Harrison Boatworks has moved to a new location in Wanchese at 952 Old Wharf Road. It was very sad to leave Sunnyside on the north end of Roanoke Island, where I built boats for more than a dozen years. But the new shop is proving to be a very good thing for Harrison Boatworks. The shop is well-lit, well-ventilated, dry, three times the size and only a block away from the haulout, Wanchese Dock & Haul.
Immediately after moving in, I was confronted by a few challenges, the first being installing a phase converter in order to enable my three-phase machines to work in a single-phase shop. This took weeks but we got it worked out with help from Jason Turner at Beacon Electric.
Within a week of moving into the new shop in January I began design and lofting the new 19-foot tunnel skiff. This new design is a smaller of version of my 22-foot center console, with the addition of a tunnel for running in shallow water. It will live in the Currituck Sound and be used for duck hunting and fishing. Click on the images to see a larger version of the photo.
After getting that boat underway, I assembled the jig for an 18-foot flats boat for a man in Florida. This boat will be a slicked-out, fast, pure flats boat, including poling platform, recessed push pole holders, live well, pop-up console, hydraulic jackplate, tunnel, casting platform, recessed cleats, etc.
Harrison Boatworks 952 Old Wharf Road
New Harrison Boatworks location
Harrison Boatworks 19′ Tunnel Skiff
New Harrison Boatworks 19′ Tunnel Skiff ready for planking.
Harrison Boatworks 19′ Tunnel Skiff
Blocking the new 19′ with my son, Burcham.
Harrison Boatworks 19′ Tunnel Skiff
19′ with Ad-Tech ProSeal to fill the weave of the fiberglass.
Harrison Boatworks 19′ Tunnel Skiff
The the 19′ tunnel skiff has an entry that should provide a comfortable ride and the proper flair to keep her good and dry.
Harrison Boatworks 18′ Flats Skiff
The new 18′ Flats Skiff design has an inset motor mount that will get a 4″ hydraulic jackplate.
I’ll be blogging more about these boats as they progress.
Also at Harrison Boatworks, we’ve been working on a 40-foot Hinckley. With this boat we’ve had work done to the jet drives, built a stow-able teak cockpit table, stripped and revarnished all of the britework, and done the bottom work (sandblasting, BarrierCote and antifouling paint). We’ve also installed a back up Garmin GPS and thru-hull transducer, as well as a new power inverter/charger.
Harrison Boatworks projects -Hinckley refurbish
40″ Hinckley inside the Harrison Boatworks shop, ready for rubbin’.
Harrison Boatworks Hinckley refurbish
Moving the Hinckley from Harrison Boatworks to Wanchese Dock & Haul.
Harrison Boatworks -Hinckley refurbish
The Hinckley sits besides Winkie’s version of the Hinckley Picnic Boat.
Harrison Boatworks 39′
New BarrierCote and antifouling bottom paint on the Carolina Magic/Patrice Marie.
Harrison Boatworks 39′
Unmistakable Carolina shape on the Harrison Boatworks 39′.
Harrison Boatworks 39′
Gonna miss seeing this boat around here on Roanoke Island.
Meanwhile, the Harrison Boatworks 39-foot Carolina Magic has sold and will be going to Port Aransas, TX. For the new owner, we’ve been re-doing the britework, refinishing the covering boards and bridge deck, adding spreader lights and under-gunnel LED lights, and redid the bottom. The new is Patrice Marie — keep an eye for her. She’ll be traveling TX in a couple of weeks.
These are just a few of the projects we’ve worked on since the Jan. 1 move to the new location. I look forward to starting the next 22-footer upstairs on the mezzanine this summer.
Feel free to stop by and check out what we’ve got going on.