Wood Boat Restoration

Prior to founding Shannon in 1975, Walt Schulz worked in several marinas, and ultimately managed a large marina. Besides doing manufacturers warranty, he specialized in wooden boat restoration. Restoring wood boats became Walt’s passion, and there always been one of Walt’s projects under restoration here at Shannon. A lifetime of knowledge about traditional wooden boat building skills is possessed by Walt and some of Shannon’s old timers. Recognizing that it would be a tragedy to see these skills lost, Walt Schulz has made a special effort to transfer this experience to younger Shannon employees. To keep alive the centuries-old traditions of American wood boat building, we have been bringing in classic sail and motor yachts, restoring them to original specifications and like-new condition, plus installing the latest equipment like diesel engines, A/C, radar, bowthrusters, etc. Every “woodie” that goes out the door here at Shannon is as good a refurbished wooden boat as can be found anywhere in the world. Walt personally supervises each project, and makes sure that no additional work will be needed for many years. Two recent restoration projects, the 1937 Elco Angler Franklin and the 1929 Elco flattop Witch, were awarded the prestigious “Best Restoration to Original Design” award at the Classic boat Rendezvous in Mystic, CT. We currently are working on the 1960 Murray Petterson 41’ Schooner Sara Jane, the1930 William Hand/Palmer Johnson 46’ motorsailer Promise, and the 1939 Elco 57’ Encore. The Bristol, RI Phoenix did a feature article on Walt and Shannon’s wooden boat restorations that is available on line at www.eastbayri.com/story/280209662778342.php. If you know anyone looking for a great wooden boat, make sure they call Walt.