Features

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SW Boatworks: A full stable of Beals Island designs
(02-27-2018)
By Brian Robbins LAMOINE, ME – The year was 2008. The economy was soft. Lobster prices were down. It seemed that the last thing anybody was thinking about was having a new boat built. So what did Stewart Workman, owner of SW Boat...


A visit with Osmond Beal: Corned Hake & ginger cake
(01-30-2018)
by Brian Robbins  BEALS ISLAND, ME – The thermometer was struggling to get above zero – and who knew what it was with the wind chill. It was a Saturday, the end of a week that reminded you of what winters in Maine used to be: cold with...


Truly one of a kind
(12-27-2017)
Whether you’re talking about multi-talented NJ fisherman Bruce Klawunn or his 50’ C Rae, the term applies By Brian Robbins KEYPORT, NJ – I’m not a betting man, but if I was, I’d wager that you’d be stumped trying to guess the pedigre...


New scalloper Kodiak joins Vinjerud’s New Bedford fleet
(12-27-2017)
NEW B...


Wayne Hamilton: “Believe in what you’re doing”
(11-21-2017)
by Brian Robbins SEARSPORT, ME – There are two really good reasons to include a feature on Wayne Hamilton in this issue of Commercial Fisheries News. First, his Searsport, Maine-based Hamilton Marine is celebrating its 40th birthday. And s...


Heather Thompson: “I love what I do”
(09-26-2017)
By Brian Robbins HARRINGTON, ME – It was something to watch: a living, breathing version of a well-oiled machine. I was doing my best to stay out of the way with my camera as the 36’ Gold Digger made its way through a string of lobster ...


Tom Peacock: wrenches, engines, and many miles
(08-04-2017)
by Brian Robbins FREEPORT, ME – For someone who spent the biggest part of his working career on the roads of Maine, Tom Peacock is looking pretty comfy at home these days. Oh, don’t worry: he’ll jump behind the wheel in a heartbeat if the...


There & Back III: Benny, Tommy & the Donna Marie
(05-03-2017)
by Brian Robbins  JONESPORT, ME – We’ve written about a lot of boats in Commercial Fisheries News over the years: small boats; big boats; real big boats. Wooden boats; fiberglass boats; steel boats. New boats hitting the water and ready...


New scalloper Orion joins New Bedford fleet
(01-30-2017)
NEW BEDFORD, MA – The 101’ big steel scalloper Orion is the latest newbuild to join the fleet at the Eastern/Nordic Fisheries/O’Hara docks here. Like her sister ship Monomoy, (see CFN May, 2016) Orion was built on a standardized John W. ...


A Wednesday with Rusty Wallis
(12-27-2016)
BARRINGTON, RI – It all began with piss oak, actually. Back in February of 2013 I received an e-mail out of the blue from a fellow named Russ Wallis, writing in response to a Bearin’s column I’d written about long-ago smells of winter.  It ...


Sharing stories with Paul McFarland
(10-25-2016)
by Brian Robbins ROCKLAND, ME – I’d heard Paul McFarland’s voice nearly 40 years before I met him face-to-face.  I can’t tell you that I recognized the voice when the tall, smiling man met me in the main office of the O’Hara Corporati...


NEW BOATS 2016 - Insert
(02-02-2016)
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Wesmac’s Steve Wessel: In for the long haul
(11-24-2015)
by Brian Robbins   SURRY, ME – Mention Steve Wessel’s name to anyone familiar with Maine boat building and their reply is likely to be: “You mean the Wesmac guy? Man – they’ve built some boats over the years.” Which is tr...


CFN Shakedown Cruise: FV-Tuna.com
(07-01-2015)
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 hop...


40th Annual Maine Fishermen's Forum: One for the books
(03-31-2015)
It had all the makings of a great movie: you had the glory of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum celebrating its 40th anniversary mixed with the drama of worrying about what the weather might be.  The Samoset Resort crew sent out an e-mail on Monday mo...


A February to remember
(03-26-2015)
Jimmy Wotton aboard his lobster boat Overkill out in a snowstorm breaking ice. Friendship fishermen tried in vain to keep the harbor and surrounding bay open. I took this shot through ...


Andrew Gove: 85 and counting; 78 of ‘em lobstering
(03-10-2015)
STONINGTON, ME – The crew in the machine shop at Billings Diesel & Marine is doing its thing, prepping the 36' Northern Bay that sits on the floor to receive her new engine.  Surprisingly, the 36-footer’s new D13 Volvo – a 13-liter inline ...