Mattapoisett Boatyard Gives Beloved Family Vessel a Stunning Restoration
David Kaiser and his son Ned run Mattapoisett Boatyard. Ned is the third generation for the business.
Roughly 30 years ago, Ned's Uncle John bought a 1969 20-foot Bertram Baron. It has been John's prized possession forever. About 10 years ago, he brought the boat to a restoration yard near his home in Annapolis, Maryland. The work was started but stalled, and the boat hasn't been touched ever since.
John's wife Jackie coordinated with David and Ned to sneak down to Annapolis this past fall, take the boat from Maryland, and bring it back to Mattapoisett to finally be restored, all without John knowing. The plan was to restore the boat in time for a small wedding reception the couple was having this past weekend in Annapolis.
David and Ned recruited the help of Graham Smith and Cameron Markey (who did the lion's share of the work). The four of them spent all winter preparing, sanding, and painting the 50-year-old vessel, restoring it to its glory. A new motor was dropped in, and everything was rewired, all without John knowing any of this was going on.
"He's very much a micromanager," chuckled Ned. "Had he known what we were doing, he would have been up here every day turning it into a two-year process. All we knew was he wanted a red boat with a black stripe, the rest of the decisions we made by ourselves."
To the amazement of John, the four of them showed up to the waterfront wedding reception this past weekend in the boat, docked it up, and unveiled the newly restored boat to his stunned uncle.
"It was definitely the coolest thing we've done," Ned said.
The boat remains unnamed.
Check out these amazing photos of the process.