Time To Explore – Sweet Pea Rides The Rails

,

Whats in that little shed? Oh you know you want to see?

One of the magical things about my wonderful town of Reedville is how time just is slower. And nothing is slower than watching your Trawler going up the railway to be painted and looked over. We are so fortunate here to still have a wonderful Railway that works on wood boats. George Butler is a major asset to this area and his family Railway has been here forever.

Right next to the Reedville Water Tower

This weekend while Sweet Pea was headed up the Rails, we got a quick chance to grab some fun textural photos to give you a taste of how life is, in a timeless world of magic.

The little shed. What? you think I am not gonna play this out.

Just sit back and sip your coffee varnish and know that these photos could have been taken 50 years ago, and just as wonderful.

Getting ready to come up the rails

Here she comes

What lines? Dang!

A little more exploring. We have time.

Like a work of art

One of the larger shops. Not the little red shed. Hold on…

Shelves of goodies

Dream workshop

One of Georges famous Skiffs.. Just hanging around

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by WoodyBoater (@woodyboater) on

Now back to the little shed.. LEFT.

Chris Craft Riviera! George has one in the works. OH YA!

Bottom off!

Thanks George for the short break from the break neck speed of today’s time sucking life!

19 replies
  1. Greg Lewandowski
    Greg Lewandowski says:

    Great photos and the looks of that Riviera restoration confirms that George does not work at break neck speed!
    Thanks for setting the stage to start the day off in a wonderful place.

    • Troy in ANE
      Troy in ANE says:

      Jim: Your snow storm is here today as torrential rain.

      Always GREAT to see an big old cruiser/trawler being well loved!

    • Dennis Mykols
      Dennis Mykols says:

      Sad to say, most boatyards will be turned into condos.
      We are lucky to have Bob Murdock and his wife Patti to step up and buy Howe Marine in Indian River in Northern Michigan’s chain of lakes. This marina was a Chris Craft dealer starting in 1942.
      The Condo developers were after this property for years, until Murdock stepped in. He will continue boat restorations and make improvements, and keep the old time feel to the place.

  2. Frank@Falmouth
    Frank@Falmouth says:

    Matt
    As always I enjoy and appreciate your eye for the timeless beauty of a clsssic boat shop or old “ordinary” buildings. The Northern Neck still has many unspoiled gems like these that can bring us back to a simpler time. The “Dream Shop” pic is truely that and I can smell the sawdust and wood in the shot of the bandsaw!
    What a great way to start the week!

  3. Darthtrader
    Darthtrader says:

    What a trip back in time! This reminds me of my first real job-working at Keffer Marine Service in Deep Creek, VA. I used to have to scrape the barnacles off the bottoms of the boats when they got hauled out. Unless you got them off before they dried, they were nearly impossible to get off. You forgot to show us what was in the little red shed. I won’t spoil the surprise.
    Placing the blocking so the boat remained level side to side was always a chore.
    In the end, these wonderful old railways got replaced by Travel-Lifts which allowed you to store boats all over the yard.

  4. Terry
    Terry says:

    Wow! Beautiful pictures! Yes, I had my cup of coffee while looking at all of them. Beautiful day here In Daytona Beach. We’re sitting on the back deck of “Meant To Be” watching the “snow birds” heading back up north.

  5. Syd
    Syd says:

    Takes me back to the mid 80’s when I was stationed on the USCGC Wire a 65’ tug and we went to the yards

  6. Les Best
    Les Best says:

    Every woody boater here should be fascinated by this young man rebuilding a 108 year old sailing ship. By himself, with volunteer help. 68 feet long, an old ships saw, and tons of lumber. Sampson Boat Company on YouTube. The band saw picture prompted this response check him out, you won’t be sorry.

  7. Mark in Ohio (sometimes da U P )
    Mark in Ohio (sometimes da U P ) says:

    Great Pics. Loved the you tube of sweet Pea coming out of the water. That Bandsaw! man. The whole place looked like an organized mess. Some people can work that way. Just like Frank, I can smell the sawdust. I could also feel the sun coming through those dusty windows. What a good way to start a dreary week.

  8. Briant
    Briant says:

    Yikes. While one can appreciate the old-ness and traditions etc….it looks as though OSHA has not been by in quite some time….

    Hate to trip over a 2 x 4 and have that large sailboat fall on my foot…or head…

  9. Briant
    Briant says:

    Like James May (the Grand Tour / Top Gear) I like to work in a space that is along these lines….plenty of light…organized….no clutter and crap….

  10. John Rothert
    John Rothert says:

    That railway and George are great and famous too.
    You need to get a pic of the planer to go with the bandsaw.

    Boatress promised me a ride in that Rice Trawler!

    John in Va.

  11. floyd r turbo
    floyd r turbo says:

    I wish my dad had been more into boats (fortunately, my grandfather was). My dad was into planes having earned his wings at El Toro and we spent time hanging out at local airports, some of the most boring places one could find. Fortunately, in Maine, I wasn’t too far from a marina on fresh or salt water.

  12. Dick Hansen
    Dick Hansen says:

    Only wish that they had a sprinkler system in that shop. As a former fire insurance underwriter I cringe when I see pictures like that. As an avid woodworker however, I recognize the pure comfort and serenity of an old messy boatyard like this one.

Comments are closed.