Preview: Wooden Boats of the Bahamas – Abaco Dinghies of Winer Malone

40 Responses So Far to “Wooden Boats of the Bahamas – Abaco Dinghies of Winer Malone”

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  Kent and Skipper says:

  Wonderful video. We’ve been officially bitten by the Bahamas dinghy bug, having been gifted a 10 foot dinghy early this month. She was acquired second hand in the Bahamas secondhand, some time during the 1937-1941 time frame by Hampton native and consummate mariner Henning Rountree, and brought to his home in Virginia. She was used for many years around the lower Chesapeake, and was put into thoughtful storage about 40 years ago and cared for by Henning’s daughter Helen.
  Helen gave us the boat, now named HENNING, after learning of our passion for small boats, and we have begun the fun journey of bringing HENNING back to the shoal water. We’ll get to learn about the unique shoulder of mutton rig along the way, and will post updates as scraping, caulking, painting and sailmaking progress.
  Thank you OCH crew for documenting and sharing all things nautical.
  Cheers,
  “Clark” Kent and “Skipper” Audrey
  Log of HENNING: http://smallboatrestoration.blogspot.com/p/bahamas-dinghy-henning.html

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  Mark Kendall says:

  What an amazing story (ies) about this little boat and the interest in it that it has generated ! The fact that he built it by hand and with few hand tools … amazing !

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  John "Jack" Detweiler says:

  I enjoyed this video very much. We were in Hope Town in 2018 before the Hurricane and were supposed to go back in April 2019, but my wife was ill. Of course, the hurricane hit that fall and I just wonder how Hope Town and Elbow Cay are doing and if any of these Abaco Dinghies survived? We didn’t get to sail one while we were there, but a woman that I met at the museum told me that they were not very comfortable to sail. I hope we can go back sometime. It is a lovely spot.

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  Jonathan Margolis says:

  Preserving a real part of history, and of course Winer Malone is a legend still. Don’t I wish I had got one of those dinghies when I was a bit less long in the tooth.

  Great work!

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  Kaci Cronkhite says:

  If you see the clicks and time on-line stats jump up today, it’s because you SO nailed it with these stunning tropical blues and greens and the layers and layers of beauty you stir in this video. Thanks, Steve, Eric, Maynard, Ben, Bill, and rest of the crew for bringing sunshine to our gray winter days. Love this!

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  David Tew says:

  Winer Malone has passed away, January 22, 2018. RIP. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Winer_Malone

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    Ahoi Mench says:

    I am so very sorry to hear that. Most of the last of the old time boatbuilders in my area have passed. My own boss and mentor Howard Gertulla died in the seventies. These were people born into the trades, spending most of their young days sweeping and fetching tools for the older gentlemen. This is different than someone learning boat building in a boat building school. I am very glad to have lived in these times, to have grown up the son of a boat builder, and very sad to see them pass.

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    Ben Mendlowitz says:

    Sad news indeed Dave. Winer was a gentleman, skilled boatbuilder and a much respected senior member of the Hope Town community. The Island will be changed without his quiet presence.

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    Allen Sawyer says:

    This is sad news.

    I will relay this to family and friends. He will be missed.

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    Christopher Wick says:

    Glad he missed Dorian!

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  Charlie Nichols says:

  Before the holidays I bought (another) old wooden boat. The beautiful lines “spoke to me” and I could not leave it setting out in the weather – so I brought it home. After a lot of web searching a very nice person in the Bahamas helped positively ID the boat as a Winer Malone boat. I have many photos that I can post (tell me how/where) and would really like to talk to anyone who owns one (or restored on) for some friendly advice. The boat is solid (save for some worm damage near the stem on the garboard and fist plank). The boat is fairly weather and pretty dry, but the planking is solid and fastening is very solid. This is a fantastic restoration candidate. It is complete with mast, boom, rudder and a brand new sail – so is well worth the work and time. Anybody that wants to “talk” about the boat, restoration, or would like to see photos is encouraged to get in touch with me at CPNichols@Charter.net.

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    Charlie Nichols says:

    After many emails around the country, we have determined that the boat I have IS indeed a Winer Malone boat. Probably built in the late 70s or early 80s and used in Southern California since new. The restoration will start soon (when the rainy season here ends in April). Thanks to the many folks that helped me so far!

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  Dana Leonard says:

  Visiting in Hope Town several years ago and always being interested in wooden boats, I looked in on Winer while he was building one of his last full size dinghies. Recognizing that he used just hand tools, I was curious how he sawed out the rather hard curves of the sawn natural-crook frames. He told me: “just a regular hand saw.” I commented that it must have quite a set to the teeth. He answered: “exactly, I sharpen my own saws.” Then we had a brief conversation on sharpening before I went on my way. Afterwards someone local asked if I’d seen Winer and the boat he was building. They seemed surprised that he had talked to me. Apparently he is quite shy and doesn’t care for interruptions. At the time, I hadn’t realized his notoriety…probably a good thing.

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  Arthur Winer says:

  In addition to the wonderful story of these boats and the usual high quality of the video, I was surprised and fascinated seeing my last name as someone’s first name, the first and only time in my seven decades of life I’ve ever seen that. I too wish we could learn more about Winer Malone, despite his no longer being active. Pretty amazing he built 200 of these dinghies without any modern tools.

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    Will Heyer says:

    His full name is Thomas Winer Malone ….no one calls him by Thomas. A good man.

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  Charles Thompson says:

  Steve, We greatly appreciate you enduring the hardships and risks of travel to these remote and dangerous corners of the earth to bring us these reports.

  Kidding aside, much enjoyed. Beautiful dinghies.

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    Rick Pratt says:

    We are currently restoring a 90 year old Abaco dinghy built by the Albury family. it was bought by Albert Fay on his honeymoon trip to the Bahamas and towed back to Houston.

    the fays used it to teach all their kids to sail, then everyone lost interest in it and it finally sank at the dock.. i raised it and asked to own it. the answer was no.

    It sank again and was sold this time to a local boat slave who wanted to use it as a plug for producing fiberglass boats. She was unable to keep the effort going and i ended up with the boat finally. it was leaking badly and i refastened it replacing the original galvanized nails with bronze ring shanks and repaired it adequately to take it sailing for the next 15 years or so while I served as light house keeper in port Aransas Texas.

    The boat then was put in storage and finally loaned to a friend who wanted to tow it behind his sail boat on an around the Caribbean cruise.

    he lost his way and left the boat to soak in the bright hot central Texas sun for three years, shrinking the planking beyond recovery.

    i retrieved the boat and when we opened the Farley Boat Works here in port A, we started a long term restoration effort led by shopwright Bruce lehman, who spends hald his year in Michigan. it now has a new Honduras Mahogany keel, long Leaf Pine transom and several mahogany half frames scarfed in. We soon will finish the framing and start re planking below the waterline with Long leaf pine, about as close to the island pine as can be found these days. All the framing and planking above the waterline is still sound after all these years.

    After acquiring the boat, we went to Abaco to visit the Alburys and were told the boat was built by Richie’s grand father. We were presented with a handful of the original galvanized flat nails they once commonly used on these boats.

    The little 14′ boat was built with island pine over island mahogany, then called “Horse Flesh” according to the Alburys. all frames and stem and quarter knees were grown Maogany crooks. The breast hook was of Mangrove!

    The boat has been with us 38 years and counting and will soon be back on the water in fresh shape.

    thanks for a great video. I am happy to know these great little boats still have a following.

    Regards
    Adios

    Rick Pratt
    Farley Boat Works
    Port Aransas, Texas

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      Maynard Bray says:

      Hi Rick,
      Wonderful story. Thanks for sharing it.
      Maynard

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      Ben Mendlowitz says:

      Hi Rick, wow, quite the saga. It would be great to see what your dinghy looks like. If you have some photos to share please email them to support@offcenterharbor.com

      Thanks for telling this story.

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        Rick Pratt says:

        I;ll do that Ben. Don’t expect the same quality you produce.

        RP

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    Steve Stone says:

    We reluctantly trudge to these gawdawful spots only out of a deep sense of obligation and responsibility, Charles. Pure drudgery.

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      Kaci Cronkhite says:

      You mask it well, Steve. Thanks for not rubbing it in. ;) Onward, bro!

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  John Palenchar says:

  Here at The Barnacle State Park in Coconut Grove, Miami, home of Ralph Middleton Munroe, we are privileged and proud to own one of Winer’s beautiful boats, the “Wyannie Malone” (named for Winer’s great Grandmother, I believe). We have just completed some refastening and replacement of gudgeons and pintles (fashioned from bronze rod in the traditional manner). Thanks for a great video and tribute to the master boat builders of the Abacos.

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  Allen Sawyer says:

  Having grown up in Key West, the wooden work dinghies were frequent and commonplace. They, too, were built out of local woods with natural knees and long planks. As the years have gone by, very few remain. What remain are found mostly in museums.

  As for Winer Malone, he builds partial size frame models and half hulls, now.

  A interesting blog chronicling Winer Malone and the blogger’s personal interest in Abaco dinghies is located at this web address:

  https://abacodinghybuilding.wordpress.com/2014/02/

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    Allen Sawyer says:

    There is also one other site which chronicles the Abaco dinghy that I’ve located. Here is the website:

    http://apprenticinglandandsea.com/?p=250

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      David Tew says:

      The Morris Albury Abaco dinghy shown in the first two photographs was owned by Lance Lee for many years, and he kept it in Maine (as shown) before passing it on to his son. When I was in my twenties he would lend it to me so I could sail it from home to work across the Kennebec River. That was pretty much the highlight of each day, sailing home to wife and baby, waving to them as they stood waiting for me to land.

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        Allen Sawyer says:

        It’s the little things that matter most. Boats seem to be a means to many a memory! For you, David, “the highlight of each day, sailing home to wife and baby . . . .” A truly wonderful and joyful image! For me, when I was a young boy, ~ 4 or 5 y.o., asking and getting permission to climb down into my father’s Key West dinghy to bail out the rain water that accumulated in the bilge with a sheepswool sponge.

        It’s the simple things that make us smile . . . . : )

        • 

          Kaci Cronkhite says:

          You mask it well, Steve. Thanks for not rubbing it in. ;) Onward, bro!

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  Ellen Massey Leonard says:

  Wonderful video and beautiful boats! I loved seeing traditional boats throughout the Bahamas – the A and C classes racing in the Exumas and also quite a few graceful Haitian trading boats.

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    Kaci Cronkhite says:

    Thanks for painting all those beautiful scenes in my mind, Ellen! On another gray overcast day in Port Townsend, I was in desperate need of some island beauty!!

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  George Weinbrenner says:

  Nice to see the heritage of these beautiful craft kept alive.

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  John Silverio says:

  Nice coverage of the Abaco dinghy Winer Malone etc. but no mention of Boot and Kent over in Tomato Paste near Hopetown. They too restore and rent out Abaco dinghies.

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    Steve Stone says:

    Good point, John. Great work has been done there as well. We stopped by there a couple times, but nobody was around when we stopped. A mention would have been good, albeit I think the restorations have stopped, or are at least in a holding pattern over there.

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  Paige McIntire says:

  Real nice boats, but will you do a video on the old time boat builder?

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    Steve Stone says:

    Hi Paige. Winer is not building much these days, so unfortunately we may have missed this opportunity. We’ll certainly look him up next year… thus our focus on his work in this way.

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      Charlie Nichols says:

      Steve – I have a Winer Malone boat and would really like to get a half hull to go with it – do you know if there’s any way to buy one? THANKS!

      • 

        Ben Mendlowitz says:

        Hi Charlie, Winer makes some small half models and occasionally larger half hull models with open frames. They may be available through one of the gift shops on the island or the coffee shop in Hope Town. If you are not planning a trip there I would recommend trying to contact Dave Pahl who is in our video, he is very knowledgeable about the dinghies and might be able to answer questions about your boat and how to get a half model. His wife is listed in contacts as webmaster on the Hope Town Sailing Club’s web site which has a link below this video. Good luck, Ben

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          Charlie Nichols says:

          Thanks very much. Do you know if I can post photos in a “reply”?

          • 

            Ben Mendlowitz says:

            I don’t believe you can. If you email them to support@offcenterharbor.com they can be forwarded to me.

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              Charlie Nichols says:

              I sent a hand full of photos for you to check out on that email address this morning. Thanks