Pendleton Yacht Yard on Islesboro has evolved into a first class, full service boatyard specializing in high-end classic yacht restorations. Once an automotive garage, the yard is now the island’s largest employer and handles over 300 boats annually. The last decade has brought a period of rapid growth and expansion.
Current projects range from the final fitting of interior pieces in a newly restored 56-foot 1914 Herreshoff sailboat to the total rebuild of the 1954 lobster yacht GROWLER. In addition to classic yacht restorations PYY is also working on projects such as the final fitting out of a 43-foot Donnelle yacht and the construction of new docks, piers and floats.
Owner Stanley Pendleton admits that over the years a little guesswork was involved in predicting the best areas for development, but the risks seem to have paid off – most notably in 1999, when the yard rebuilt BELLATRIX, a 1956 Bunker and Ellis picnic boat that successfully launched the firm’s career in classic yacht restorations. “The BELLATRIX project was a real turning point, it raised the bar for us all,” said Pendleton.
Since BELLATRIX, Pendleton Yacht Yard has been involved with six of the original Bunker and Ellis picnic boats. It recently acquired the original 42′ WINDFALL, which is seeking an owner ready for a restoration project.
All of the original employees are still working at the boatyard. “One hundred percent employee retention is something unusual,” remarked Pendleton. The sense of community within the boatyard can be seen on a summer’s evening when employees and their families gather at the yard for a shrimp boil or in the winter as spring deadlines loom.
Beyond the polished chrome and brilliant varnish that creates a dominating presence lie the decks of nearly a dozen lobster and workboats, all brightly painted and seeming just at home as their yacht cousins. In fact many of their owners work winters at the yard. Conveniently, the off-season of the boatyard is the lobster season. Thus, many island fishermen are able to fish during the summer and fall and work at the yard during the winter. There are few places where two 1950s Jonesporters can be seen sitting next to each other, one with a pot hauler and the other with steamboat chairs, both looking as though they belong.
At the heart of Islesboro’s Dark Harbor summer community is the beloved 30-foot class of one-design race boats from the early drawing boards of Sparkman and Stephens. Twenty-one were originally built over a two-decade period beginning around 1920. Of those original 21 boats 19 are still racing in Dark Harbor and Pendleton Yacht Yard maintains 15 of them. Operations manager Bill Boardman feels a “great deal of pride and tradition in keeping them sailing.” Over the years they have needed much work, some even being totally rebuilt, but all look as though they just sailed off their launching ramps.
Pendleton Yacht Yard is diversifying. This winter its 56-foot landing craft was updated with the addition of a 5-ton knuckle boom crane and a stern mounted A-frame with a 5-ton winch. The new lifting capabilities of the landing craft will increase the yard’s ability to tend large moorings as well as increase their ability to build and maintain docks and piers.
The yard is also moving to develop brokerage and charter services, as well as new yacht construction. Leading the construction efforts is a design based on the timeless elegance of the Bunker and Ellis boats, the Pendleton 43; above the waterline it is very characteristic of a classic 1950s picnic boat, but below the waterline the design is completely updated. The modifications improve speed, handling, and efficiency. The boat is offered as a custom build project.
Another notable restoration now underway at is that of GROWLER, a classic Rockland-built lobster yacht. After many years, GROWLER recently changed ownership and is receiving a frame-for-frame rebuild including new forward deck beams, new floor timbers and frames aft, some replanking and a complete refastening as well as a new cabin trunk and house, all true to her original lines. GROWLER will be on show at this summer’s Maine Boats and Harbors boat show in Rockland.
The yard maintains a ship chandlery and hardware store, stocked with everything from outboard engines to circuit breakers with paint brushes in the middle.
Looking to the future, Stanley Pendleton hopes to see the yard continue to grow and specialize in wooden boat restoration. His affection towards classic watercraft is clear and his passion for the water allows him to realize the goals of the yard. An island success story; the yard is part of the fabric that allows small and remote communities to prosper. To learn more, visit their web page,