Here’s a wonderful blow-by-blow account, with pictures, showing how Lyman-Morse restored a beautiful, but suffering, 73-foot, 1930 commuter boat named Scout to all its former glory – plus some. In fact, over a six-month period. Lyman-Morse worked a total refit on Scout, replacing everything from her timbers to her engines. Now, once the weather improves Scout, based in Newport, Rhode Island, will be cruising the Northeast from Long Island Sound to Downeast Maine.
The boat that now is Scout was originally christened Cormar when she was launched on April 4, 1930, at the Defoe Shipbuilding Company in Bay City, Michigan. Designed by Eldredge-McInnis of Boston, Cormar was hand-built out of mahogany over cedar planks fastened over oak frames. She was almost the definition of the low, fast commuter boats of the time, when speed and luxury defined American yachting at the start of the Depression.
Cormar was large enough to accommodate a large family, but she also was fast. With a slippery torpedo-shaped hull and powered by two high-octane, gas airplane engines, the boat was as fast as many cars at the time.
But that was a long time ago. Recently, Matt Jacobson, Scout’s skipper (and now a Lyman-Morse project manager) brought the boat to the Lyman-Morse yard in Camden, Maine, for repairs. A survey showed a lot of problems.
Scout stayed there for a total refit, involving a Lyman-Morse crew of 20. She ended up with new timbers, new engines, a rebuilt generator and much more. Now, powered by two 507-hp CAT diesels, Scout cruises at 15 knots and tops out at 22 knots. And she turns heads wherever she goes. Read more:
Specs.: LOA: 73’0”; Beam: 14’0”; Draft: 6’0”; Disp.: NA: Fuel: 575 gals.; Water: 500 gals.; Power: 2×507-hp CAT C7.1 ACERT diesels. Read more:
https://www.lymanmorse.com/refit-services/scout/
