Outdoors & ADVeNTure
ALL haNDS
oN DeCk IT’S ALL ABOUT QUALITY AND CRAFTSMENSHIP FOR THIS FAMILY OF WOODEN BOAT BUILDERS
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BY WANDA CURTIS
ne business sector seeing a boom during the pandemic is the boat building industry. Contrary to what some boat builders expected, sales skyrocketed nationwide during the past two years. Maine's “largest builder of small wooden boats” is Cottrell Boatbuilding, a company that has seen an increase in sales during the pandemic which they attribute to people having more flexible work schedules and more time for leisure activity. “Most people were looking to isolate,” said Lynn Cottrell. “I had a lovely young mom in Rhode Island buy one for her three kids because they were not able to go to their summer camps. And I think people just had more time on their hands and decided it was time to pony up and buy a boat!” Cottrell Boatbuilding is a family-owned and operated company with shops in Searsport and Winterport. Lynn's husband Dale and their two sons Seth and Ben do all of the building. Lynn said that she handles the sales and bookkeeping. She also does painting and varnishing when the need arises, she said. They build small wooden boats for rowing and sailing — wherries, dinghies, yacht tenders, dories and daysailers. They also build custom boats.
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“We use centuries-old traditional methods as well as modern construction techniques,” said Lynn. “We love building traditional plank-on-frame boats, but we realize it is not for everyone. These days most of our boats are a more modern composite construction, mainly glued lap wood epoxy. The new modern wooden boat. This modern construction method results in a very rugged, lightweight, strong hull. Less expensive and easy to maintain.”
ARTISTIC VALUE According to Lynn, one of the plank-on-frame fiddleheads they built is being used as the base for a glass-topped conference table. She said the boat was specially designed to be taken out on the lake and then to an office setting in the New Hampshire mountains. “We also have one in the barn now waiting for the house it is going into to be finished,” she said. “It is going to be a chandelier hanging from a cathedral ceiling. The owners are planning on rowing her at least once before she is installed — that made us feel a little better. We build our boats to be
