Gloucester Fishing Schooner - American Eagle

American Eagle has a rich history. Today she looks and feels like a new boat. Her fair lines, solid timber and tarred rigging are as they were three generations ago when she first went to work in the waters off New England. She was recently designated a National Historic Landmark, and is one of very few sailing vessels licensed for international voyages.

American Eagle is:

• National Historic Landmark
• Rebuilt, maintained and operated by the owner
• Ten times winner of the Gloucester Schooner Race
• Certificated for 56 day, 28 overnight, operator and two deckhands
• Tall Ship event participant
• Last fishing schooner built in Gloucester, with historic connections to the Gertrude L. Thebaud and Capt. Ben Pine
• Currently carries a passenger safety certificate and SOLAS exemptions/certification for voyages to Canada
• Good reputation and loyal following since 1986
• New sails and awning 2013

 PHOTO CREDITS: Greg Gettens, Dick Loehr, Fred LeBlanc, Noah Barnes, Peter Owens, Eric Klem, Anthony Marks, Kathy Foss, Michael Carstanjen

HULL

• Planking: Carvel planked, 2” thick oak
• Frames: Double sawn oak & black locust frames
• Fastenings: Ferrous square cut spikes, galvanized
• Bolting: Ferrous
• Shelf & Clamp: Oak
• Ceiling: Estimated thickness 1.75 inches
• Stem: Oak
• Stern post: Oak
• Transom: Short counter stern, Oak planked
• Structural keel: Oak
• Ballast: Internal ballast, all lead or lead encased in concrete.

Bulkheads

        Five compartments: Forepeak, forecastle & galley, midships,

main+engine,

• Structural: All watertight bulkheads
• Construction: Planked on stanchions
• Watertight doors: There is a single steel watertight door with dogs in the bulkhead between galley and midships compartments. All other bulkheads are solid

Deck

• Decking: laid White pine, caulked and paid seams.
• Fastenings: Ferrous
• Bulwarks Oak planking over black locust
• Lifelines: single rope lifeline set up on short stanchions bolted to stanchion cap rail.
• Pulpits: Bowsprit is fitted with a pulpit rail with lifelines.
• Hatches: Various, all with approved hatches.

Cabin Trunk

• Carlin: Oak
• Sides: White pine
• Ends: White pine
• Hatches: Various
• Companionway: 
• Windows: Various
• Cabin truncks have drop boards.

STEERING:

• Rudder Blade: Wooden blade, logged up construction
• Rudder Shaft: oak,solid shaft
• Steering: Lunenberg worm-gear steering
• Rudder stops: Integral to steerer. Rudder is not fitted with check chains
• Autopilot: None

Main Engine:

• Description: Single diesel engine, driving a feathering propeller through a hydraulic
• reverse gear
• Make & Model: Detroit Diesel V6-71, natural aspirated
• Year 1985
• Serial Number: 6VAL 136541
• Horsepower:  193 HP & shaft is fitted with a hobco shaft brake
• Indicated Hours: 7,000
• Fuel: Diesel
• Cooling system: Freshwater cooled by heat exchanger
• Controls: Kobelt control head, Morse cable linkage
• Reverse Gear: Twin Disc
• Engine exhaust renewed in 2012, now made of type 316 L stainless steel

Stern Gear:

• Shaft: 2” stainless
• Stuffing box: Internal, fixed
• Propeller: 32 X 20 Luke feathering

Fuel System:

• Tank: Single 210 gallon tank
• Location: Engine compartment
• Construction: Welded aluminum
• Feed lines: Approved neoprene
• Fuel filters: Engine mount
• Water separator: Racor

Exhaust:

• Type: Wet exhaust
• Material: Engine exhaust renewed in 2012, now made of type 316 L stainless steel. Iron water cooled manifold, water-jacketed steel dry riser with water injection at steel waterlift muffler. Exhaust port is on starboard side of hull, above waterline.

Ventilation:

• Type: Forced draft. DC axial vane blower, draws from battery banks.
• Type: Natural draft to engine compartment

Through Hulls & Seacocks:

• Type & Number: Bronze marine Tapered Plug, and ball valves.
• Location: Various: Engine compartment, galley, head.
• Operable As required and inspected by USCG

Piping:

• Type: Neoprene, PVC,
• Double clamped

Bilge Pumping:

• Type: DC electric centrifugal submersible in each compartment
• Type: Centrifugal pump, hydraulic powered off main engine pto pump.
• Operates through bilge suction manifold
• Type: Gasoline-powered portable pump, can be connected to bilge manifold.
• Auto switch: "Rule"
• Discharge: direct
• Manual pump: Edson diaphragm type
• Engine driven pump: As required and inspected by USCG
• Bilge lines are 1 ½” copper with unions

Head:

• Type: (2) heads discharging directly into 2 holding tanks.
• 2 holding tanks. Manual discharge pump
• Siphon break
• USCG approved

Domestic Water System:

• Tank size and type: Stainless steel tanks, reported capacity 1,100 gallons
• Pressure pump: 12 V electric
• Waste discharge: Direct
• Uses a stainless steel tank for gray water and pump it out when in open water.
• Piping: PVC

Cookstove:

• Type: Wood-fired range

Heating stove:

• Type: Oil fired parlor stove with heat exchanger to a water jacket. Hot water is circulated to radiators in each compartment.
• Fuel: #2 oil

DC ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:

Generator:

• Dual belt-driven generators on main engine. One charges house batteries, the other charges engine start battery.
• Voltage: 12V DC

Batteries:

• General: “House” battery banks power lights and service pumps. 8, 6v deep cycle batteries each.
• Engine start battery is a single size 8d gelcell type, isolated from house system, and charged by a separate alternator.

AC Circuit Battery Charger:

• Type: 1) Marine Xantrex Truecharge 20 amp (engine start)
• Marine Xantrex Truecharge 40 amp (House Batteries)

Circuit Protection:

• Main disconnect: Explosion proof selector type
• Branch circuits: Circuit breaker

Wiring:

• Stranded wire with approved insulation, crimped butt connectors.

AC ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:

System Description:

• Voltage: 110v AC
• Configuration: Single phase
• Generators: Gasoline fueled 2.2 kw portable, stowed in deck locker
• Inverter: Less than 1 kw

Shore Power:

• Entry Type: NEMA plugs.
• Switching: DPST
• Ampacity: 30
• Cable: OK size.
• Grounded: Through Guest model 2433 galvanic isolator

Circuit Protection:

• Main disconnect: DPST with reverse polarity warning light
• Branch circuits: SPST

Wiring:

• Wire type: PVC coated multi strand copper
• Mount adequate: 
• Adequate gauge
• Splices: Crimped

Terminals: Crimped

ELECTRONICS INVENTORY:

• VHF Radio Radio with loud hailer PA system, as required by USCG
• Fathometer 
• G.P.S. Two units, with chart plotter
• Radar Sitex-Koden

LIGHTNING GROUND SYSTEM:

• Type: Upper rigging goes to ground through the headrig and bobstay, where

there’s a one square foot grounding plate.

RI G G I NG AN D DE C K GE A R

Mast:

• Type: (2) solid Douglas Fir spars, oiled finish

Boom:

• Type: Main boom is laminated solid Douglas Fir. Fore is solid
• Finish: Varnish

Other spars:

• Type: Bowsprit
• Construction: Solid spar, spike bowsprit with simple headrig
• Finish: Varnish

Standing Rigging:

• Shroud construction: 7X7 galvanized wire rope, looped around mast at mast tops
• Turnbuckles: Vessel is rigged with deadeyes and lanyards, except for the bowsprit
• whisker shrouds
• Chain Plates: Steel bar stock, bolted to planking
• Head rig: Staysail is tacked at a gammon iron that attaches to the stem. Jib is tacked at a cranse iron at the end of the bowsprit.

Running rigging and deck hardware

• Sheets: Three-strand construction
• Sheet winches: None. Vessel is rigged with sheet purchases
• Halyards: Three strand construction, conventional schooner rig
• Halyard winch: None
• Blocks: Wood shell

Sails:

• Main, fore, staysail, and jib, all sails synthetic “Oceanus” cloth,  new in 2013.
• Made by Nat Wilson
• New awning 2013

GROUND TACKLE

Anchors:

• #1 Size and Type: #1 is now 500#, new in 2013
• #1 Rode: 3/4" X 300' chain rode, reported new in spring 2010
• #2 Size and Type: 600+ Lbs Fisherman
• #2 Rode: 5/8" X 35' chain leader + 2” dacron anchor rode

Deck Gear:

• Winch: Schooner style “teeter-totter” winch with operating levers. Winch is also operated by a hydraulic motor that runs off the main engine. Winch is mounted on two frame timbers, with the pawls and actuator mounted ona center pawl post.

• Chocks: Steel hawse pipes fitted into the bow noble timbers
• Cleats & Bitts: Bitt posts
• Rode storage: Chain rode is flaked down in a deck box.
• Anchor stowage: Anchors are stowed on the bulwark cap, with a manual anchor burton to hang the anchor.

Small boats: Vessel is equipped with three boats that are carried in davits along the rail, as follows:

• 17’ rowing “seine skiff” equipped for 11 persons
• 14’ “North Haven” sailboat
• 12’ rowing boat

FIRE EQUIPMENT:

Portable Fire Extinguishers

• As required in USCG certificate. All extinguishers are tagged annually.

Fixed System:

• Type: Fireboy FE 241 fixed system in engine compartment with current inspection, remote actuator

Firepump:

• Pump type: Centrifugal, operated off hydraulic motor
• Pump type: Gasoline power portable
• Hoses: Service hoses

SAFETY EQUIPMENT:

Emergency Flotation devices

Type Number Stowage Condition

• ADULT 1 52 Deck boxes OK
• CHILD'S 1 6 Deck boxes OK
• Life Raft: 50 person IBA new in 2012
• Survival Suits: None seen
• Overboard Gear: As required by USCG, throwable ring with approved line. Vessel is able to maneuver under power, and carries small boats that can be launched while underway, and crew qualified to man a small boat.

Broker's comment:

           Remarkably well kept vessel by her very knowledgeable owner/captain.

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