Save a Piece of Northwest History, Argonaut II

Argonaut II is currently hauled out in Port Townsend, WA for a scheduled project that surfaced critical repairs. As the project has grown nearly triple in size, I am asking for help to complete the project and continued restoration of a very special and historic vessel. Many of you know that I have been working hard to put needed repairs into the boat, while simultaneously obtaining my 100-ton Captain's License with a vision to help finance the boat through charter. However, the boat work continues to be more than anticipated. Your contribution will help to make this happen as I work to get the boat to a condition to where it can be come available to the public through charter.

About The Project

UPDATE:

We have completed about 90% of the work, and went back into the water on 6 May with the rest of the work to be completed at the dock in Seattle. All in all, we put 20 oak frames, 35 Alaskan yellow cedar planks, including the sponson and guard. The total project cost was just shy of $70,000, and these donations helped to pay for materials and about 800 hours of labor of three shipwrights (not included the 300 hours I think I put in myself, and about 50 volunteer hours). This was a big push, and the boat is in a good condition until the next haul out (the other side also needs the work). Thank you EVERYONE who has contributed and continues to contribute. I hope to have you all aboard.

The Project…

When Argonaut was purchased in June, 2021, the survey revealed rot in the aft starboard quarter topsides, and I began to plan the repair several months later. One year in advance, I purchased lumber, scheduled the haul out, and coordinated several shipwrights to help with the work. We hauled out on March 3, 2023, and after pulling the ice sheathing from the water line, continued to discover more and more rot--particularly on planks below waterline. It was known that everything below the ice sheathing was recaulked, refastened, and planked as needed in 2009, and were lucky to have the shipwrights who conducted the work recall the repairs performed. What was missed was everything beneath the ice sheathing, which stretches the full 73' length of the boat. As a result, the project has expanded from 12 planks to nearly 30, with the addition of 19 frames and replacement of the starboard guard.

The work is being led by Peter Stein, who is working with Quillan Hunt and Rowan Shwartz, all of whom are young shipwrights working to continue the tradition of wooden shipbuilding. I myself am working on the boat during all daylight hours, and I am grateful to have friends who have come to help participate in this project on the weekends. We have finished the demolation and prep phase of the haul out, drove 19 frames into the starboard side of the hull, and now the plankwork begins.

To follow along on project updates, follow Argonaut II on Instagram (@mv_argonaut).

History of Argonaut II

For more than a century, Argonaut II sailed the waters of the Pacific Northwest and most famously served the remote native tribes and rural communities of British Columbia. Originally built as a corporate yacht for the Powell River Company in Vancouver, BC in 1922, the United Methodist Church purchased the boat in 1934 to serve as a Mission Boat until 1967. Originally named "Greta M," the church rechristened the boat "Thomas Crosby IV" after a NW Missionary, and skippered by the famous Haida Chief Rev. Dr. Peter Kelly who was the first full-blooded Native American ordained in the United Church of Canada. Thomas Crosby IV operated as a fully-equipped hospital, servicing the remote lighthouses, canneries, logging camps, and isolated settlements, and carried more than 1000 patients a year. In 1967, the boat was renamed "Argonaut II" and has been a private yacht ever since, thankfully with many willing hands to continue its maintenance and upkeep.

Argonaut II was originally powered by a 3-cylinder Fairbanks Morse engine, but repowered in 1942 with an air-start 6-cylinder Gardner 6L3. The carvel-planked hull is made of 2 1/2" Port Orford Cedar (and we are currently pulling original wood off the boat still in decent condition for its age). Much of the original bent oak frames are rotted out and will be replaced during this project, but frames below the waterline and in the bilge continue to take fasteners and remain in remarkably good condition. The deck is made of fir, with a teak pilot house and teak railings. Belowdecks, the boat feels like a step back in time, maintained as it was during its times serving as a mission boat, with stained glass cabinets in the main salon, an aft state room with two bunks, and a forward stateroom ahead of the engine room.

As the current caretaker of Argonaut II and her deep history and public service, I promise to continue sharing the boat with those who express interest in the preservation of wooden boats, and look to serve as a charter to provide public access to such a special piece of history.

To follow along on the project and participate in the history of Argonaut II, follow @mv_argonaut on instagram.