by Brian Robbins
Welcome to another CFN Shakedown Cruise.
Periodically, we will focus on a new launch and dig a little deeper into what went into the project – whether it be a new model or a hull well known to the New England commercial market. What we hope to do is provide insight and information our readers can apply to their own setups … and, as always, offer up a little entertainment along the way. — Editor
WESTPORT ISLAND, ME – For the last 20 years or so Dana Faulkingham and his son Jason have divided their years between lobstering and Dana’s Boat Shop.
They’ve rebuilt and repowered boats; they’ve finished off new hulls of various shapes and sizes; they’ve worked for customers from all over.
This past building season it was Jason Faulkingham’s turn for a new boat of his own.
Jason, 39, says he’d never ridden on an Ernest Libby-designed Libby 41 before, but was taken by the looks of one that Ernest’s son Norman and crew finished for Cushing, ME lobsterman Travis Doughty two years ago.
“I really liked the way that hull looked going through the water,” says Jason. “This past winter, we talked with Norman Libby about pricing and availability.
“When Norman told us, ‘I can have one for you by February,’ that was it. We put down a deposit.”
Last and the first
Jason’s 41’x15’6” hull was the last Libby 41 laid up in Norman Libby’s shop in Jonesport, ME before the mold was shipped to East Side Boat Shop in Machiasport.
And, as it turns out, the molded top for Jason’s new No Sympathy was the first one built by Frank Coffin and his crew at East Side. (They are now the source for the complete Libby line, which includes the 34, the 38, the 41, and the brand-new 47. See Nauti Buoy page 36.)
Jason’s hull and top were backed into Dana’s Boat Shop on Westport Island on Mar. 20 – and the next four months were one solid blur of creativity.
Jason and Dana were assisted by longtime shop MVP Paul Swidrak, along with Randy Johnson, who lent his talents to the fairing process. Plus, Boothbay fisherman Shawn Murray – who has had three boats finished by Dana’s Boat Shop – showed up out of the…
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