018 and is being restored by a team of six led by Cape Codder Tony Davis, owner of Allies Pond Boat Yard in Orléans .
Davis’ team of skilled boat builders/restorers includes Bill Sterling, Alan Reid, Bob Lister, Ray Ward and Richard Booniser, with support from museum staff and volunteers.
Davis said the ongoing restoration “is likely to take several hours.” [more] Years to complete”, and this season members of the public get to see the project in action.
The museum’s executive director, Elizabeth York, said the plastic sheet barrier “sheds” that currently protect the boats from winter weather will soon be removed. When the weather warms up, normal work on the boat resumes. Visitors to the museum and passers-by on the walkway to the sea can see first-hand how the restoration of vintage boats progresses outdoors on site.
For 2021, Davis said the painstaking work will include installing “new keels, stems, sterns, frames and eventually planks, inwales, gunwales and swarts.”
Life-saving operations at sea have a long history on Cape Cod. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Cape Cod’s treacherous waves and storm conditions killed many brave surfmen during sea rescues. dangerous sea.
Race Point Surfboats, such as the one currently under restoration, were built on Cape Cod around 1894 and were used in the region’s unique coastal conditions. The surfman job is his one of the most dangerous jobs to hold and still holds the highest qualifications in the United States. Coast Guard responsible for the operation of small vessels.
The museum describes these early vintage rescue boats as “a sleek, simple construction using lightweight wood (making watercraft strong, fast and efficient in surfing).” According to York, such boats were built of white oak and cypress and fastened with bronze. According to Yorke, they would have been designed to be “fast and fast in the water.”
Davis said the ship was built to be “light and strong,” with 12-foot oars, five oarsmen, a captain/helmsman, “to move her efficiently into the waves, and leave plenty of room for a rescue.” Equipped to carry a crew sufficient for .
According to Davis, 143 wooden Racepoint surfboats were built in the early 20th century, but it wasn’t until 1922 that a series of “proper” building plans were implemented. This led to the construction of another 57 “Curtis Bay” surfboats from Maryland. This is the shipyard that built this surf boat #24467.
After World War II, many of this type of vessel were retired and replaced by motorized Coast Guard vessels.
The restoration project has received several grants, but thousands of dollars in materials are required to replace many of the boat’s structural components, and the museum recently raised additional funding for its ongoing work. “We are working to bring her back to life,” Davis said.
In a recent interview on the museum’s website, team member and Coast Guard historian Richard Boonizer paid tribute to the many surfmen who risked their lives. See the sea conditions, feel the snow and sand on your face, and imagine pushing a 24-foot lifeboat into the waves to save a life.
For more information
The Cape Cod Maritime Museum (135 South St., Hyannis) has spring hours of operation Wednesday through Friday from noon to 3 p.m. From May 4th, the museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday. $10; $8 students and seniors. $5 for children 5 and under. Active duty military personnel and their children under the age of 3 are free. 508-775-1723. Website: capecodmaritimemuseum.org/ Pandemic protocols require masks and visitors are encouraged to register in advance for timed entry. We accept walk-ins as space permits.
Photos and updates on the volunteer restoration work can be found on the museum’s website, www.capecodmaritimemuseum.org, with links for donors who wish to donate to the fund.
