CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2016 71Whatever their preference in shape, type or building
material, it was agreed that lobster boats these days are
going further and faster than ever before, and they are
bigger, heavier and more expensive to operate. “Lobster
boat design has been hijacked by a combination of cheap
fuel, high lobster prices and lots of lobsters,” said Doug
Hylan. “Although it takes four to eight times the
horsepower to go twice as fast – with modern engines,
per dollar, horsepower is cheap.” It’s not obviously good
and won’t necessarily last. And the increase in lobsters is
due in part to the collapse in cod fishing – they now
don’t have a natural predator. Things can change.
Early lobster boats had a length to beam ratio of
maybe 3.5 or 4:1, whereas recently a lobster boat was
launched which is 47ft long with a 18ft 8in beam, a
ratio of 2.5 to 1. Peter Kass’s beautiful Abigail &
Carter is 42ft and probably weighs 32,000 pounds
with a 1,000hp diesel, whereas one of his earlier
38-40ft boats would weigh around 25,000.
One of Jamie Lowell’s 38ft lobster boats might
weigh 15-17,000 pounds in fishing trim, but 24,000 as
a lobster yacht. These are big increases in size and
weight, again made possible by cheap fuel, but also
expectations of more profit or more comfort.
It didn’t take long for lobstermen to realise that the
increased horsepower could lead to some good racing,
particularly with the flatter, skeg-built boats from the
Jonesport area. Race events are proliferating up and
down the coast, and passions are running high.
“I don’t have many vices,” said one racing man.
“But I would spend any amount of time and money to
win one of these races.”
Jet drives are being tried on some boats, though they
can suck up weed and are not as good at lower speeds.
Turbo-charged engines are used, to the dismay of some
onlookers, who say rules should be brought in to limit
the length of new boats and size of new engines before
an accident happens. New materials are being
tested: carbon-fibre can be faster than glassfibre,
and a cored hull within a Divinicell outer layer
can be light and waterproof. Longitudinal
ridges along the hull, like a whale, might
slightly increase the speed. One owner said his
latest engine was 1,400hp and he could reach
45 knots, but next year he would upgrade to aRight: the
lobsterman’s
hot seat
Below: lobster
boat racing
Blue Eyed Girl
of Pemaquid
Point Park
Bottom:
Islesboro, Maine4,000hp engine and he hoped for 65 knots. Not only
are lobstermen going further offshore and into
deeper waters to fish, but they are staying busy
into the winter months. They might carry up to
100 lobster pots and 10 bushels of bait, whereas
50 pots was a good living before. Lobster yacht
owners are heading out to explore. Jamie Lowell’s
Newman, with an enclosed cabin, went around the
Northwest Passage. Peter Kass has exported one of his
boats to Australia and there are aficionados worldwide.
Expectations are rising, and so are costs. Like a pick-up
truck, lobster boats have to work safely in all conditions- but some people are now wanting Range Rovers.
There are still voices of restraint. “You don’t need to
go fast, you’re already there,” said Doug Hylan,
thinking of his lobster yacht market. Lobster yachts
make great family picnic boats and they are also an
easy way to pick up the groceries to take out to the
islands. Custom building is making them comfortable,
while the lobsterman too has a slightly easier life. But
whatever the size, shape and build of the lobster boat,
its iconic shape will be seen along the Maine coast for
many years to come. And come to think of it, there is
probably more than one Lobster-inspired hull residing
at a marina not very far from you.
KATHY MANSFIELDKATHY MANSFIELD
KATHY MANSFIELD