If you’ve read my story describing how Sally Hass and Dan Walsh built a 52-foot steel trawler – with their own hands – I have an interesting postscript for you. If you haven’t had the opportunity to read the December issue of PassageMaker, maybe this will get you turning the pages.
The couple had been dreaming about and planning the construction of a boat for some time, but it was their discovery years ago of a propeller in an out-of-the-way corner of a Seattle garden store/espresso stand that really got them going.
I used the finding of the propeller to open my narrative about their experiences over more than five years of construction, from first welding to a dramatic launching party to the finishing touches, some of which still lie ahead.
Although the propeller inspired them, cruising soon revealed that it was all wrong. Performance suffered and the Caterpillar diesel engine labored.
Sally and Dan turned to professionals for advice and soon a new propeller was installed and performance matched expectations.
My story was written before the poor performance of the espresso shop prop had been identified. By the time we had learned that a new propeller was to be installed, the December issue of the magazine was about ready to go to the printers. Working with Natalie Friton, PMM managing editor, I quickly wrote a short PS for the end of the story. Unfortunately, it didn’t get published.
So, I decided to use this blog to tell the rest of the story.
I’m writing this after returning from four days at the U.S. Powerboat Show in Annapolis (which also is home base for PassageMaker Magazine). There were hundreds of exceptionally nice power boats on show, including a generous number of cruising yachts displayed under PMM’s Trawler Port banners.
Had Balto been there, she would have drawn crowds and applause for the quality of her construction and exceptional interior design. Sally and Dan brought skill and determination to the construction of Balto, as do many builders of production yachts. But this couple had some inspirational advantages – they were using their hands to build a boat they love. And it shows.