At a time when the lobster industry is in decline, one local boat builder has managed to adapt to the change in tide. Peter Kass, who has been building lobster boats from the John’s Bay Boat Company in South Bristol for over 25 years, launched his 60th boat on Sat., Nov. 29.
The Sand Dollars III is no ordinary lobstering craft. Started in March, it was designed for Scott Dugas, an excavator from Yarmouth. The boat will hold plenty of traps, gear and people.
“I plan to go lobstering and scalloping, but it’s also a pleasure cruiser,” Dugas said.
The 41-foot boat has a full cabin equipped with a small kitchen, bunks and bathroom, all below decks. Above deck and outside of the cabin walls, the boat looks every bit the working waterfront craft. The deck is wide and free of machinery. The bow juts up high. It opens up and sits low in the stern, just like many boats whose owners intend to haul up large nets; although there is no net hauler.
A trap hauler, which is a pulley used to haul trap lines, is situated next to the wheel, as it is on regular lobster boats. Some would call this boat a lobster yacht, as it has all of the necessary equipment combined with fine materials.
The cabin interior was finished with mahogany wood trim and the floor is made of Douglas fir. Behind the polished woodwork, Kass said that the boat has other comfort-ensuring amenities including a generator to run the refrigerator in the galley or the hot water heater in case someone wants to take a shower.
Kass said that his company has built all varieties of boats ranging from eight-foot dinghies to a 45-foot lobster boat. Beginning in the early 1990s, while the lobster industry enjoyed a boom in business, his boat company fared well. Lobstermen were ordering larger and more elaborate boats, Kass said.
“We had a ten boat back-log,” Kass said, meaning that there was a waiting list for boat orders.
More recently, lobster boat orders have stopped. Kass blamed the economy and the drastic plunge in lobster prices.
“Now with that $2 (per pound of lobster) price I don’t expect to be making too many lobster boats in the near future,” Kass said.
He said that orders for the lobster yacht have also dropped off, adding that he expects people who normally would purchase such an extravagance are closely watching the stock market and their wallets. He said that the company had a pleasure boat on order for this winter, but the client recently cancelled.
Kass remains optimistic despite the drop in business. He has been building boats for over 30 years, experience that was demonstrated by the intricate craftsmanship and sturdy look of the Sand Dollars III.
Kass said he hopes the situation will turn around as a result of the recent drop in fuel oil prices. He said that there might be additional maintenance work from people who have bought his custom-craft boats.