THE SAIL SCALLOPER PROJECT

For those of you who are unaware ...the story thus far ...Well here's the video if you don't want to read ...

Capt. Ed and I have been scalloping — along with a few of our buds popping in off and on — for 14 years. The last half dozen years-or-so we actually got it figured out and started making money — more or less — off scalloping.

The season in New York is the first Monday of November to March 31. We're out whenever we can get our boat out; i.e., ice-up thick enough for us not to break keeps us in port.

Anyway ... during one of our down days, Capt. Ed. brought up something we'd played with ruminated on while we were building Old School and re-decking Outlaw, our scallop/clam/party/work boats.

"We should build a sail scalloper like the old timers."

Never were 10 words uttered so off hand that would have such major repercussions.

So: the object is to build a fully-found, non-power-aboard, sail scalloper and dredge scallops the way they did before the invention of the outboard.

Journey forward to 2014, and Ed gets us a 27-foot sailboat. It was an American 27, circa late 60s early 70s. The hull was gorgeous for our intended purpose, it had a shallow draft keel — perfect for Peconic Bay — and ...

So, we gutted her to the hull and moved her to Capt. Ed's parents place, where the long-suffering Mr. and Mrs. D. have allowed us to use their garage/workshop to do both Old School and Outlaw, and started working on she-of-no-name yet.

HERE'S a video of where we are to date (February 7, 2015).

For those of you interested in the finer points of what we've done and what has worked (and what hasn't), you'll have to wait as we figure it out and I write it here or in my "Ask Capt. Gary" column in Long Island Boating World.