Flying Eagle, Maine Lobster Boat, New Home on Orcas Island
On May 1, 2015, Flying Eagle arrived in Anacortes after being trucked on a flat bed from the East Coast. Rick and Diane Strollo purchased F.E. in Rockport, Maine, in 2014 where she'd been owned and partially restored by Artisan Boatworks in Rockport, Maine.
After a season in service, it was evident that F.E.'s hull needed more attention. Artisan Boatworks had replaced the forefoot and some planking forward but along the keel and at the turn of the bilge aft, water was leaking in at an unsafe rate. Emerald Marine Carpentry would continue the restoration. The boat's original oak ribs where past their usefulness; many where broken at the turn and split at the heels. The boat had been re-framed with sisters once before but the stainless deck screws that had been used as fastenings had corroded away, leaving the planks adrift. The oak floor timbers that tie the hull to the keel were rotten and cut away in places. Fortunately, the keel itself was in good condition.
Flying Eagle, a Maine Lobster Boat, was built for Floyd Pinkham of Gouldsboro, MA. Her keel was laid by the Beal brothers in 1962 and she was launched on Beals Island in 1963. She earned her keep lobstering until the mid 1990s. After many years of service, several owners and various name changes, Flying Eagle was returned to her original moniker after being purchased by the Strollos.
Rick has a fondness for the type and appreciated the rarity of finding a working boat in condition that could be saved and enjoyed. They have an efficient, seaworthy hull form, a good turn of speed, rich history and great looks! His aim is to preserve this vessel as authentically as possible and pay homage to the past and share some of this treasured history with others.
Being in very nearly original condition and with a new V-8, allowed Rick to fit her out in a traditional manner while using her as a day boat from Orcas island, Wa. Those of us who are fortunate enough to have the San Juans as our regular cruising grounds may glimpse this picturesque boat enjoying the many pleasures of the archipelago.
Here are pictures of the repairs and results:
