Long after the Industrial Revolution was supposed to have made wooden boats extinct, Ralph W. Stanley, Inc. is producing some of the most respected wooden boats in America.

 

"When I was young," says Ralph Stanley, "I used to go around to the boatyards and stand there and watch. I didn't say anything or ask anything. I just took it all in. That's how I learned to build wooden boats. As a boy, I was fascinated by boats, how they ride on the water, sit on the water, the motion and everything. I read all the boating magazines and books, and I made models in the winter and sailed them on the puddles in the spring."

 

Ralph built the first boat in his father's barn in 1952. It was a 28-foot lobster boat with many more to follow. The first Friendship Sloop was built in 1962. A Rozinante sailboat, a schooner, an English Cutter and a gaff-topsail schooner were some others constructed over the years.

 

Ralph W. Stanley, Inc. was founded in 1973. Ralph's son Richard was out in the boatyard at an early age, helping with everything from washing boat bottoms to greasing the ways for his father. Richard graduated from the boat school in Eastport in 1982 and returned to his father's yard, becoming a quarter owner in 1986. Richard's wife Lorraine began working for the company in 2000 painting and varnishing. Richard and Lorraine and are currently in the process of taking ownership of the business.

 

Our most recent project involves totally rebuilding a 1902 Charles Morse Friendship Sloop. We also store, maintain and repair boats. Our commitment to remaining a family-run, values-driven shop limits the number of new customers we can welcome, but it provides us with the opportunity to give each and every boat and owner the outstanding service they deserve.