Professional BoatBuilder - December-January 2018

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 31

REFIT: Rybovich Rebuilds

hoping to see Hall’s Butterball, a much

more “stock” restoration, join him on

the Chesapeake.

About the Author: Aaron Porter is the

editor of Professional BoatBuilder.

the season he said, but more than any-

thing, he wanted to test performance

and “get some numbers” on Timid

Tuna, the classic Rybovich he has fear-

lessly brought back to life in a much

altered form. And in the spring, he’s

the streamlined steering pod, but in

Corecell and  berglass, not mahogany.

Similarly he re-created in foam sand-

wich composites the signature Rybo-

vich arched mahogany handrail and

trim piece that de ned the curve of the

 ying bridge side.  at, he conceded,

was going to require a lot of  ddly

laminating to  nish.

____)____

As we closed in on the print dead-

line for this issue of Professional Boat-

Builder, Bandy was racing to get Timid

Tuna in the water. He’d abstained from

 shing all summer as he worked on

the Rybovich and a new 24' (7.3m)

carbon  ber center-console model he’d

designed with a very narrow beam and

light weight. (“Cruises at 35 knots”

with a 90-hp/67-kW outboard, he

said.) So the shop has been full of dis-

tractions, and yes, it would be late in

Nearly ready for launching, Timid Tuna retains the look if not the materials of a

1950s Rybovich sport sherman. She’s likely to be faster, stiffer, lighter, and more

fuel-ef cient than her original incarnation.

COURTESY REID BANDY

RybovichRefit170-AdFINALr2.indd 31 11/3/17 9:02 AM