Johnnie B

     One of the interesting things about repairing mostly commercial fishing boats in southeast Alaska, mostly the wooden ones, is finding the balance of form and function.  I think wooden work boats, fishing boats, are good looking, elegant even.  Not all of them, mind you, but most of them.  The bottom line however, especially for the owner, is that it is a work boat first and foremost; a tool used to make a living.

The Johnnie B, a wooden salmon seiner built in 1929, is a very good example of this.  I started doing repairs on the Johnnie B. In 2012, about three years after the current owner, Tim, had purchased it.  “I just want it to hold together for a few more years, then I’m going to upgrade to something newer, probably fiberglass or steel.” 

So, every couple of years, he would bring it to me for a project.  One year it was anchor winch work and new Purple Heart blocking for it, another was fiberglass work in the hold. 

There were a few years where a plank or two would get replaced, or a new stainless steel skiff plate with hawser was installed on the stern.

     About ten years after I first worked on it, Tim brought it to me, and basically said, “she’s been real good to me over the years, I’m probably not going to get a different one right away.  Let’s give her some love.”

     We put a bunch of new planks in at the waterline area, mostly midships to the stern, on both the port and starboard sides. 

     A little over a year and a half later, we built a large cover over the bow, and tackled the planking, frames, and the sponson/guard on the port bow back to midships, from the shear strake down to just below the waterline.   

     We also replaced the intermediate bearings, and did shaft alley cover and hatch work.

     Then, we cleaned up the stern corners.  I hope my butt looks that good when I’m in my early nineties.

     The following year, we built another big cover, this time over the entire boat. 

     The entire foredeck and the side decks were removed, new Purple Heart beams were installed and Sapele decking screwed to it.  To keep his crew dry and warm, which means happy and productive, we bedded down a layer of half inch marine plywood over the planking and covered that with two layers of fiberglass stitchmat and epoxy.  It was a good combination of historical reconstruction and a practical modern solution to a problem.  

     We also did conventional fiberglass work in the bait hold, dismantled the RSW circulation system in the engine room and repaired/rebuilt it, moved the generator exhaust from the side of the pilot house to the main exhaust fidley, installed an auto pilot, and replaced some hydraulic hoses in the engine room.  While we were doing this, Tim had his refrigeration guys come up and completely redo his refrigeration system. 

    That spring, as Tim and I walked slowly behind the travel lift as it brought the Johnnie B to the launching piers, Tim turned to me and said, “I’m not gonna get a different boat.  This one is a passion project now, nothing practical or logical about it.”  He turned and hopped up onto the bow as it passed the pier on the way to the water.  He grinned at me.  “I’ll see you in a couple years.  We’ll do the main deck and poopdeck.  After that, maybe a new house.”

     Absolutely.  I’m looking forward to it.