Dark Harbor Boat Yard
April 15-30, 2003
700 HUNDRED ACRE ISLAND - There are numerous 'Jewels' along the coast of Maine that we all hope will stay just as they are. For those that have sailed out to Islesboro you know one of these is Dark Harbor Boat Yard over on 700 Hundred Acre Island. This yard has a long and incredible history and today it continues to operate as one of the finest storage and repair facilities, under the guidance of John Gorham.

This yard has been there since the turn of the century and possibly before that. Not much of the history has been written down, but we do know that the yard built the Dark Harbor 20 sailboats and some powerboats. The also built a very fine 14 and 16 foot skiff, known as the Rossiter skiff. The man behind the construction of the Dark Harbor 20s was Willis Rossiter, who died in the mid1980s. Gorham was not sure what the yard did during World War 1, but did know they built for the war effort in World War 11. The yard was purchased by J. J. Emory and a partner in the 1970s to make sure it stayed operating as a boat yard. The partner sold his portion to Emory later and now following the death of Emory the yard is run by a board of directors.

There are a total of 16 employees, with three of them working in the office. They work four days a week in the off-season and the yard is operated seven days a week through the summer months. The crew is taken back and fourth from LincoInville in a boat owned by the yard. This year the crew had an extra week off in February when the yard was iced in. During the summer the crew works on keeping everyone, including transients, going with all sorts of wood, fiberglass and engine repairs. They also do mooring repairs, floats, basically anything that needs to be done.

A view from the water of Dark Harbor Boat Yard on 700 Acre Island.

This yard's main operation is storing and repairing boats. They store approximately 250 boats ranging from small dinghies up to 50-foot power and sailboats, in both fiberglass or wood. They store a number of classics such as the Herreshoff 12 1/2s and the Dark Harbor 20s and 17s, which race throughout the summer at the island. They also have rack storage in one shed that goes up five levels. All these storage boats require some degree of work to get them ready for the coming season. During the offseason boats are moved in and out of the work bays preparing them for the summer. Customers that store at the yard are not just from the island, but from all over the coast of Maine and beyond.

They launch boats with a Brownell hydraulic trailer using a cradle and winch. They also have a Brownell Dock Lift, which is thought to be the only one ever made. Gorham said that they can use this lift even at low tide to launch the smaller runabouts up to 20 feet.

The yard has a fuel dock with gasoline and diesel and delivers heating oil to the island's summer cottages. They also store the island's fire department vehicles.

If you are interested in a new Dark Harbor 20 they have the original strongback, the mould for the keel, the jigs and the bronze casting moulds for building them. Gorham said, "If we were asked to build one and had the right customer we would. I would like to get into building, you know I come from a strong building heritage. I think this yard has a great opportunity with the room and personnel to build boats in the 30-foot range, either pleasure or commercial."

Gorham learned about the position at the yard from Frank Kibbe, who had worked together at Able Marine in Trenton. Kibbe thought that the job was perfect for Gorham. He met with a representative of the yard and fell in love with the place. His boys loved the idea and they have moved over and bought a place on Islesboro. Gorham started building boats with Hank Hinckley at Ocean Cruising Yachts in the 1980s. He started as a varnisher and worked his way into joinery. Hinckley headed for the Chesapeake and Gorham went to work for Ellis Yachts in Manset in 1986. Here he learned a lot from Ralph Ellis, who was a very fine woodworker, as they finished off Ellis 28s. Three years later he headed over to Able Custom Yachts in Trenton and was there until 2000.

This winter they have gotten most of their storage customers ready to launch with the usual annual maintenance work. They have also done some major repair work, including their own work boat. They also built a couple of floats. Now they are ready for the spring and summer, which will keep them busy until they start hauling next fall.
"This content originally appeared as a copyrighted article in the April 15-30, 2003 edition of the MAINE COASTAL NEWS and is used here with permission."