LAST WEEK, I spent time with Capt. Charlie Crane, who works in the sales and marketing department at Armstrong Marine, the aluminum-boat manufacturer on U.S. Highway 101 midway between Port Angeles and Sequim.
Together, we walked around the company’s large complex and he pointed out a number of projects.
One of the boats is a 32-foot catamaran that is equipped with a pair of 250-horsepower Yamaha outboard motors with which the owner will use to fish recreationally for tuna from Westport.
Another big cat the company is building is a 36-footer built in the style of a landing craft for an Alaskan owner who performs services for oil companies in the land of the midnight sun and when not otherwise engaged will use the boat as a charter fishing vessel in Homer, Alaska.
Capt. Charlie pointed out a 21-foot Naiad rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) that Armstrong built for Charlotte County, Fla.
In early 2015 Armstrong formed an alliance with Naiad, a New Zealand boatbuilder.
Naiad has been building high-performance, rigid-hull inflatable boats for patrol, search and rescue, Coast Guard, piloting services and the commercial market for 25 years.
RHIBs are built at the Armstrong facilities in Port Angeles and Swansboro, N.C.
Armstrong is also building a massive catamaran for the Prince of Whales Whale Watching company in Victoria and Vancouver, B.C.
The vessel is 80 feet long with a 40-foot beam and will be powered by four Volvo D-13 diesel engines coupled to a like number of ultra jet drives.
Shave and haircut
Last week, Platypus Marine, the full-service shipyard, yacht-repair facility and steel-boat manufacturer on Marine Drive in Port Angeles, hauled out Mixer, a 106-foot Nordlund yacht.
Once the vessel received a shave and a haircut (industry jargon for cleaning and painting the hull of a boat), personnel pulled the stabilizer fins and performed routine maintenance on the seals, fluids, and filters.
Harbor happenings
On Wednesday, Alaska, a 600-foot Panamanian-flagged cargo ship, moored to the Port of Port Angeles’ Terminal 3 to take on a load of debarked logs for China.
Marine Thrift Swap Meet
On Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend is sponsoring a Marine Thrift Swap Meet, which will take place between the PT Shipwrights’ Co-op and Taku Marine in the Port Townsend Boat Haven, directly across from Marine Thrift.
Each registrant will receive a spot, with the size to vary depending on the number of sellers.
Each registrant is responsible for bringing any setup materials.
Tarps, tents, tables, etc., are not provided.
Setup starts no earlier than 7 a.m. and you must vacated by 3 p.m.
Sellers must provide their own payment systems.
There is no Wi-Fi on-site. Bring change and decide on a credit card or check policy.
Waterfront Days
On Sunday, April 24, from noon to 5 p.m., most of the businesses along the Port Angeles waterfront are participating in the first of what I am sure will be an annual event called Waterfront Days.
The primary sponsor will be the Port of Port Angeles.
Some of the opportunities will include touring a Puget Sound Pilot Boat and an Arrow Launch boat.
Tours of Terminal 1 and 2 will be available, as will a close-up look at the log handling equipment used to load the log ships.
I understand tours of Platypus Marine and Westport Yachts are also on the agenda.
There will also be a kayak festival at Hollywood Beach and a kids’ scavenger hunt with prizes.
The Port Angeles Yacht Club will be having an open house and some of its members will have their boats on the hard and available for touring.
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David G. Sellars is a Port Angeles resident and former Navy boatswain’s mate who enjoys boats and strolling the area’s waterfronts and boat yards.
Items and questions involving boating, marina and industrial activities and the North Olympic Peninsula waterfronts are always welcome. News announcements about boating groups, including yacht clubs and squadrons, are welcome as well.
Email dgsellars@hotmail.com or phone him at 360-808-3202.