Thursday, March 28

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The Maine Boat & Home Show: Great Boats, Artisans, Boatyard Dogs and More

By Peter A. Janssen

For a totally different kind of boat show, take a look at the Maine Boat & Home Show in Rockland, Maine, from August 10-12. It’s full of Maine-built boats (and boats that are like Maine-built boats), artisans, custom furniture, a small-boat love-in, and its trademark annual Boatyard Dog Trials. It’s more than a boat show; it’s really a state of mind. And it’s fun. Did I mention the live Dixieland band, the food trucks with lobster rolls, and the friendly, welcome-aboard attitude of the exhibitors? And it’s in Rockland, one of the best cruising (or driving, if your boat is too far away) destinations on the East Coast.

In case my bias is showing, well, it is. In the past at this show I’ve climbed aboard new boats from Grand Banks, MJM, Sabre, Back Cove, Hinckley, Hunt, Lyman-Morse, Front Street Shipyard, Wilbur, Ellis, Maine Cat, Ranger Tug, American Tug and other favorites at this show. All told, this year, there will be some 60 boats in the water and more on land, with 100 or so exhibitors.

This year the show has a “working the coast’ theme, featuring builders and finishers of commercial boats. On Friday, you can visit the Sunbeam V, the official ship of the Maine Seacoast Mission. On Saturday, the R/V Friendship, a research and training vessel from the Maine Maritime Academy. On Sunday, the Friendship sloop Blackjack, built by Morse in 1900 and recently refit at Rockland’s Sail, Power and Steam Museum.

As the name implies, The Maine Boat & Home Show is more than a boat show, with custom woodworkers, jewelers, home designers, furniture makers and others in tents, along with the regular marine exhibitors – the engine, electronics and accessories people. You just wander around; there aren’t crowds and the vibes are relaxed.

The show’s trademark Boatyard Dog Trials are Sunday at 10:30 in the morning, and they do draw a crowd, as half a dozen dogs compete for the annual title – primarily by following some instructions on land and then jumping in the water. It’s all good fun. (The show asks that you don’t bring your own pet; the dogs in the trials are pre-chosen,)

When you’re through with the show, spend some time in Rockland. The Farnsworth Art Museum, featuring American art and particularly Andrew, N.C. and Jamie Wyeth, is a three-minute walk from the show. The Lighthouse Museum is even closer. Th Owls Head Transportation Museum is a five-minute drive.

If you’re looking for classic dining, you won’t go wrong at Primo, at the edge of town; it features farm-to-table fresh food and Italian cuisine. For a casual breakfast, try the Brass Compass Café just a block from the show; I think half the exhibitors eat there.

For more: http://maineboats.com/boatshow

 

 

 

 

 

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