Paint
The original paint system was a non-epoxy system made by International Paints. These paints contained lead, which acted as a great barrier against corrosion and made for a long lasting finish. Every other dry-dock, or every three years, Steve used to have the yard do a sweep (light sandblasting) from the water- line down. They would blast the antifouling paint off and get down to bare epoxy. One to two coats of epoxy would be added as needed. Steve has always been conscientious of the smoothness of the finished paint job. When blasting or grinding an area where the paint failed and the steel rusted, that area would be built up to the same level as the surrounding surface. After the enamel, two coats of antifouling would be applied. A lot of older steel boats often have uneven finishes and show a profile where the paint has failed and little detail is given to the smoothness of the next painting.

In the late 1970’s the hull exterior was blasted down to bare white steel. A new non-lead epoxy system was applied. Today a high quality Devoe 235 and 214 AF modern epoxy system holds up remarkably well. A good epoxy system can last 20 years before the hull must be blasted down to white metal. Circle Line can now go a decade between sweeps of the hull. Steve further explains that with today’s stringent EPA regulations, the yards do not like heavy sandblasting. The boats are pressure washed with fresh water at the dock on a regular basis. On a clear day when the sun is low in the sky, these boats with their mostly white sides will shine brightly when the light hits them just right.

Most of the interior voids have been blasted to white metal and covered in oil based enamels. Some of the compartments still have the Texaco # 2 grease applied in thick coats. Although not used anymore, this method has protected the steel very well. The under lying steel is like new.

Drive Train
The design, installation, and upkeep of the Statue Boats shafts, bearings, and propellers is an area that Steve has always been very involved with. During the construction of the last five boats, Blount hulls #207, 241, 285, 286, and 290, Gerald Odriscall and Steve inspected the hulls a couple of days a week. While the hull, bulkheads, and decks were constructed they would check specifics such as exact measurements of the bulkheads and offsets. When the shafts were being installed, they would visit the yard daily.

Odriscoll supplied Golten babbited brass bearings, which are a very high quality, high cost product made in Norway. These bearings allow only 6,000th of an inch clearance with shaft. The boats were spec’d for 44’ long 1045 grade steel shafts. The long shafts and minimal tolerances required by the bearings required some expert machining and fitting. Odriscoll and Steve worked hands on with the yard crew, insuring the shaft installations were perfect. As Steve explained "Everything in the installation is steel bolted…no rubber couplings anywhere… with the propeller fitted, I can grab a blade and rotate the shaft by hand, with almost no resistance…with alignment this true, you wont have any vibration underway."

Odriscolls design and Blount’s craftsmanship, has allowed these ferries to run as long as twenty years before bearings needed replacing. Everything in our installation is steel bolted. The Miss Liberty’s original strut barrels which house the tailshaft cutlass bearings where designed and built by Blount and lasted for 44 years. There is a science to a properly built and maintained shaft alignment. Steve understands this science and follows it religiously.

Since the 1950’s Steve has been a certified welder, ship fitter, and lay out man. While at Blount’s shipyard for the construction of five boats, he admits to having learned a great deal watching Luther and the yard crew hand build these rugged boats. Both he and Odriscoll liked Luther’s style of baseline construction and upright hull construction.

As with the shafts and bearings, Steve is equally thorough with the care of the propellers. The Miss Liberty has magnesium bronze propellers. The newer boats have stainless steel prop’s. The problem with the harder stainless blades is when they strike something solid enough, they don’t bend. The load is then transferred to the shaft and can crack it, usually just forward of the hub. To minimize the shafts exposure, the distance between the hub and the stern tube is about 2".

For all wheel pulling, the boats get hauled and the yard uses a hydraulic puller. These wheels are machine fit to each shaft and have an 85-100% fit. To get a wheel back on the tailshaft and keyway, each fluke must be heated with a low flame for about 15 seconds. As Steve further explains " the better fit you get then the wheel is not oscillating- it is running true with the shaft and she is never going to come loose."