“A wooden boat is a beautiful artifact in the same sense as a violin,” says Victor Janovich. “In it is a timeless elegance of form effortlessly fused with a utilitarian end for which it was created. Adjusting the rigging of a sailboat is not much different from tuning a violin before a concert.”

The restoration of ADVENTURESS was one of the most rewarding events for Rockport Marine in all of 2012, and we are proud to share it with people all over the world through videos and photos on our websie and facebook page.  Apparently we caught the attention of a lot of classic boat enthusiasts, because we were not only nominated for “Restoration of the year” by Classic Boat magazine, but we ultimately won by popular vote.

OVER OUR 25 YEARS, this magazine has showcased a whole fleet of new builds and restorationsby Rockport Marine, but it’s probably safe to say that none of the restorations equaledthe scope of the recently relaunched schooner Adventuress, originally designed and built byWilliam Fife III.

An extraordinary boat, an extraordinary owner, an extraordinary group of craftsmen – that sums up the story of Adventuress as she slipped into the water at Rockport, Maine, on 21 July.

W-Class Yacht Company is expanding its family of yachts to include 100’, 123’ and 135’ models. The first of the new designs, the W.123, was developed by Bruce Johnson (formerly of Sparkman & Stephens) in collaboration with Rockport Marine Yacht Design. The new racer/cruiser yachts will retain the ‘Spirit of Tradition’ and performance attributes of the existing W-Class Yacht Company’s W.37’, W.46’ and W.76’ models. The W-Class yachts will be built at Front Street Shipyard in Belfast, Maine, with support from the shipwrights at Rockport Marine of Rockport, Maine, and Brooklin Boat Yard of Brooklin, Maine. “I’m eager to move...

Rockport Marine, known internationally for their first-class restorations of classic yachts, announced a new conceptual design from their in-house design office. SOPHIA, a 70-foot, cold-molded sloop evokes the beauty and power of classic Sparkman & Stephens Class-A yawls such as BOLERO, BARUNA, BLACK WATCH, AVANTI, WINDIGO and PTARMIGAN.  The design for SOPHIA is now available for construction at Rockport Marine. 

"Boats like BOLERO and BARUNA inspire me because of their beautiful lines," said designer Sam Chamberlin, "but I am also inspired by their excellent sailing characteristics-they are high performance and capable for racing, but designed for cruising offshore with...

One of the oldest and largest in-water boat shows in the country, the Newport International Boat Show will hold its 42nd annual event September 13 – 16, 2012 in Newport Rhode Island. The reputation of Newport as an international sailing and boating center and the beauty of the Rhode Island coast are draws for exhibitors and visitors alike.

Tens of thousands are expected to attend during usually magnificent September weather in New England…to talk with almost 750 exhibitors and view some 600 boats ranging in size from 15 to 85 feet, plus kayaks, inflatables, services, equipment, electronics and accessories...

The finest that Maine has to offer will be gathered at the 10th Annual Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Show from August 10 through 12. Exhibitors at the coastal lifestyle show are among the best and the brightest of those currently creating along the Gulf of Maine and beyond. The roster this year represents a cross-section of specialties from boatbuilding and marine services, to fine artists, furniture crafters, home-builders, and solar experts.

"One of my favorite overheard comments praised the ‘excellent shopping,'” said show producer John K. Hanson, Jr. “and there is indeed something for everyone. The...

Join us for a rare rendezvous of William Fife yachts with owners and experts highly knowledgeable about the mystique of these exceptional boats. A fleet to be on exhibition at the town dock starting about noon, with the Symposium at MMA Delano Auditorium running from 4:00 to 6:00 pm.

August 1st

4:00-6:00 pm

Maritime Marine Academy Delano Auditorium

For friends and fans of classic boats

For more information: dbicks@aol.com or bscott@aerotropic.com

ROCKPORT, Maine — An 88-year-old schooner made its return to the water after 80,000 hours spent restoring it.

The Adventuress was relaunched at Marine Park on Saturday afternoon after three years spent restoring the schooner, which was built in Scotland in 1924.

The boat is an 83-foot schooner that was designed and built by William Fife. The Adventuress arrived at Rockport Marine in 2009. As many as 30 people worked on the boat at one time, said Rockport Marine Yard Manager Maria Simpson.

“Every part of this project has been custom,” she said....

With the summer boating season officially begun, the team at Rockport Marine is working overtime to get boats ready for the water. The Travelift is running at a steady pace rain or shine, and our customers are going on shakedown cruises daily.

Sometimes during these busy times, we forget to take stock of the impact we've had on our customers and the boating community throughout our decades here in Rockport. And then we're reminded in some small way of what a wonderful job we really have here building beautiful boats. One of our...

Rockport Marine and two fellow independent yacht yards in mid-coast Maine are appointing Bruce Johnson, formerly of Sparkman & Stephens, as their business development executive. Brooklin Boat Yard, Front Street Shipyard and Rockport Marine reached an agreement to employ Johnson to represent each yard independently in seeking new construction projects. Johnson will be responsible for attracting and negotiating new national and international builds and refits to Maine, and matching them with the yards based on scope.

Johnson is leaving his most recent post as president of Sparkman & Stephens, the venerable 82-year old yacht design and brokerage firm where...

Spring Means Busy Boatbuilders

Although there were some snow flurries on the Easter Egg hunts up here in Maine on Sunday, you can feel spring in the air. The yard crew fired up the Travelift a few weeks ago, birds are returning to the scrubby woods out behind the shop, the elver fishermen have strung their nets across the rivers and the buds on the trees are about to pop. Out in the yard, Nate and Garrett have weathered the abrupt changes in temperature with good grace, and many layers of outerwear. They have been busy launching the shop’s...

Rockport Marine has launched a blog that is chronicling the restoration of several yachts throughout 2012. The blog, entitled "No Greater Passion for the Craft," is online at www.rockportmarine.blogspot.com and is authored by yacht design and construction management staff on site. The technical content is provided in layman's terms so boating enthusiasts worldwide can learn how the most advanced marine construction techniques are being incorporated into the restoration of classic yachts.

Among the current blog posts is a step-by-step illustration of the design and production of blocks for an 83' gaff schooner using CNC...

Welcome to the first edition of Rockport Marine's newsletter. We're excited to keep you up to date about the new and ongoing projects we're undertaking. Please share this newsletter with your friends, and let us know if there's something you'd like to see featured here next month! 

We feel lucky at Rockport Marine to have such great projects, and we keep getting that work because of the talented people who work here. One of those people is Bill Brengle, who was celebrated at this year’s Christmas party for his 30 years of...



I was hired to photograph the restoration of Trade Wind at Rockport Marine. Three years later, it was launch day for Trade Wind on May 18. The 62' Alden Motor-Sailer was originally built in 1938. These photos were taken by me and Jane, my assistant. (It's nice having extra cameras on the job!) After a few more photo shoots on the water this summer, Jane and I will be designing a coffee table book for the owners as well as a multimedia piece. We'll share the results when we wrap up the projects.

"Doted over by Maine craftsmen and devoted owners during a 20-month refit, the Sparkman & Stephens-designed yawl Bolero is savoring her new vitality. From "Yachtsyle" in our December 2010 issue"

She has been bringing wooden boat enthusiasts to their knees for sixty years. She is internationally celebrated for her beauty and speed. She is considered one of Olin Stephens's finest designs. Her name is Bolero.

"This very unusual concept boat introduces a new team to the field of yacht design. It is a true collaboration between Rockport Marine’s two professional designers, Brendan Riordan and Sam Chamberlin. At the same time, the design is an announcement that there is now another boatyard here in Maine that specializes in both custom design and construction in wood."

"This fascinating DVD presents the ultimate historical reenactment: learn the history of the Godspeed and the fates of those who sailed her while witnessing its meticulously accurate recreation in Maine. Combining the best of the "how-to" genre with the peerless documentaries made famous by THE HISTORY CHANNEL®, this is a perfect hands-on examination of a touchstone moment in our American past. Boat-builder and host Steve Thomas (This Old House) gets his hands dirty and talks with the experts as the remarkable museum-quality reproduction - precisely authentic down to the cotton caulk hammered between her planks - materializes from raw lumber."

"Like so many seaside villages on the midcoast, Rockport is cut into a hillside. Off Central Street, a narrow lane plunges down to the harbor and a sprawling complex of red buildings that house Rockport Marine."

"For many boating enthusiasts there is simply no substitute for the look, feel, and performance of a wooden boat. And the craftsmen who build those boats couldn't agree more. Since Rockport Marine was founded in 1962, it has remained committed to constructing and restoring wooden boats."

"Few among us will ever own a large classic yacht from the golden age of yachting. We may never be able to fully identify with their owners, either, but it is simple to feel empathy for their builders and their design- ers. Nowhere is this more clear than in a capable boat- yard. Tired timber keels that lie exposed were once bright, smelling of fresh shavings and oil, the product of skill and pride that any boatbuilder today can readily recog- nize. With garboards, sheerstrakes, and covering boards off, the hull's underlying structure is clearly evident, and we can poke...

"Where in the whole world could you find a boatyard that could simultaneously build a heavy-timbered, traditionally framed replica ship in one bay, while right next door construct an 85', cold-molded, somewhat experimental, wood-epoxy greyhound? In Rockport, Maine."

"Think bermudan rig started in the 1920s? Think again. This August Spirit of Bermuda, a new boat inspired by a painting dated 1831, took to the water. Robin Lloyd was on board, and here he tells the story of how a boat imitated art to teach school kids about the maritime pride of their island nation."