From collection Everett "Red" Boutilier Collection
Paul Luke Yard
At Paul Luke Yard, East Boothbay. An aluminum hull under construction. PAQUET "Building down" Luke realized that it was easier for his workers to build aluminum boats when the boats were upside down. One of his early contracts was Frederic Schaefer's PAQUET ketch, designed by Philip Rhodes Jr. and James McCurdy. Here, in February, 1975, the hull has been plated, the keel is on, and workers are grinding the fair spots, getting down to the good part of the aluminum. The next step would be to rig ropes and pulleys and turn the boat over. At this stage the boat is relatively light, at 3000 pounds or a couple tons. After it was flipped the crew could work on both the inside and outside.
