Maddy Sue was built in 1932 by Chester Clement of South West Harbor Maine. Although originally built as an open fishing boat, she was eventually fitted with a deck and cabin house, and used to take summer residents out for excursions. It is believed that she is the original “Picnic Boat” which to this day is a popular term associated with the “Down East” style used primarily for day trips.
Maddy Sues current owner, Jan Rozendall, found her tucked away in a shed at Cranberry Island Boatyard. In 2011 George accompanied Mr. Rozendall to view and assess the boat. She was obviously in need of major repairs and refinishing but deemed a suitable candidate for restoration. She was purchased and transported, first by barge, and then by truck to our shop.
Although her hull planking was mostly sound, many of her frames needed to be repaired or replaced. Her original iron nails were still holding in a lot of areas but needed help, by way of additional screws, to firm up her structure. A new curved plywood transom sheathed in mahogany was installed.
The cabin and wheelhouse were generally in good condition. The decks were planked with wood and only painted which allowed water ingress the open seams. To make the decks water tight we added a layer of 6mm plywood followed by two layers of Dynel set in epoxy and then painted with AwlGrip.
The cockpit structure was completely removed, and new framing was installed. The cockpit sole is also plywood, sheathed in fiberglass, and painted with AwlGrip.
The engine found in Maddy Sue was a Chrysler Crown, we are unsure of what she was originally powered by. Mr. Rozendall chose to repower using a rebuilt Chris Craft flat head six, Model ML, along with new fuel tanks. The boats electrical system was completely redone, all of the navigation lights are believed to be original, but now have LED bulbs.
All exterior and interior surfaces were refinished. Her topsides and cockpit are painted with single part enamel and all brightwork was stripped and finished with ten coats of varnish.
Although now used on Lake Champlain, following her restoration she was trucked to Maine for a season where she drew a crowd of admirers wherever she went. You can read more about her in an article written by Douglas Brooks in the May/June 2014 issue of Wooden Boat Magazine where Maddy Sue is shown on the cover, with George and Pam onboard, motoring off Brooklin Maine.
