YNOT Wilbur, the boat that
started it all... The notion of a wooden boat building project
was conceived in August 2001. Following the attacks on
September 11 that notion became a reality.
A gray hull was located in
Northport, Maine in September 2001 and purchased several days later
for $500.00. The hull had no pedigree, no identification
plaque in the boat, no name on the transom and no known history
other than that the boat had been used on Richardson Lake in
western Maine. Shortly after the hull was purchased preparations began to
transport the hull to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The hull arrived in Pittsburgh on October 14, 2001, by the middle of
November line drawings of the hull were complete and the
hull had been rolled over. By April 2002 it had been
decided that a new boat would be built using cold-molded
techniques and based on the lines of the original hull.
The beginnings of a new boat
were starting to take shape by mid May with the keel and frames
complete. In October 2002 the
original planks were temporarily fitted to the new framework.
One year later in October 2003 the engine and sole beams were
installed. On October 31, 2004, YNOT was launched into the
Allegheny River for initial sea trials.
The seating and ceiling
boards were installed in January and February of 2005.
YNOT was transported to Mt. Dora, FL and launched in Lake Dora
for the first time fully complete in late March 2005.
Following the launch of
YNOT the history of the gray hull, which carried the name
Molet-Mac for most of its life, was
learned.
