Category: Inboard

POSTHASTE IV is a 34′ lobsterboat-inspired day cruiser.

Her owner, an experienced Maine yachtsman, came to us with the basic concept, which we then took from drawing board through construction to final launching and shakedown.

The cockpit provides a beautiful environment to explore the coast or simply enjoy an evening at anchor. A bronze wheel and custom helmsman’s seat provide a traditional look, and full electronics were included: radar, GPS, depth sounder, and VHF. Varnished mahogany and oak complement the teak sole.

Satin varnish and a custom soft off-white are used extensively below decks. Large beveled glass windows – they’re too large to really be called “ports” – add to the light and airy interior.

The curved cabin sides were laminated from mahogany with inner laminations of Meranti plywood for stiffness and stability. They were then varnished inside and out. Curved windows were custom made for POSTHASTE with cut bevelled edges.

POSTHASTE IV was built in traditional lobster-boat fashion, with steam-bent white oak frames bent inside ribbands. The planking and backbone were both made from sustainably-harvested Central American hardwoods: the planking is Wana and the backbone is Angelique. As planking proceeds, the ribbands are removed. Planking started at the sheer and moved down the hull. Shortly after this photo was taken, we began planking from the keel up, leaving a “shutter plank” as the final plank to put on.

BRENDA KAY is a cold-molded reproduction of a 1950’s Beals Island lobster boat. The original boat, re-named DIANA after a 2001 restoration here at Hylan & Brown, was designed and built by Alvin Beal in 1952. She plied the waters of Downeast Maine for nearly a half a century until she came to us for a complete restoration and conversion to yacht standards. Lines were taken and plans worked up in the hope that someone might be drawn to the classic lines and much-proven seaworthiness of the type.

In 2009 a customer from Virginia, having admired DIANA, commissioned a reproduction. To the eye, BRENDA KAY is a perfectly accurate copy of the original, belying the modernization of her construction and equipment. Her hull – with 8” of additional beam for space and stability – is cold molded, and she is powered by a 110hp Yanmar diesel engine turning an Evolution Marine Shaft System.

BRENDA KAY won First Place for Professionally Built Powerboat at the 2010 WoodenBoat Show in Mystic, CT.

BRENDA KAY is perfectly suited to short cruises with her simple yet comfortable accommodations, and her cockpit provides ample room for guests on day trips. At speeds up to 16 knts she cruises with comfort, safety and traditional style.

DELIVERANCE’s story began when a long time customer saw the design for MANATEE, a tiny coastal cargo vessel, originally published in The Rudder magazine in 1921. We extensively reworked her lines – beam and length were increased, draft and displacement reduced, her forward deck raised for better accommodations, and her forefoot cut away for better handling is a seaway. But her handsome workboat origins and classic detailing remain dominant.

DELIVERANCE is a good example of what Hylan & Brown Boatbuilders has become known for: re-interpreting classic designs, and building them using the best combination of traditional and modern construction methods.