The Melody Marie II arrived at Friendship Boats in Friendship, Maine, about noon on Nov. 28. The 33’x13’ Young Brothers lobster boat was built in the late 1980s and was recently sold by her owner, a lobsterman who Friendship Boat’s Randy Young describes as “one of the oldest fishermen in the harbor and then he retired.”
Of course, to fish a boat for more than 30 years and then be able to sell it, the boat needs to be well maintained, which is what its previous owner did, and the new owner is following that example. Young notes that last year Friendship Boats repainted the Melody Marie II’s hull and repowered the 33-footer with a new 250-hp Cummins.
This December, the crew at Friendship Boats began replacing much of the Melody Marie II’s original cabin, including the cabin trunk, top of the house and main bulkhead. Down below new bunks were also being built. Coming out is plywood and fiberglass and going in is only composite material. Young says the hull is “in good shape.” He expects work on the Melody Marine II to be completed by the end of the year.
Four months before the Melody Marie II showed up, Friendship Boats launched the Old Coot, a 44’x15’ Calvin Beal lobster boat just completed, for David Borden, a Providence, R.I., fisherman who lobsters, rod and reel fishes and hauls black sea bass traps. A 657-hp Scania DI13 086M powers the Old Coot. Cruising speed is about 20.5 knots and wide open she hits 25 knots.
No plywood and fiberglass here, the Old Coot is all composite construction. There’s a split wheelhouse and a V-berth and storage cabinets down below. The fuel tank is below the main deck, running along the center of the hull, with a lobster storage tank along each side. Each tank holds about 1,000 pounds. At the stern is an open transom with a tailgate.
