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Boatbuilding, Downeast Style Gallery

Mount Desert Island, Maine, lies Downeast—about 100 miles northeast of Portland as the seagull flies. A century ago, most islanders made their living from the sea: fishing, lobstering, skippering yachts for "rusticators" (summer visitors), maybe a little bit of all three. In the winter the watermen built boats to use themselves or to sell. Today the descendants of those rugged old-timers
  • By Mike Smith
  • May 1, 2007
<p>Wilbur Yachts' customers include Billy Joel, Woods Hole, and even the Smithsonian.</p>

Wilbur Yachts’ customers include Billy Joel, Woods Hole, and even the Smithsonian.

At Ellis Boat Company, not every Downeaster it builds is a lobster boat.

Don Ellis and his Freisian horse, Deisha, in Southwest Harbor, Maine.

Here’s a scupper’s-eye view of boatbuilding at Ellis Boat Company.

Richard Stanley carries on the family tradition of building custom wood boats.

The Maine man himself: Ralph W. Stanley. Interesting to note: When he’s not building boats, he plays a mean fiddle.

Malcolm L. Pettegrow builds cold-molded wood and ‘glass Downeasters.

Mac Pettegrow.

Two yachts a-building at Wilbur.

Eric Clark of Marine Systems learned his trade from top Southwest Harbor builders, including Lee Wilbur.

Marine Systems also uses other local yards’ hulls, an approach shared by some builders worldwide.

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Picture of Mike Smith

Mike Smith

  • Boats, Design, Photo Gallery

More Boats Design Photo Gallery

An aerial view of an Aquila 45 Sport power catamaran anchored near a shoreline at sunset, featuring blue hull LED accent lights, yellow underwater lights, twin Mercury outboards, and paddleboards secured to its hardtop roof rack.

Aquila 45 Sport

An Intrepid 35 Valor powerboat with a deep-blue hull cruising at high speed on open blue ocean water.

Intrepid 35 Valor

An aerial overhead view of a blue and white Duchy 35 motor yacht underway, highlighting its teak swim platform, spacious aft cockpit seating, teak side decks, and roof-mounted solar panels.

Duchy 35

A split image showing a custom Jarrett Bay sportfishing boat powering through open water on the left, paired with a portrait of founder Randy Ramsey smiling on the teak cockpit of a yacht on the right.

American Dreamer

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