I guess Sea Tow wouldn't drag them out on the way to a recovery...

Dan


wrote:

I was doing a story on a local boatyard today when I came across a boat
of a type that was new, to me, and had an interesting history.

In a corner of the yard there was a "by owner" project underway.
A vessel that looked something lke a cross between a tug and a fishboat
was undergoing a near total rebuild. New frames had been sistered in
almost her entire length, new planks were still a few rows from deck
level on the port side, and it was rather obvious that a major portion
of the structure would ulitmately be replaced before the old girl was
ready for sea again.

I chatted with the owner, and learned that the boat was originally
built as a "monkey boat". My vacant stare probably inspired him to
add a few interesting details.

Back in the 1950's, a regulation was passed that restricted fishing in
Bristol Bay to sailing vessels only. No engine of any kind was allowed.
Some enterprising cannery owners studied the regulation very carefully,
and while the regulation effectively restricted fishing to sailing
vessels only- there was nothing in the regulation that demanded the
fishboats actually sail to and from the fishing grounds. A specialized
utility workboat/tug was designed. The "monkey boat" would tow a string
of several sailing vessels onto or off of the grounds each trip.

The monkey boats were hauled out by the cannery each fall, and
relaunched in the spring. One winter the river changed course and moved
the shoreline about 50 yards away from the old cannery buidling and
wharf. The operators simply abandoned the old cannery and three monkey
boats that were sitting alongside. The monkey boats must have outlived
their usefulness, (maybe the regulations changed?) because they were
allowed to sit as well. The vessel I saw being rebuilt was eventually
dragged across the ground, refloated, and sold to somebody from
Seattle. The other two were finally burned at the cannery site.

The current owner's ambitious plans are to bring the monkey boat up to
CG standards and get her certified for charter service.