BOATS & GEAR
BOATBUILDING
BOATS & GEAR
BOATBUILDING
HOOK, LINE AND STOP SIGN Overhauling a New England groundfish boat amid new regs By Paul Molyneaux
hen Tim Rider, owner of New England Fishmongers, bought a 47-foot dragger and decided to turn it into a jig boat for groundfish and a winter/spring scalloper, he had a permit to get to groundfish in otherwise restricted areas. Built by LeBlanc Brothers in Wedgeport, Nova Scotia, and launched as the Richard J., the Finlander II has now been through a massive overhaul that increased the vessel’s efficiency. Only the exempted fishing permit program Rider was relying on has since been scrapped. He says he needs a regulatory environment supportive of a business model he believes is in the vanguard of sustainability. “We bought the boat in 2017 and went fish dragging
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with it,” says Rider. “Then we took all the dragging gear off and put the jigging machines on and started scalloping. The boat needed a lot, and we did really well on the groundfish last fall and on the scallops this winter, so we said, ‘OK, this is the year.’” That was back in 2021. On May 18 that year, the dragger arrived in Southwest Harbor, Maine, battered from years of fishing and full of remnants and problems from incomplete gear shifts. For Rider and his crew, it was time to turn the boat into an efficient machine for their needs. Starting from the keel, the plan included hull repair, propeller repair, engine rebuild, hydraulics overhaul, and a new electronics system. In addition, Rider wanted to clean up the deck layout and replace the fiberglass over plywood
New England Fishmongers photos
With mast and rigging off, the New England Fishmongers crew started tearing apart the plywood and fiberglass wheelhouse.
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National Fisherman \ Spring 2022
www.nationalfisherman.com
