How many of you have bought into an older fishing boat? Thirty-foot lobster boat or a big, old offshore trawler, you figured you knew what work needed to be done. But once the ripping and tearing out started, you were surprised at how much rebuilding was required to get the boat back fishing. And throw in a very limited time — say ten-and-a-half weeks — to complete the work before the boat has to be back fishing.
The Cornelia Marie arrives at Seattle's Northlake Shipyard ready for 10 1/2 weeks of intensive work. Jeff Pond photo.That’s the situation described in the story “Not Your Dad’s Crab Boat” in National Fisherman’s February issue, when Roger Thomas and Kari Toivola bought into the 126-foot crabber the Cornelia Marie. Yup, the same boat that’s been featured on the Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch.”
Despite the work required — replacing the main engines, generators and rebuilding part of the main deck — and what Thomas referred to as “a big obstacle,” which meant rebuilding the accommodation’s area and galley, the Cornelia Marie made in out of Seattle’s Northlake Shipyard in time to start its tendering contract in Bristol Bay.
And the work seems to have been worth it. Now the Cornelia Marie burns 900 to 1,000 gallons a day instead of the previous 1,400. And the noise levels in the accommodations area have been significantly reduced, to the point it’s possible to carry on a normal conversation. But check it out for yourself, starting on page 24 in the February issue.
