SOLD – 33′ Maine Lobster Boat (1963)Email This Listing to a Friend

“The rare classic 1963 Maine Lobster Boat FLYING EAGLE is a time capsule,
an extraordinary snapshot in time of workboat history & Yankee Americana”

If not stopped in your tracks by her rarity & stunning beauty, heads will turn at the throaty rumble emitted by FLYING EAGLE’s 350hp V8 via her dual overhead dry-stack hi-performance exhausts. Authentic & period correct restoration in the most traditional form, conceals modern tech, safety, comfort & dependability.

DESIGNED / BUILT BY: Vinal Beal, Beals Island, Maine.
LAUNCHED: 1963
TYPE/DESIGN: Down-East Maine lobster boat / Skeg Design.
LENGTH: 33’
BEAM: 9.5’
DRAFT: 3’
ENGINE: MERCURY PLUS SERIES, 383 Mag. Bravo (6.3 L) Mercruiser w/ 350 HP.
LOCATION: Seattle, Washington
PRICE: $49,500.
CALL Alec Brainerd: 1-207-542-0372
eM: alec@artisanboatworks.com
ONLINE LINK: https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1963-classic-beals-island-lobster-boat-7927066/
FLYING EAGLE, a Maine Lobster Boat, was designed & built by Vinal Beal. Launched from Beals Island in 1963, where she earned her keep hunting lobster until the mid-1990s. This stunning watercraft, with its low freeboard & graceful sheer is often referred to by historians as a “Beals Islander” or a “Jonesporter.” FLYING EAGLE is a classic workboat, built with distinct beauty of purpose. Adapted to its local down-east Maine fishing conditions, these beauties are world renowned for their efficient, seaworthy hull form, good turn of speed, rich history & of course, their great looks!
After many years of service, several owners & various name changes, the FLYING EAGLE as initially named, was purchased by the current owner in 2014. Appreciating the rarity of finding an originally configured working wooden lobster boat & one in a condition not too late to save, the aim was to restore & preserve her as authentically as possible, while incorporating hidden modern updates to enhance reliability & safety.
Recap of works after 2014 purchase:

1. 2014: At Artisan Boatworks, Rockport, ME
• Forefoot replaced & the interior cabin fitted out with a double bunk, marine head & partially open engine enclosure, all with tasteful tongue-in-groove Douglass Fir bead board in keeping with the look & feel of a classic down-east work boat.
• Returned to her fishing setup with custom fabricated bronze prop guard, hauling davit, new electrical & plumbing systems, an electric pot hauler. She’s even been equipped with a set of rare period-correct wooden round-top traps & hand-carved wooden buoys, a mate of which is permanently displayed atop her standing shelter. As a requirement of her era, all lobster hunters proudly displayed their personally colored buoy as a simplistic tell-tail means of protecting their livelihood (if the buoy of the pot hauled failed to match it.., you were poaching).
2. 2015:
• Trucked cross country 3,500 miles from Maine to Washington State. Then completed her Westward journey on her own bottom to Orcas Island within the San Juan Island archipelago.
• She underwent multiple restoration projects over several off seasons, while proving herself worthy during the following years. Her speed & grace enabled long range exploration passages from her Deer Harbor hailing port, in all directions & on a multitude of crossings.., Straits of Juan de Fuca, as well as enjoying runs across the Haro Strait into Canadian waters.
3. 2017, 2019, 2021: Extensive structural work & restorations by Emerald Marine, Anacortes, WA.

• Refastening, reframing & new floors between the main bulkhead & transom.
• New garboard planks.
• New planks at the turn of the bilge & replacement of her trunk cabin sides.
• New sophisticated Garmin electronics, ICOM communications & safety enhancements.
• New running gear; prop, shaft, bearing & coupler.
Today FLYING EAGLE resides in a covered fresh water slip in the shadow of Seattle’s Space Needle, a convenient location to journey any direction of the Salish Sea or catch the eyes of onlookers while cruising within Lake Union or Lake Washington’s inland waters. She is part classic picnic yacht, part authentic lobster boat, & part hot rod depending on your mood, perfect for day trips & the occasional overnight.
LAST SURVEYS:
• 2021 completed follow-up Survey Addendum on 03.25.21
during forth phase, 3-month structural restorations / haul out period inclusive trunk cabin & upper stem restorations & satisfying all prior survey recommendations.
• 2019 completed mandatory 5-year survey for Hagerty Classic Boat Insurance (valued $75k) during third phase structural restorations / haul out period inclusive of drive train replacement.

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