Port Madison WA - Billings South Float - pierside
All wrapped up for the night.
RIPTIDE was built in 1927 by the Schertzer Brothers Boat and Machine Company, then located on the north end of Lake Union near the foot of Stone Way in Seattle. She was registered as NOKARE by her first owner, Carl C Marts, 84 Jackson Street, Seattle, WA, and has carried her registration number, 226249, deeply carved into her port and starboard bilge stringers, since new.
She is 47 feet 1-inch long with a beam of 11 feet 1-inch and a draft of five feet 3-inches. She is planked in port orford cedar riveted to white oak frames over an apitong backbone with a new marine plywood pilothouse and an original western red cedar trunk cabin (covered in canvas). Documented as 21 gross tons and 17 net tons (both of which are measures of volume), she actually displaces 12 tons of water (roughly equivalent to her weight), relatively light for a boat her size.
Although there are no records extent confirming her designers, tantalizing hints in her lines suggest she may have come from the boards of the Seattle firm of Lee, Brinton and Wayland.
Sometime between July 1st 1929 and June 30th, 1930, she was sold to G. Donald Bradley of 314 Seneca Street, Seattle, and renamed NERIED. (In Greek mythology, the Nerieds are sea nymphs. They often accompany Poseidon, the god of the sea, and can be friendly and helpful to sailors.)
Russell G. Gibson purchased her from Mr Bradley sometime between July 1st 1931 and June 30th, 1932. At that time, Mr Gibson’s business address was 2003 Fourth Avenue, Seattle. Mr Gibson retained the name NERIED for the boat, and was to own her for at least the next thirty-two years, through mid-1964.
In 1934, Mr Gibson’s business address was 5016 East Forty-Fourth Street, Seattle. She continued to carry the name NERIED.
By 1936, Mr Gibson had changed her name to RIPTIDE, the name she carries today. His business address continued to be listed as 5016 East 44th Street, Seattle. With few exceptions (probably oversights by her owner), she was listed annually in the Merchant Vessels of the United States through 1964 under Gibson’s ownership.
RIPTIDE’s guest book from 1930-1936 survives, and indicates she was used and enjoyed extensively, cruising on Lake Washington, through the Ship Canal, and as far north as Victoria, BC, often carrying quite a number of guests.
RIPTIDE was extensively modernized in 1936, as pictures and a description of the improvements appear in the June, 1936 edition of Pacific Motor Boating.
Russ Gibson appears to have been particularly interested in predicted log racing, a type of cruising race from one port to another where the racers predict their arrival time based on a fixed speed. RIPTIDE carries four plaques from such races. This type of racing was quite popular from the mid-1920’s to the mid-1950’s.
After Russ Gibson sold her, probably sometime in 1964, she was briefly owned by Sue Goodwin, a resident of Vashon Island and an antiques dealer in Seattle. (Richard F Billings remembers his father telling him that RIPTIDE spent the winter of 1964-65 anchored off Vashon Island in the open).
She was purchased in 1965 by Richard F. Billings, who took her north that year, where she was used as a cruiser, U.S Forest Service crew boat, and live-aboard in Alaska. She was listed under her documentation number in the 1968 Merchant Vessel volume as a fishing boat with a homeport of Juneau, Alaska. There are a number of pictures of her from Richard’s ownership of RIPTIDE in Alaskan waters, occasionally under quite severe conditions, and cruising in company with DUNLIN, another vessel owned by the Billings family and with her own long history in Pacific Northwest waters.
Roger Billings, Richard’s brother, purchased RIPTIDE in 1968 upon her return to the Puget Sound. Roger Billings owned her through early 2015, when she was purchased by her current owner.
RIPTIDE is fortunate to have been owned by knowledgeable and caring owners throughout her long life, particularly Russell G. Gibson and, successively, the brothers Richard F. and Roger Billings. She’s hosted at least three marriages, moonlight cruises and dozens of family outings from Olympia WA to Juneau AK over her long and happy life.
As a documented vessel, RIPTIDE carries documentation number 226249 carved into the interior face of both port and starboard bilge stringers. She is documented at 21 gross tons and 17 net tons. While 47 feet 1-inch long overall, her documentation papers indicate she is 44 feet 2-inches long (the length between the forward end of her hull planking and the aft end of her rudder post) and 11 feet 1-inch wide. (The change from her first documented tonnage in 1927 of 18 gross and 14 net tons, and a width of 10 feet 4-inches may just have been due to a change in Federal measurement regulations).
She was originally powered by a 130 hp gas engine. Though the manufacturer is not listed in her registration information. in 1929, she listed as being equipped with a Stearns 6-cylinder 4-cycle 5 1/2-6 1/2 gas engine of 130 hp.
By 1959 she had an eight cylinder Chrysler Crown gas engine of 141 horsepower, a common engine of the time, most likely added in the late 1940's under Russ Gibson’s ownership. That engine was removed in 1967 by Richard Billings when RIPTIDE was re-powered with a new 1967 Volvo MD-70A diesel engine, the first such engine installed in Alaska. The Volvo engine was in turn removed in early June 2015 under the current owner and replaced by a remanufactured Cummins B210 5.9 liter diesel of 210hp. While her top speed is over 14 knots at 2400 rpm (light-loaded, of course), her cruising speed is a much more sedate 8 knots at 1500 rpm. She carries 300 gallons of diesel fuel, and burns about one gallon an hour, a testament to her long and narrow hull form.
She was overhauled by the Port Townsend Shipwright's Co-Op in Port Townsend WA between April 8th and September 16th, 2015. The Co-Op replaced 35 frames, then replanked most of her hull above the waterline with Port Orford Cedar, her original planking wood. They installed a new transom and decks, replaced her engine, exhaust system, and fuel tanks, and installed a modern electrical system. Finally, a new anchor windlass and chain was installed. RIPTIDE was completely caulked by John Zimmer of Palouse Boatworks in 2015.
The outside steering station was removed in December, 2015 when the old water tank and cockpit deck were removed to correct a persistent leak through the strut bearing bolts.
2016 work included straightening her shaft and adjusting her strut bearing, as realignment was needed after she’d settled into the water.
2017 work included replacing the pilothouse aft of the pilothouse doors as well as the first two feet of the trunk cabin, and adding the six bronze portlights cast by the Port Townsend Foundry for her. Diane Salguero and crew painted her exterior as well.
2018 work included a complete rebuild of the forward two-thirds of the pilothouse, and a complete reconstruction of her aft cockpit. A fresh water system was added for the galley, and a new 130-gallon fresh water tank built in Bellingham WA. An Airhead composting toilet was added, and the aft head paneled, as well as other work such as outside handrails, toerails and so forth. Diane Salguero and crew painted her exterior superstructure and bottom and varnished her windows, pilothouse interior and cockpit.
2019 work included replacement of seven keel bolts, two fore cabin floors (structural elements that connect frames across the keel), the teak swim step, two air horns (one original to the boat) and an air compressor, the new water tank and piping, and a new worm shoe (which protects the keel from teredo worms that eat wood). Most of the vessel’s interior was painted. Two new mattresses were made by the Port Townsend Shipwright’s Co-Op, one for the fore cabin and one for the trunk cabin, and a new canvas cover for the cockpit were installed.
Diane Salguero of Salguero Marine Services maintains RIPTIDE's paint and varnish work, assisted by her owners. Most of the bronze on RIPTIDE has been cast by the Port Townsend Foundry.
RIPTIDE's hailing port is Port Ludlow WA. She is currently moored in Port Ludlow WA (as of April, 2021). Her owners are members of the Classic Yacht Association and the Port Townsend Yacht Club.
Port Townsend Shipwright's Co-Op:
www.facebook.com/PortTownsendShipwrightsCoOp?fref=ts
Salguero Marine:
a href="http://salgueromarine.com/" rel="nofollow">salgueromarine.com/
www.facebook.com/marinefinishes
Port Townsend Foundry:
Port Madison WA - Billings South Float - pierside
All wrapped up for the night.
RIPTIDE was built in 1927 by the Schertzer Brothers Boat and Machine Company, then located on the north end of Lake Union near the foot of Stone Way in Seattle. She was registered as NOKARE by her first owner, Carl C Marts, 84 Jackson Street, Seattle, WA, and has carried her registration number, 226249, deeply carved into her port and starboard bilge stringers, since new.
She is 47 feet 1-inch long with a beam of 11 feet 1-inch and a draft of five feet 3-inches. She is planked in port orford cedar riveted to white oak frames over an apitong backbone with a new marine plywood pilothouse and an original western red cedar trunk cabin (covered in canvas). Documented as 21 gross tons and 17 net tons (both of which are measures of volume), she actually displaces 12 tons of water (roughly equivalent to her weight), relatively light for a boat her size.
Although there are no records extent confirming her designers, tantalizing hints in her lines suggest she may have come from the boards of the Seattle firm of Lee, Brinton and Wayland.
Sometime between July 1st 1929 and June 30th, 1930, she was sold to G. Donald Bradley of 314 Seneca Street, Seattle, and renamed NERIED. (In Greek mythology, the Nerieds are sea nymphs. They often accompany Poseidon, the god of the sea, and can be friendly and helpful to sailors.)
Russell G. Gibson purchased her from Mr Bradley sometime between July 1st 1931 and June 30th, 1932. At that time, Mr Gibson’s business address was 2003 Fourth Avenue, Seattle. Mr Gibson retained the name NERIED for the boat, and was to own her for at least the next thirty-two years, through mid-1964.
In 1934, Mr Gibson’s business address was 5016 East Forty-Fourth Street, Seattle. She continued to carry the name NERIED.
By 1936, Mr Gibson had changed her name to RIPTIDE, the name she carries today. His business address continued to be listed as 5016 East 44th Street, Seattle. With few exceptions (probably oversights by her owner), she was listed annually in the Merchant Vessels of the United States through 1964 under Gibson’s ownership.
RIPTIDE’s guest book from 1930-1936 survives, and indicates she was used and enjoyed extensively, cruising on Lake Washington, through the Ship Canal, and as far north as Victoria, BC, often carrying quite a number of guests.
RIPTIDE was extensively modernized in 1936, as pictures and a description of the improvements appear in the June, 1936 edition of Pacific Motor Boating.
Russ Gibson appears to have been particularly interested in predicted log racing, a type of cruising race from one port to another where the racers predict their arrival time based on a fixed speed. RIPTIDE carries four plaques from such races. This type of racing was quite popular from the mid-1920’s to the mid-1950’s.
After Russ Gibson sold her, probably sometime in 1964, she was briefly owned by Sue Goodwin, a resident of Vashon Island and an antiques dealer in Seattle. (Richard F Billings remembers his father telling him that RIPTIDE spent the winter of 1964-65 anchored off Vashon Island in the open).
She was purchased in 1965 by Richard F. Billings, who took her north that year, where she was used as a cruiser, U.S Forest Service crew boat, and live-aboard in Alaska. She was listed under her documentation number in the 1968 Merchant Vessel volume as a fishing boat with a homeport of Juneau, Alaska. There are a number of pictures of her from Richard’s ownership of RIPTIDE in Alaskan waters, occasionally under quite severe conditions, and cruising in company with DUNLIN, another vessel owned by the Billings family and with her own long history in Pacific Northwest waters.
Roger Billings, Richard’s brother, purchased RIPTIDE in 1968 upon her return to the Puget Sound. Roger Billings owned her through early 2015, when she was purchased by her current owner.
RIPTIDE is fortunate to have been owned by knowledgeable and caring owners throughout her long life, particularly Russell G. Gibson and, successively, the brothers Richard F. and Roger Billings. She’s hosted at least three marriages, moonlight cruises and dozens of family outings from Olympia WA to Juneau AK over her long and happy life.
As a documented vessel, RIPTIDE carries documentation number 226249 carved into the interior face of both port and starboard bilge stringers. She is documented at 21 gross tons and 17 net tons. While 47 feet 1-inch long overall, her documentation papers indicate she is 44 feet 2-inches long (the length between the forward end of her hull planking and the aft end of her rudder post) and 11 feet 1-inch wide. (The change from her first documented tonnage in 1927 of 18 gross and 14 net tons, and a width of 10 feet 4-inches may just have been due to a change in Federal measurement regulations).
She was originally powered by a 130 hp gas engine. Though the manufacturer is not listed in her registration information. in 1929, she listed as being equipped with a Stearns 6-cylinder 4-cycle 5 1/2-6 1/2 gas engine of 130 hp.
By 1959 she had an eight cylinder Chrysler Crown gas engine of 141 horsepower, a common engine of the time, most likely added in the late 1940's under Russ Gibson’s ownership. That engine was removed in 1967 by Richard Billings when RIPTIDE was re-powered with a new 1967 Volvo MD-70A diesel engine, the first such engine installed in Alaska. The Volvo engine was in turn removed in early June 2015 under the current owner and replaced by a remanufactured Cummins B210 5.9 liter diesel of 210hp. While her top speed is over 14 knots at 2400 rpm (light-loaded, of course), her cruising speed is a much more sedate 8 knots at 1500 rpm. She carries 300 gallons of diesel fuel, and burns about one gallon an hour, a testament to her long and narrow hull form.
She was overhauled by the Port Townsend Shipwright's Co-Op in Port Townsend WA between April 8th and September 16th, 2015. The Co-Op replaced 35 frames, then replanked most of her hull above the waterline with Port Orford Cedar, her original planking wood. They installed a new transom and decks, replaced her engine, exhaust system, and fuel tanks, and installed a modern electrical system. Finally, a new anchor windlass and chain was installed. RIPTIDE was completely caulked by John Zimmer of Palouse Boatworks in 2015.
The outside steering station was removed in December, 2015 when the old water tank and cockpit deck were removed to correct a persistent leak through the strut bearing bolts.
2016 work included straightening her shaft and adjusting her strut bearing, as realignment was needed after she’d settled into the water.
2017 work included replacing the pilothouse aft of the pilothouse doors as well as the first two feet of the trunk cabin, and adding the six bronze portlights cast by the Port Townsend Foundry for her. Diane Salguero and crew painted her exterior as well.
2018 work included a complete rebuild of the forward two-thirds of the pilothouse, and a complete reconstruction of her aft cockpit. A fresh water system was added for the galley, and a new 130-gallon fresh water tank built in Bellingham WA. An Airhead composting toilet was added, and the aft head paneled, as well as other work such as outside handrails, toerails and so forth. Diane Salguero and crew painted her exterior superstructure and bottom and varnished her windows, pilothouse interior and cockpit.
2019 work included replacement of seven keel bolts, two fore cabin floors (structural elements that connect frames across the keel), the teak swim step, two air horns (one original to the boat) and an air compressor, the new water tank and piping, and a new worm shoe (which protects the keel from teredo worms that eat wood). Most of the vessel’s interior was painted. Two new mattresses were made by the Port Townsend Shipwright’s Co-Op, one for the fore cabin and one for the trunk cabin, and a new canvas cover for the cockpit were installed.
Diane Salguero of Salguero Marine Services maintains RIPTIDE's paint and varnish work, assisted by her owners. Most of the bronze on RIPTIDE has been cast by the Port Townsend Foundry.
RIPTIDE's hailing port is Port Ludlow WA. She is currently moored in Port Ludlow WA (as of April, 2021). Her owners are members of the Classic Yacht Association and the Port Townsend Yacht Club.
Port Townsend Shipwright's Co-Op:
www.facebook.com/PortTownsendShipwrightsCoOp?fref=ts
Salguero Marine:
a href="http://salgueromarine.com/" rel="nofollow">salgueromarine.com/
www.facebook.com/marinefinishes
Port Townsend Foundry: