Professional BoatBuilder - April-May 2018

64 Professional BoatBuilder

YARD PROFILE: Schooner Creek

wall and I-beam come out, and the

doors roll up for sufficient clearance to

move the boat outside on a hydraulic

trailer. A 300-ton crane will hold up

the roof of the building until the boat

clears; then the stub wall and I-beam

will be replaced and the crane freed to

lift the boat off the trailer and lower it

into the water.

Marketing

Most of Schooner Creek’s new con-

struction comes from designers, who

in the past have included Robert Perry

(PBB No. 97), Kurt Hughes, John Mar-

ples, Tom Wylie (PBB No. 165), and

the late Bill Garden. “It’s just a case

of somehow getting in contact with

the designer and having them aware

of what you produce,” says Rander.

“Designers want to keep their custom-

ers happy and have great boats they

can show off. So if you, as a builder, can

produce those things, you get to be a

friend of that designer for a period of

time; it’s a win-win for all.”

Schooner Creek also benefits from

its longevity. “We’ve been here for-

ever,” Rander says. “People see one of

our boats somewhere and are inter-

ested. We also have a good reputation

in the Hawaii charter industry. So

when someone wants a new boat,

we’re often the ones they talk to first.

them—that is, once the second cata-

marans’ hulls and bridge deck are laid

up and connected. Presently under the

cabintop mold, the bridge deck mold

will go outside to join the cabintop

mold in storage after the second bridge

deck is laminated. Then the two hulls

of the next catamaran will be posi-

tioned where the mold was, and the

bridge deck dropped in between. “It’s

like coordinating a dance,” Flanigan

says.

And what of the hull mold? It’s kept

indoors safe and dry; the outside space

between the stations is used for stor-

age of gear and supplies on temporary

shelving.

Patterns were made up for all deck

sections. “As we move this boat out

and the next boat in and start building

it,” says Rander, “we move the patterns

back up to the flat table on the mez-

zanine. We’re always looking for ways

of making things easier.”

When it’s time to move out the first

boat, the building is set up so a stub

and attached to the deck of the cata-

maran, so a second cabintop can be

started while the mold is still in place.

The second cabintop and mold will go

into storage until they’re ready for

The nearly complete 28' (8.5m) ocean-

voyaging rowboat, built of carbon fiber

and foam, displaces 2,587 lbs (1,172

kg). The boat is designed to carry 500

lbs (227 kg) of supplies and 1,000 lbs

(453 kg) of food.

This view from atop the first catamaran looks across the shop floor at the hull mold. Note temporary storage between stations of the mold.

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