Maridel By The Book

I thought readers might appreciate a look at the original documentation that Gary dug up for MARIDEL, his 1959 Stephens Brothers yacht. I scanned these images, Gary framed them, and they appear on the walls of its cabins today.



Here we go ... BTW depending on your device, you can click on any image for an enlarged version.

















This is the end of this short blog.



If you want to see more, you can look at Yacht Hero's photo album of Maridel. CLICK HERE

Making of a New Maridel

This blog has covered my activities on and around an old wooden boat named JASON. Built by Stephens Brothers in Stockton in 1963, JASON was revived several times by its owner Gary Fraser. In the spring of 2014 he sold JASON to his nephew Jim, and we cruised it up to Seattle. That story is told in earlier installments of this blog. (Check the index on the right, or click here to go to the first chapter).

Gary (even before the sale) had his eyes on another Stephens yacht, the Sedan Cruiser known as MARIDEL. At 36 feet it is 11 feet shorter than Jason, and missing one bedroom/bathroom (or in nautical terms, a stateroom and head). It's also missing an inside steering station. But it has lots of nifty features, and we can describe them going forward in this blog.

Gary knew about this boat for more than 30 years, as it sat unloved, but under cover, in an Alameda boatyard. He bought the boat in 2013 "for a song" and shipped it to San Diego. My wife, who loves JASON, cried when she saw it:




Here it is on the boat transport trailer, languishing on Shelter Island until its eventual home was finalized.



The engines weren't running - in fact, most of the mechanical bits were in substandard condition. Along with most of the cosmetics. And the wiring. And a few structural things.



Like the interior, which was mostly pale green Formica and paint. I didn't take too many photos of this stage of its restoration, as Gary was usually upside down with his head in a cabinet or engine hatch.



To illustrate the contrast, here's how the saloon looks today:



The vinyl on the bench is gone, replaced by a tastefully upholstered, comfortable fabric, a new folding-leaf table, softly-polished wood, etc.

Gary did lots of things on the outside too, before booking MARIDEL into Kohler's boatyard for a complete spa treatment.



Here's the outside appearance.

The insides got attention too - new packing and ribs and things on the hull,



plus paint, detailing, wiring, hoses and other improvements on the two Crusader 350 gas engines (which Gary had had rebuilt).



But most of the good things on MARIDEL happen while we are looking outward, not at the boat. Either sitting in La Playa Cove,



or out in the harbor or heading for the ocean.

She'll do a comfortable cruise at 12 knots, with maximum around 20 knots.

That's the new MARIDEL.