They don’t come much more traditional than the Stanley 38, built on the shores of Somes Sound, just up from Southwest Harbor, Maine, by the John Williams Boat Company. With its lobster boat heritage, graceful sheerline and hint of tumblehome, the Stanley 38 has enough visible wood to keep the most ardent of purists happy.
A year ago, John (Jock) Williams worked with Doug Zurn, the Marblehead, Mass., designer, to build a special Stanley 38, with a high-tech hull laid up with vinylester resin, stitched e-glass and Corecell construction and powered by twin Volvo IPS 600 pod drives; it topped out at 40 knots. But now Williams is back to his traditional Stanley 38 with a semi-displacement hull, soft chine and fairly flat aft sections. Powered by a choice of twin diesels from 350- to 450-hp, the lobster yacht cruises at 18 knot or so and tops out in the low 20s.
But the Stanley 38 goes anywhere. Half the boats Williams has built since he started the company in 1972 (he was production manager of Hinckley, just down the road, before that) have been bought by commercial fishermen. They’re solid, seaworthy and tough. In the new 38, the pilothouse and cockpit are open with excellent visibility; the pilothouse can be enclosed fully if the weather’s bad. A V-berth and full head with shower are below. The galley can be up or down. The cockpit, dating to its fishing heritage, is large enough to hold a dozen guests for entertaining; just add a table and some chairs to the standard aft settee. And the hull is unidirectional fiberglass, with an integral keel and skeg.
And wood is everywhere. Williams will finish the boat any way the owner wants, but the standard version comes with teak toe rails and varnished Honduras mahogany for the cockpit steps, cabin trim, doors and drawers. The sole is teak and holly; the cabin ceiling is varnished Sitka spruce. The bulkheads, cabin sides and overhead are painted in Awlgrip. The Stanley 38 is true to its roots.
Specs.: LOA: 38’4”; Beam: 12’8”; Draft: 3’6”; Disp.: 17,000 lbs.; Fuel: 300 gals.; Water: 100 gals.; Power: 2×440-hp diesels. http://jwboatco.com
