Small Revival looms large

It's not the most impressive vessel this river has seen. But it is the first boat to be built at the Landing in 60 years.

"The Jones River boatyards were the first in the country," said Pine duBois, executive director of the Jones River Landing Environmental Heritage Center, a nonprofit organization promoting the area's environmental and maritime heritage. "If you go to Holland or England, they know Kingston because of the boats that came out of here."

Until around World War II, the Landing was the oldest continuously operating boat-building site in the country, with its network of shoreline shops that produced vessels of all sizes, from 20-ton boats to 600-ton ships. From the early 1700s through the 1940s, those vessels helped win wars, deliver fishermen safely home with their catch, and defeat challengers as they raced over the Atlantic surf.

In fact, one of the earliest warships in the country was built more than two centuries ago at the Landing by Kingston boat builders. The brig Independence was commissioned by the fledgling Continental Navy for the American Revolution in 1776.

Peter Arenstam, who captains the Mayflower II each summer and works for Plimoth Plantation year-round, taught the boat-building class at the Landing, constructing the Tommy Cod in sessions that met twice each week for 10 weeks.

"One reason we chose this boat was the simplicity of its construction," using principles that can be applied to other boats, Arenstam said. Its design was drawn by local marine architect Tony Dias, and is a smaller version of a Grand Banks dory, often used to catch codfish. "Since the boat was a scaled-down dory, Tony named the design after a scaled-down cod," Arenstam said - the tomcod, or tommycod, being a type of small codfish.

Both Dias and Arenstam are members of the Mass. Bay Maritime Artisans, the boat-building wing of the Jones River Landing Environmental Heritage Center. The boat was designed to be fast and light enough for two people to pick up, said Arenstam.

The sides and bottom are made of marine-grade plywood, the frame and transom of white oak.

Because the boat had to be ready to launch at the end of the 10-week session, the class had to resort to using some modern equipment. The tools ranged from simple hand planes, similar to those used in centuries past, to power drills and an electric table saw.

"This class was to demonstrate the fundamentals of boat building, not to build a boat historically," Arenstam said.

The ceremonial launch is scheduled for 4 p.m. tomorrow, at high tide. "It will include a red carpet presentation of the boat into the water, and maybe a drum roll," duBois said. "We're expecting a crowd."

Last week, the boat builders chose a name for their craft, from a pool of suggestions submitted by members of the Heritage Center. Revival seemed to fit.

The boat will be so named during a ceremony, and a bottle of champagne will most likely be on hand for the christening. "People can then go out in the boat or in their kayaks," said duBois. "Then we'll have the grill out for a potluck supper at 6 p.m."

Revival's builders will celebrate like proud parents. They have varied backgrounds and professions and range in age from 16 to 77, but all have an interest in boating. Pembroke plumber Mark Empoliti came from a family that owned a cottage on the beach and enjoyed boating.

"I grew up in Norwell," said Empoliti, 51. "They used to build clipper ships there, on the North River." Empoliti said he's always had an interest in woodworking. "Now I feel I could tackle a small project like this."

Plymouth resident Doris Johnson, the only woman in the class, belongs to the Plymouth Yacht Club and owns an 85-year-old catboat built by George Shiverick, an early-20th-century Jones River Landing boat builder, who is said to have constructed the fastest racing yachts in the area.

According to local histories, at one time the entire racing fleet at the Duxbury Yacht Club - three classes of more than 20 boats each - was designed and built by Shiverick.

Construction of the Tommy Cod began with a process called "lofting," which is drawing out the design full-scale on plywood sheets. Molds were then constructed, to help shape the planks. Patterns were made for the stern and transom.

"Then you start planking it," Arenstam said. "We had 12 people divided into small groups which made different things. There's a long time and a lot of activity before you see a boat. Then it all comes together."

Early records show that Major John Bradford owned the property now called Jones River Landing in the early 1700s, giving it to his son in 1713.

By 1745, there is a record of Samuel Foster building wharves along the river's edge. He then sold the property to shipwright Benjamin Walker.

For the next two centuries, Kingston's ship building was a flourishing industry.

In 1926, Henry Jones, in his book "The Ships of Kingston," provided a list of 276 vessels - with a total weight of 34,000 tons - that were built and launched from the Jones River Landing, from the late 18th century to the early 20th century.

Christine Legere can be reached at christinelegere@yahoo.com.