SPORT FISHING
98
TREASURE COAST BOATING
JEFF FRANK
Crudely patched for the few miles it would be towed, the Sea Lion II is
headed for Stuart on the first leg of its restoration journey.
this. It is a win-win for all of us,” Frank said.
The Honduran mahogany wood in the original hull is no
longer available so the boat builders — supervised daily by
a consultant — are using 1-inch strips to repair the port side.
As the boat is stripped, any wood that appears rotten is being
replaced.
Plans call for restoring the exterior of the boat to look as it
once did. But the interior will be modern 2018. A pump room
is being added to create service space for the twin, six-cylinder,
800-horsepower Man diesel engines.
“For the age of this boat, it is in great shape,” said Frank,
who takes care of Orr’s fleet of boats and will stay in Stuart
until the end of the year when the Sea Lion II will be seaworthy.
“Being built to 2018 standards, this boat should last another
50 years.”
Frank said the original hull was built with the strength
to take the pounding of the sandbars in the St. Lucie Inlet.
Sea Lion II was refitted in 1979 and three state rooms were
converted to two. She was refitted again in 1999 after a plank
popped loose in Mexico. The bottom was remade using the
modern cold molding technique with plywood and epoxy,
which adds strength, Frank said.
“They didn’t have the materials back then that they do
today,” he said.
GUEST LIST A WHO’S WHO
Orr is the fifth owner, but the world prominence of Sea
Lion II came under the ownership of Robert Abplanalp, >>
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