National Fisherman

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Boats & Gear

David Peterson installed ribs and five new planks on the Elin Laine at Zerlang & Zerlang.

Michael_Crowley

David Peterson’s craft preserves West Coast fishing

Michael Crowley

Ivan Basargin Sr.s Top Notch is one of the early aluminum boats built by Basargin Boats. It reflects the Basargin family’s original designs adapted from fiberglass to aluminum and is one of the company’s first jet boats. Credit: Max Basargin

Forged in fire: Basargin Boats reinvents itself

Paul Molyneaux

Devyn Campbell’s crew gets ready to sort a tow of grey sole, monk fish, dab, haddock, and other flats and groundfish. Using knowledge and charts passed on to him by old timers, Campbell makes a living fishing the waters off the coast of Maine. Photo by De

Dragging tradition in a wooden hull

Paul Molyneaux

The Port of Toledo Shipyard’s 650-ton Ascom travel lift had no trouble bringing the 500-ton Alaska king crabber Kiska Sea ashore. The yard also has an 85-ton Acme lift for smaller vessels. Photo by Toledo Shipyard

Port of Toledo Shipyard in the flow

Paul Molyneaux

Nicole Baker, founder of Net Your Problem, on Egg Island in Alaska's Prince William Sound, with Nelly Hand of Drifters Fish, a Cordova, Alaska, seafood harvester and processor. The two-day plastics cleanup effort collected 5,500 pounds of debris for recycling. Photo courtesy of Drifters Fish.

Washed ashore and reborn: Fishing gear and plastics get new life

Margaret Bauman

The wooden deadrise Rainbow Chaser, owned by Shannon Gay of Rescue, Va., can be seen here edging out the fiberglass Thomas Jaiden, owned by Captain Kenny Heath of Cape Charles, Va. at the Yorktown Battle of the Boats on Sunday, June 1. At the event, the Governor of Virginia named the month of June 2025 as Chesapeake Bay Deadrise Month. Photo by Larry Chowning.

Larry_Chowning

Virginia governor honors the Chesapeake Bay deadrise

Larry Chowning

Built in 1998 at Hutt Brothers in Alberton, Prince Edward Island, the Just Splashy exhibits the typical Island design—a flared bow and sheer that rolls down from the bow and sweeps up again slightly towards the stern. Photo by Molyneaux

Boat of the month: F/V Just Splashy just can’t stop fishing

Paul Molyneaux

Portland Shipyard’s 330-ton travellift launching a passenger vessel, and the stern of a schooner in the foreground, offer a glimpse of the many types of vessels in the yard, including a wide array of commercial fishing boats. Photo by Paul Molyneaux

Portland shipyard: Preserving a working waterfront

Paul Molyneaux

Sponsoned and lengthened from a 1973 Nichols Brothers boat, the Ingot, the Channa Sea has a number of interesting design features including a high wave wall, a tunnel under the pilothouse for setting longline pots, and the hydraulics and RSW located in the bow. Yale Fogarty photo.

Boat of the month: Channa Sea

Paul Molyneaux

This 42' tuna boat at Samoset Boatworks has tuna storage with a below-deck 3'-square live well that will come up to the underside of the cockpit sole. Next to it will be be an insulated tuna coffin next to that another live well. Samoset Boatworks photo.

Michael_Crowley

A pair of New England tuna boats

Michael Crowley

This 32' x 10.5' commercial oyster boat is being completely rebuilt at Jenning's Marine in Reedville, Va. Larry Chowning photo.

Larry_Chowning

Virginia oysters drive boatbuilding

Larry Chowning