The smell of sawdust, paint, and epoxy is in the air. We’re in the midst of fleet maintenance season here at the Northwest Maritime Center and that means a busy, bustling Boatshop. This maintenance season, which spans from October to April, 42 of our fleet boats will be rotating through the shop for upkeep and repairs. They range widely in size and style—from 8′ prams to a Cal 25 sailboat. Some boats only need a little touch-up paint, while others have over 500 estimated hours of work.

Sam Trocano, Northwest Maritime Center’s Fleet Maintenance Coordinator

Sam Trocano, our Fleet Maintenance Coordinator, leads these maintenance efforts. A graduate of the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding, Sam has been working with wood for almost his whole life. Growing up he managed his family’s tree and timber farm. As an adult, he worked in construction and fine homebuilding, even pursuing a BFA in Woodworking and Furniture Design, before changing course to boatbuilding and becoming a shipwright. His focus, currently, is on three very different vessels—Townshend, one of our two longboats; a Cal 20 keelboat; and Martha J, our motor launch.

“Townshend got a lot of love last year, so this season is fairly straightforward,” says Trocano. An integral part of our school programs, Townshend is a 26’ open rowing vessel used to teach team building and leadership skills. This year’s to-do list consists of oiling the hull, oars, and spars; fresh paint on the sole boards and thwarts; and another coat of bottom paint. Students from Bravo Team—a youth program run in partnership with Port Townsend School District’s OCEAN program—assisted with Townshend’s haul out in early January. Since then, they have been hands-on in the Boatshop learning basic maintenance skills as they help check items off her to-do list.

Also receiving maintenance currently is our Cal 20, which is used to teach US Sailing basic keelboat classes for adults. The vessel is enjoying some standard yearly TLC—including a rig inspection and sail repairs—in addition to a custom paint job featuring the Northwest Maritime Center colors and logo. Sam also plans to re-fair the keel while she’s elevated on the hard to enhance her performance this summer.

While those are both sizable projects, the biggest maintenance undertaking this year is Martha J. A 24’ motor launch, Martha J is our MVP when it comes to needing a mark boat for races or a safety boat for capsize drills. “She had extensive rot in the transom, frames, deck beams, and planking. The engine and all systems were removed. I cleaned and surveyed the boat before coming up with this year’s work plan,” Trocano explains. That plan includes replacing the transom, aft deck, and sole boards, in addition to stripping, inspecting, and resealing the hull. Fresh bilge paint has already been applied and new seating will go in soon. The systems maintenance is ongoing and reinstallation will begin shortly. Gabriel Hefley and Drew Morris, two of our interns through the Harbor Freight Fellows Initiative, have been a tremendous help, putting in many hours of hard work to bring Martha J back to her former glory!

Maintaining a fleet of boats is no small feat, but here at the Northwest Maritime Center, it’s a labor of love. These boats are essential to our educational classes and youth programs, and our team of Boatshop staff, volunteers, students, and interns work tirelessly to ensure that every vessel is ready to set sail. With a team as dedicated as ours, our fleet will be set to weather any storm this upcoming season. If you’re interested in gaining experience in wooden boat maintenance and restoration while helping to maintain our fleet, consider becoming a Boatshop volunteer. Our volunteers are invaluable, and we’re looking for help with everything from painting boats to tool maintenance and shop cleanup. Learn more about volunteering by visiting the volunteer page on our website or emailing volunteer@nwmaritime.org. For those feeling inspired to do their own boatbuilding, we also offer Boatshop classes year-round! See all our 2023 Boatshop offerings by visiting the Boatshop Workshop page on our website.