These are some photos after the restoration of my great grandfathers New Jersey cricket sailboat. It took me about two years to complete this project only being able to work on it during the summer. The boat is 18' long and is a type of cat boat that first originated in the 1890s around Atlantic City, NJ. She hails from Lakes Bay, NJ and the exact year she was built is unknown however we do know it was sometime during the late 1920s. The restoration required partial replacing of the hull, an entirely new deck, and fresh paint/varnish all around. The rigging was not touched since it was in good shape and the rudder was fitted with a new tiller I carved from a spare that is about 50 years old. Using my graphics skills I planned out the redesign in Adobe Illustrator either going with a varnished wood deck or a painted one with an aqua colored hull. Two years of work definitely paid off as it was just finished in the summer of 2018. There were a couple design changes along the way but overall it turned out great and I look forward to sailing her in the spring.
Mockup of the Jem in Illustrator before restoration.
She was fitted with military grade hemp rope all around for the gunnel guard.
Jersey Jem is the original name of this boat. It refers to clams which some call Jems and is a popular seafood up in NJ.
I decided to hand paint the name on the port and starboard sides to give it an authentic look.
A view of the cockpit.
The white interior gives it a classic look.
I had fun carving this duck head on the tiller it gives it a unique look. It also relates to NJ since decoy carving is still found there.
All rigged up and ready to go.
She was re-rigged using old photos as the only reference since this might be one of the last boats left.
The mast is extremely difficult to step and has already been repaired once before from snapping during high winds. The aqua green color is a much better look than before when it used to be blue and red.
