The Initial Restoration

In 1981, Fred Crowell of Harwich moved his large crane to the site where the boat was stored in Wellfleet and lifted the craft onto the large boat trailer of the Nauset Marine Corporation of Orleans. The boat was moved to a warehouse in Orleans where the restoration was completed in six months by a crew of volunteers.

Harvey Murphy of Orleans, a retired professional mechanic, donated his time to rebuild the GM 4-71 diesel engine. There were some replacement parts needed and many of these were donated in order to get the engine running again. Many lower Cape citizens volunteered time and tools to restore the hull by scraping paint and cleaning the interior and exterior. The basic hull was sound but some woodwork was needed to restore it completely. Don Horne of Chatham donated his time to this task. All of the hardware was removed and cleaned. Some had to be replaced but most of the original parts were usable. Late model safety equipment has been installed to enable her to cruise southern New England waters. Summer cruises are carried out each year to various ports along the coast.

After countless hours of labor, a sparkling, fully-restored boat appeared through the doors of the warehouse on its way for a ceremonious launching. Since that day, CG36500 has been fully maintained and is removed from the water each spring for general maintenance and upkeep. A small group of volunteers continues to maintain the boat each year when the craft is hauled out for her bi-annual maintenance. Everyone is welcome to participate in the support of the CG36500. Money is needed for fuel, crew expenses and an endowment fund.