NEW CONSTRUCTION

Samoset Boatworks builds 20’ to 60’ sail and power, racing and cruising boats from the blueprint stage through sea trials. We are thoroughly experienced in all aspects of custom boatbuilding – mold making through finished painting – as well as the installation of electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems. Our modern, immaculate shop is located in Boothbay, in the heart of the Maine boat building industry. We are professionally schooled in the trade and have built and collaborated on over 50 seaworthy boats, using the most up-to-the-minute techniques.

Construction methods

• Traditional (plank on frame)
• Cold-molded – Using this method, we build the hull one layer at a time, gluing each with epoxy and then vacuum bagging. This method involves clamping the entire area with even pressure, covering the surface with plastic and removing all of the air with a vacuum pump. This conforms exactly to the surface of the area, exerting 14.7 PSI – equivalent to covering the entire surface with three feet of lead.

To some, cold molded construction is the heart and soul of a boat, promoting a certain seaworthiness derived from a stiffer hull. Utilizing the cold molded method is the equivalent of building a one-off custom boat each time, a process very different from that of fiberglass production boats.

•  Pre-preg – cutting edge construction available soon. Pre-pregs are composite materials: FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastic) that can be fiberglass, carbon fiber, and/or Kevlar. The material is shipped frozen with the epoxy resin impregnated into the fibers. The material is warmed to room temperature, positioned on the mold, vacuum bagged and cooked to cure the resin at 190o-210o F for eight hours.

The Custom process

With purpose and specifications in mind, an owner will commission a designer who will draw up plans and put the boat out to bid with several trusted boatbuilding shops. The designer and client confer on bids and make a choice based on price and delivery. Alternatively, the owner may approach a boat builder directly, who will commission a designer.

Custom construction = Value

• Value outweighs cost, promoting prestige, status and pride.
• The owner specifies exactly what he/she wants and has oversight into the building process.
• Quality at a custom shop is consistently higher than that at production shops.
• Custom shops rarely have a dealer network. Buying directly from the builder means no middleman and no mark-up.
• Maintenance is lower than fiberglass and the value of a custom wooden boat is maintained throughout its lifetime.