ELEANOR III

Skip Shumway

At 54′7″ LOA, ELEANOR III has standing headroom under her raised foredeck and still looks sleek. She was built in 1930 in Erie, Pennsylvania

In the antique auto world, this would be known as a “barn find,” and any collector would be overjoyed to make such a discovery. ELEANOR III’s existence wasn’t a surprise to Skip Shumway, however, because he’d been storing her in one of his own sheds for 38 years. But last spring, when the owners decided to abandon the boat and turn her over to the boatyard with disposal in mind, Skip couldn’t bring himself to start the chainsaw. He’s agreed to hang onto her a bit longer, hoping a savior will appear. I surely share that hope, and like Skip and the broker John Maxwell, who alerted me to this boat, I’d term this an unusually fine discovery.

Inside the shed in the early days, work began on many fronts. The work that was done was well-executed but not completed. She has new frames, a new transom, and some new planks aft; canvas sheathing has been removed from the foredeck; and a pair of Crusader V-8s have been installed in place of the original Sterling six-cylinder gas engines. Also, repairs were started on the starboard sides of the cabins as well as the front of the wheelhouse in a project I believe was to repair the effects of a propane explosion.

Skip Shumway

Much work has been done, and done well, but more remains. For example, the damaged aft cabin and wheelhouse starboard sides have yet to be rebuilt.

Although I haven’t seen ELEANOR III in the flesh, photos indicate she’s still quite pure and was very well built to begin with. She was launched in Erie, Pennsylvania, where she spent the first 50 years of her life, most of them in the hands of Laurence M. Nagle. She was built for him, and he always berthed her at the Erie Yacht Club, where he served as commodore. The Nagle family grew up with the boat, according to the owner’s son, Laurence M. Nagle Jr., whom I contacted to learn the boat’s history. For summer vacations, he said, they’d move to the Canadian side of Lake Erie and spend much of the time fishing. He’s as concerned about the boat’s future as the rest of us and offered to help piece together more of her history for anyone interested in restoring ELEANOR III.

Skip Shumway

The boat’s unfinished restoration involved replacing her original Sterling six-cylinder gas engines with twin Crusader V-8 engines, also gas-powered.

Herman Lund, the Danish immigrant boatbuilder who built ELEANOR III, had constructed several similar boats, so he was well acquainted with the type and able to create a real beauty with this one. And it’s a type that has a lot going for it. At 54′7″, she’s long enough to carry a raised foredeck for full headroom, with berths and an enclosed head, and still look sleek. Having the wheelhouse amidships over the engine space works well: for complete power plant and systems access, just open the flush hatches. With the hatches closed, you have a great sheltered lounging area with big opening windows giving all-round visibility and plenty of fresh air when you need it. Stepping down toward the stern, you enter the aft cabin, where cooking, eating, socializing, and sleeping take place.

ELEANOR III, with fully sheathed foredeck and housetops and only enough brightwork for a taste of elegance, would be a relative snap to maintain. To get her to that point might be less work than most barn finds require. 

Maynard Bray is WoodenBoat’s technical editor.

For more information, contact Skip at Shumway Marine, 40 Marina Dr., Rochester, NY 14617; skip@shumwaymarine.com; 585–342–3030. Laurence M. Nagle Jr. can be contacted at 814–835–7236.