David_Harris

Yes, I was originally hired in 1964 to work aboard the Island Eagle by her original owner Joe Coberly, Jr. The boat had just been launched in San Diego and Coberly and Art DeFever brought it to Oceanside Harbor in Oceanside, Ca.

Coberly's father started the first Ford agency west of the Mississippi River in LA in the early 1900's. Joe Jr. continued in the car business, but lived in Rancho Santa Fe, an exclusive area in northern San Diego county. Keeping the "Eagle" in Oceanside allowed him to "swing by the boat" to and from LA. Our family had a Columbia 26 on the same dock, so we helped Joe and Art tie up on their first arrival. I was a sophomore in high school at the time and Joe hired me to look after his boat. I subsequently worked for him for about three years and spent some wonderful times aboard the Island Eagle. I spent 12 weeks of three successive summers aboard, anchored at various coves on the northern lee shore of Catalina Island. Most of the time I was alone during the week and the Coberly family and guests would fly the seaplanes from San Pedro to Catalina and I'd pick them up in Avalon in the launch and bring them to the boat. I'm still amazed that he allowed a 15 year old to look after such a marvelous yacht, but it worked well for both of us.

The "Eagle" I remember was different than the photos on your web site. First the was no enclosed wheelhouse. The only wheel was on the open bridge, without so much as a Bimini top. DeFever had wanted Coberly to have an inside steering station, but Joe wanted to be in the "great out-of-doors". We had a large brass wheel that had no rudder indicator and was a bear to steer since it had a direct mechanical linkage, no hydraulic assist or anything. Really good for the biceps, especially during docking! (Note from Scott -- what he said!) The paint job was slightly different as the hull was painted a very light dove grey with a blue boot stripe. Teak decks and all white topsides, are similar. There was a teak cap rail. We had a Boston Whaler with a 35 horsepower outboard, Evinrude, I believe. There was also a small dingy sitting next to the Whaler on the boat deck that we could either row or sail. I taught Coberly's four young daughters how to sail in that dingy.

The salon appears similar, especially the dinette, but there was a small upright piano forward of the dinette and a pot-bellied stove opposite. Opposite the dinette and aft of the stove was the nav station with the ship-to-shore and high-seas radios. A settee curved across the forward portion of the salon. The entire color scheme was variations of red, white and blue. Blue shag carpet, and red was used predominately as accent on pillows, etc. That theme was consistent through all the cabins. The lower cabins had large over/under bunks with two daughters per cabin. I had the forepeak cabin as mine. The galley looks pretty much the same. There was a deep freeze. The aft or master cabin seems the same.

The engine room was where I spent lots of time and lost a lot of my hearing. The engine was a GM 6-110 six cylinder diesel that was supercharged. Large tanks were on either side and the Onan generator was opposite the ladder. If memory serves, there was a small work bench forward of the engine. Two banks of large 32 volt batteries were located under the ladder. It was very loud running and that was long before the days of hearing protection! Joe and June Coberly were very fastidious, so the boat had to be meticulously kept all the time. I was up most mornings using a chamois to wipe up the dew, and keep everything just perfect.

Finally, in 1967, it was time to head off for college, so my time on the "Eagle" came to an end. One interesting story occurred about a year after I left. Joe did embark from San Diego on a prolonged cruise down into Baja, heading for the Sea of Cortez, but one on his crew expired onboard from an apparent heart attack. Rather than go through the hassles of Mexican customs and explain, he turned around and returned 500 plus miles to San Diego with his crewman on "ice." That deep freezer and Ice make did come in handy!

Thanks very much for the very interesting and informative letter. I was fortunate enough to be able to talk to Mr. De Fever earlier this year, and he remembered the boat well. He is over 85 now, and he still works full time; as a matter of fact, he was leaving the next day for China to inspect a new boat. Certainly an inspiration.

I knew Coberly was a Ford dealer, but certainly not that he was the first west of the Mississippi. I am surprised, there does not seem to be any information about Coberly on the web. I am very fortunate to have the original construction drawings, as well as some subsequent ones. The fybridge is as drawn in the original drawings. The pilothouse was added in 1969, to drawings by Mr. De Fever. It's very nice and roomy, and does not add too much windage or weight.I figured that the lack of inside steering had to be at the requirements of the owner. I have seen pictures of one sistership with only an upper station, but I have been onboard another with both an upper and lower station.

As for the wheel steering, let me tell you, the exact same system is still in place! The wheel has been chromed, but the direct mechanical linkage is still there, running down from the pilothouse and aft via shafts, chains, right-angle drives and universals. It's still damn hard work to dock, my biceps ache afterwards. There's no rudder angle indicator either. One of my projects will be to replace the shaft steering with hydraulic, and even before that I will add an angle indicator. One of the sad things is that going hydraulic will mean that I have to replace the Wood Freeman autopilot, which is 40 years old and still going strong.

Believe it or not, the same Boston Whaler you mention was still there when I bought the boat 6 months ago. However, it was in very rough shape, and I would estimate it was last used about 10 years ago. I gave it away to one of the yard workers who helped me out in Seattle. The sabot was long gone but my father has built a small skiff for the kids (I have a 10 year old and his cousins are 9 and 11). The davits are also original and are in very poor shape.

As you have seen from my pictures, the 6-110 GM diesel is still there, and runs like a top. One question, was it green or yellow? It is yellow now but it looks like it's been repainted. I was originally planning on replacing the engine, but I've decided to leave it there until I have a problem, which could be a while. I was talking to an (older) mechanic who specialized in the 6-110 about whether I should replace it, and after a while he said "Son, in 40 years you'll be dead and that engine will still be running"!. That's when I decided to leave it in. The shaft, muffler, etc. appear to be original. It's still a loud engine. I'm careful to wear my hearing protectors whenever the engine is above idle. The good news is that although it's loud, it is very smooth. It also starts flawlessly and runs completely smoke-free, even under load. You (literally) can't tell that it's running from a distance of more than 25 feet.

As for the owner's fastidiousness, I have to say that the attention to detail paid off. Considering her age, the boat is in remarkable condition. While many of the systems (electrical, plumbing, electronic) are showing their age, the structure of the boat is amazingly sound. In fact, I have a counter on the bilge pump, and it runs about twice a day, pumping about a quart each time. For a 40 year old boat, that is incredible.

In terms of questions, I'm sure I will have them. So far, I've been able to puzzle most things out; of course, having the original drawings has really helped. One big question is who actually built the boat. Mr. De Fever says that he believes that it was not built by a yard, but just by a small crew, perhaps two brothers. The other clue is that the drawing I have show that the initial hull was built before Joe Coberly bought it. Do you have any additional information about this?

I do believe I may have an answer in regard to the construction. I seem to recall that Coberly did in fact buy a completed perseiner hull from a commercial yard owned by the Marecio Brothers. (I am unsure of the spelling but it is pronounced MAR-EE-C-O). This was an Italian family of fishermen and fishing boat builders in San Diego for years. For a while they also owned the small yard at Oceanside Harbor, and it was run by one of the brothers named Tony.

I believe that Coberly purchased the hull which had been originally planned and built as a fishing boat. He then contracted with Mr. DeFever to draw the superstructure and interior details. While I'm not sure the Marecio Brothers did all the construction, their yard would have been a natural place for it to occur, as all the labor, talent , and materials were right at hand. It was a commercial yard though, so the Eagle would have really stood out from the usual cast of fishing boats.

My dad passed away this summer at 86 and I really miss his memory and recollections. He was born in San Diego in 1917 and was raised on the waterfront. He knew all of the original fishing families, most of whom were Italian. I think he may have even gone to elementary school with some of the Marecio family.

Anyway, the only other yard I know that did custom construction was Kettenburgs, and they usually concentrated on sailboats, so my bet is that the Italian brothers that Mr. DeFever recalls are the Marecio Brothers. That the hull remains so sound isn't a surprise. It was always gorgeous and I marveled that it was originally destined for commercial work. Coberly employed a master painter who had been the head painter at Burger Yachts. That guy was a marvel, and his painting and varnishing were unbelievable. Of course he had me do the hours of prep and sanding, but still she looked beautiful. You have to recall that 40 years ago the concept of trawlers and other work boat designs becoming yachts was very unusual and speaks to the vision of designers like DeFever. We really turned heads when we went places and always attracted lots of admiring attention.

I seem to recall the engine being yellow and I believe Coberly purposely had it painted Caterpillar yellow so he could see any oil leaks or drips, and have me wipe them up immediately! The Onan Generator was green, the engine room floor boards were light grey with strips of non-skid and everything else was white. Do the fuel tanks still have the tall sight glasses to show the fuel level? I remember worrying about being thrown against one and breaking one during a few rough passages.

Coberly was a member of the Los Angeles Yacht Club and as a member had a mooring in Howland's Cove in Catalina. One of his good friends whose name escapes me, also had a very large "work boat" yacht complete with a helipad as a sun shade over the aft deck, moored nearby. Anyway, this chap was the distributor for Caterpillar Diesel in the eleven western states and he was always kidding Joe that even though he didn't have the right brand of engine, at he least got the color right! You're right though, that engine never missed a beat. I do have fond recollections of that Wood-Freeman auto pilot. We spent most of the time in transit with it steering and me on watch.

Again, I hope these recollections are of value. It sure has provided me with some great reminiscing. I'm thrilled that the old gal is in such good hands, she was truly a love of my life, and I'm glad she now belongs to someone who can love and appreciate her.

Your comments about the Mauricio brothers are very interesting. As a matter of fact, in the Coast Guard documentation they are listed as the owners from 1969 to 1970, and I believe that they are the ones who added the pilothouse and air conditioner. The only confusing thing is that in the Coast Guard documentation the builders are listed as "Del Boyce and Arthur De Fever". However, I have not been able to find any evidence of a builder by the name of Boyce. In any event, I will attempt to track down Tony Mauricio Jr., who I understand is still alive, although the boatyard is now gone. I'm pretty sure that it was not built by Kettenburgs, because it seems a bit better built than most of their boats, and also because it does not have a builders plaque, which I know they put in.

I certainly wish that I knew what paint that painter used; some of the walls, especially in the forecabins, are pure white, smooth as glass, and hard as rock. I've done a fair bit of painting in my time and this is the best paint I've ever seen. However, all of the interior trim varnish has deteriorated completely and will need renewing (not a project I am looking forward to). It's clearly UV degradation, as the varnished roofbeams are still perfect. The exterior paint is also in reasonable condition, but it must have been redone a few times. I think I'll probably redo it within a few years.

I would like to know more about Coberly and the group who were into oceangoing trawlers. There is a mention on the De Fever website of the "Ocean Cruising Society", and I'm assuming that he was a member. However, I have not been able to find any additional information. Certainly, the work of Mr. De Fever, Ed Monk, and William Garden in getting traditional workboats accepted as cruising yachts was very seminal. I've also wondered if Mr. Coberly knew Robert Beebe, author of "Voyaging Under Power". I know that Beebe lived in California for a time and that he was very interested in the the use of working hulls for pleasure.

Your recollections of the engine room are very accurate. I think that when I repaint the engine I'll use Cat yellow as well, although those Detroits are always leaking oil. There was no hour meter on the boat when I bought it, but assuming a conservative estimate of 500 hours per year, that engine has about 20,000 hours. Amazing. At some point the non-skid on the engine room floors was painted over (idiots!) but the sight gauges are still there on the tanks. However, they are now covered with a plexiglas protector. Also, there is a nice big workbench on top of the engine, not sure if that was there in your days.

When I bought the boat, much of the equipment was listed as "not working". Most of it just needed a bit of TLC. The Wood Freeman autopilot was one of the "not working" items, and with some cell-phone help from Mike Freeman (the founder's grandson) I was able to get it working, while we were at sea no less. The only problem was that the drive unit is located on top of the port fuel tank, so I had to wedge myself up into a space about 12 inches high and then look in a mirror to see the back side. But, the good news is that in a few minutes we had it fixed and from then on our new crewmember "Otto Pilotti" did the hard work.

I imagine all the original paint was lead based, which might explain it's durability. I don't recall a brand for the paint, but all the varnish was "Man-of-War," because that's all the painter would use. Again, it was long before the days of UV screens, etc. The painter would redo the brightwork every six months or so. I remember Coberly had a real "thing" about the teak decks and every few months he came up with a new treatment to keep them looking new. I remember using pumice to rub them down to a nice pink and then painting on the latest concoction. The "best" stuff had some linseed oil in it. It made the decks look terrific, but we quickly found out that when the decks got wet they became as slippery as ice, so that prompted a renewed search for the perfect teak preservative. I wonder if he ever found one?

I don't remember a workbench over the engine. I do recall a large cylindrical object, about 24" in diameter and nearly as long as the engine, covered in asbestos and canvas and painted white. It was positioned right above the engine. For some reason I thought that was a supercharger, but then again I can't clearly recall. I think I recall that the Island Eagle had a dry stack, so what I'm recalling may have been an exhaust manifold or something else. Considering how forbidden asbestos has become, I'm sure that configuration has changed or been modified. I didn't know that the Mauricio brothers owned the boat, interesting...! On the name Boyce, I vaguely recall the name Del Boyce, but I'm not sure if there's any connection.

Well, the decks are now done with a product named "Cetol", which has the downside that it is a bit cloudy looking. The upside is that it wears like iron, is UV resistant, and can be sloshed on about as easily as latex paint. Needless to say I can overlook a bit of cloudiness. The large cylindrical object over the engine is the muffler, and I assure you it is still there, in all of its asbestos-clad beauty. But asbestos which is contained is totally safe, and replacing that would be a massive job, so I'm leaving it right where it is. Someday it will fail... but I don't want to think about that!


	Here are a few excerpts from the wonderful information we recieved from David Harris: Scott Welch writes I am the new owner of "Island Eagle", I understand you knew the original owner? I'd love to hear all you know. David Harris writes: Yes, I was originally hired in 1964 to work aboard the Island Eagle by her original owner Joe Coberly, Jr. The boat had just been launched in San Diego and Coberly and Art DeFever brought it to Oceanside Harbor in Oceanside, Ca. Coberly's father started the first Ford agency west of the Mississippi River in LA in the early 1900's. Joe Jr. continued in the car business, but lived in Rancho Santa Fe, an exclusive area in northern San Diego county. Keeping the "Eagle" in Oceanside allowed him to "swing by the boat" to and from LA. Our family had a Columbia 26 on the same dock, so we helped Joe and Art tie up on their first arrival. I was a sophomore in high school at the time and Joe hired me to look after his boat. I subsequently worked for him for about three years and spent some wonderful times aboard the Island Eagle. I spent 12 weeks of three successive summers aboard, anchored at various coves on the northern lee shore of Catalina Island. Most of the time I was alone during the week and the Coberly family and guests would fly the seaplanes from San Pedro to Catalina and I'd pick them up in Avalon in the launch and bring them to the boat. I'm still amazed that he allowed a 15 year old to look after such a marvelous yacht, but it worked well for both of us. The "Eagle" I remember was different than the photos on your web site. First the was no enclosed wheelhouse. The only wheel was on the open bridge, without so much as a Bimini top. DeFever had wanted Coberly to have an inside steering station, but Joe wanted to be in the "great out-of-doors". We had a large brass wheel that had no rudder indicator and was a bear to steer since it had a direct mechanical linkage, no hydraulic assist or anything. Really good for the biceps, especially during docking! (Note from Scott -- what he said!) The paint job was slightly different as the hull was painted a very light dove grey with a blue boot stripe. Teak decks and all white topsides, are similar. There was a teak cap rail. We had a Boston Whaler with a 35 horsepower outboard, Evinrude, I believe. There was also a small dingy sitting next to the Whaler on the boat deck that we could either row or sail. I taught Coberly's four young daughters how to sail in that dingy. The salon appears similar, especially the dinette, but there was a small upright piano forward of the dinette and a pot-bellied stove opposite. Opposite the dinette and aft of the stove was the nav station with the ship-to-shore and high-seas radios. A settee curved across the forward portion of the salon. The entire color scheme was variations of red, white and blue. Blue shag carpet, and red was used predominately as accent on pillows, etc. That theme was consistent through all the cabins. The lower cabins had large over/under bunks with two daughters per cabin. I had the forepeak cabin as mine. The galley looks pretty much the same. There was a deep freeze. The aft or master cabin seems the same. The engine room was where I spent lots of time and lost a lot of my hearing. The engine was a GM 6-110 six cylinder diesel that was supercharged. Large tanks were on either side and the Onan generator was opposite the ladder. If memory serves, there was a small work bench forward of the engine. Two banks of large 32 volt batteries were located under the ladder. It was very loud running and that was long before the days of hearing protection! Joe and June Coberly were very fastidious, so the boat had to be meticulously kept all the time. I was up most mornings using a chamois to wipe up the dew, and keep everything just perfect. Finally, in 1967, it was time to head off for college, so my time on the "Eagle" came to an end. One interesting story occurred about a year after I left. Joe did embark from San Diego on a prolonged cruise down into Baja, heading for the Sea of Cortez, but one on his crew expired onboard from an apparent heart attack. Rather than go through the hassles of Mexican customs and explain, he turned around and returned 500 plus miles to San Diego with his crewman on "ice." That deep freezer and Ice make did come in handy! I'm not sure what happened to the Coberly's or the "Island Eagle" after that. Curiosity got the best of me some 40 years later and I tracked down Bill at his DeFever website and he and I connected. I hope my 40+year old recollections are of interest. Please keep me posted about your time aboard and I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have. I'll try to locate some photos. Take care and enjoy! Scott Welch writes Thanks very much for the very interesting and informative letter. I was fortunate enough to be able to talk to Mr. De Fever earlier this year, and he remembered the boat well. He is over 85 now, and he still works full time; as a matter of fact, he was leaving the next day for China to inspect a new boat. Certainly an inspiration. I knew Coberly was a Ford dealer, but certainly not that he was the first west of the Mississippi. I am surprised, there does not seem to be any information about Coberly on the web. I am very fortunate to have the original construction drawings, as well as some subsequent ones. The fybridge is as drawn in the original drawings. The pilothouse was added in 1969, to drawings by Mr. De Fever. It's very nice and roomy, and does not add too much windage or weight.I figured that the lack of inside steering had to be at the requirements of the owner. I have seen pictures of one sistership with only an upper station, but I have been onboard another with both an upper and lower station. As for the wheel steering, let me tell you, the exact same system is still in place! The wheel has been chromed, but the direct mechanical linkage is still there, running down from the pilothouse and aft via shafts, chains, right-angle drives and universals. It's still damn hard work to dock, my biceps ache afterwards. There's no rudder angle indicator either. One of my projects will be to replace the shaft steering with hydraulic, and even before that I will add an angle indicator. One of the sad things is that going hydraulic will mean that I have to replace the Wood Freeman autopilot, which is 40 years old and still going strong. Believe it or not, the same Boston Whaler you mention was still there when I bought the boat 6 months ago. However, it was in very rough shape, and I would estimate it was last used about 10 years ago. I gave it away to one of the yard workers who helped me out in Seattle. The sabot was long gone but my father has built a small skiff for the kids (I have a 10 year old and his cousins are 9 and 11). The davits are also original and are in very poor shape. As you have seen from my pictures, the 6-110 GM diesel is still there, and runs like a top. One question, was it green or yellow? It is yellow now but it looks like it's been repainted. I was originally planning on replacing the engine, but I've decided to leave it there until I have a problem, which could be a while. I was talking to an (older) mechanic who specialized in the 6-110 about whether I should replace it, and after a while he said "Son, in 40 years you'll be dead and that engine will still be running"!. That's when I decided to leave it in. The shaft, muffler, etc. appear to be original. It's still a loud engine. I'm careful to wear my hearing protectors whenever the engine is above idle. The good news is that although it's loud, it is very smooth. It also starts flawlessly and runs completely smoke-free, even under load. You (literally) can't tell that it's running from a distance of more than 25 feet. As for the owner's fastidiousness, I have to say that the attention to detail paid off. Considering her age, the boat is in remarkable condition. While many of the systems (electrical, plumbing, electronic) are showing their age, the structure of the boat is amazingly sound. In fact, I have a counter on the bilge pump, and it runs about twice a day, pumping about a quart each time. For a 40 year old boat, that is incredible. In terms of questions, I'm sure I will have them. So far, I've been able to puzzle most things out; of course, having the original drawings has really helped. One big question is who actually built the boat. Mr. De Fever says that he believes that it was not built by a yard, but just by a small crew, perhaps two brothers. The other clue is that the drawing I have show that the initial hull was built before Joe Coberly bought it. Do you have any additional information about this? David Harris writes I do believe I may have an answer in regard to the construction. I seem to recall that Coberly did in fact buy a completed perseiner hull from a commercial yard owned by the Marecio Brothers. (I am unsure of the spelling but it is pronounced MAR-EE-C-O). This was an Italian family of fishermen and fishing boat builders in San Diego for years. For a while they also owned the small yard at Oceanside Harbor, and it was run by one of the brothers named Tony. I believe that Coberly purchased the hull which had been originally planned and built as a fishing boat. He then contracted with Mr. DeFever to draw the superstructure and interior details. While I'm not sure the Marecio Brothers did all the construction, their yard would have been a natural place for it to occur, as all the labor, talent , and materials were right at hand. It was a commercial yard though, so the Eagle would have really stood out from the usual cast of fishing boats. My dad passed away this summer at 86 and I really miss his memory and recollections. He was born in San Diego in 1917 and was raised on the waterfront. He knew all of the original fishing families, most of whom were Italian. I think he may have even gone to elementary school with some of the Marecio family. Anyway, the only other yard I know that did custom construction was Kettenburgs, and they usually concentrated on sailboats, so my bet is that the Italian brothers that Mr. DeFever recalls are the Marecio Brothers. That the hull remains so sound isn't a surprise. It was always gorgeous and I marveled that it was originally destined for commercial work. Coberly employed a master painter who had been the head painter at Burger Yachts. That guy was a marvel, and his painting and varnishing were unbelievable. Of course he had me do the hours of prep and sanding, but still she looked beautiful. You have to recall that 40 years ago the concept of trawlers and other work boat designs becoming yachts was very unusual and speaks to the vision of designers like DeFever. We really turned heads when we went places and always attracted lots of admiring attention. I seem to recall the engine being yellow and I believe Coberly purposely had it painted Caterpillar yellow so he could see any oil leaks or drips, and have me wipe them up immediately! The Onan Generator was green, the engine room floor boards were light grey with strips of non-skid and everything else was white. Do the fuel tanks still have the tall sight glasses to show the fuel level? I remember worrying about being thrown against one and breaking one during a few rough passages. Coberly was a member of the Los Angeles Yacht Club and as a member had a mooring in Howland's Cove in Catalina. One of his good friends whose name escapes me, also had a very large "work boat" yacht complete with a helipad as a sun shade over the aft deck, moored nearby. Anyway, this chap was the distributor for Caterpillar Diesel in the eleven western states and he was always kidding Joe that even though he didn't have the right brand of engine, at he least got the color right! You're right though, that engine never missed a beat. I do have fond recollections of that Wood-Freeman auto pilot. We spent most of the time in transit with it steering and me on watch. Again, I hope these recollections are of value. It sure has provided me with some great reminiscing. I'm thrilled that the old gal is in such good hands, she was truly a love of my life, and I'm glad she now belongs to someone who can love and appreciate her. Scott Welch writes: Thank you again for taking the time to share your memories of "Island Eagle" with us. As I'm sure you can tell, we are quite interested to learn more of her history. Your comments about the Mauricio brothers are very interesting. As a matter of fact, in the Coast Guard documentation they are listed as the owners from 1969 to 1970, and I believe that they are the ones who added the pilothouse and air conditioner. The only confusing thing is that in the Coast Guard documentation the builders are listed as "Del Boyce and Arthur De Fever". However, I have not been able to find any evidence of a builder by the name of Boyce. In any event, I will attempt to track down Tony Mauricio Jr., who I understand is still alive, although the boatyard is now gone. I'm pretty sure that it was not built by Kettenburgs, because it seems a bit better built than most of their boats, and also because it does not have a builders plaque, which I know they put in. I certainly wish that I knew what paint that painter used; some of the walls, especially in the forecabins, are pure white, smooth as glass, and hard as rock. I've done a fair bit of painting in my time and this is the best paint I've ever seen. However, all of the interior trim varnish has deteriorated completely and will need renewing (not a project I am looking forward to). It's clearly UV degradation, as the varnished roofbeams are still perfect. The exterior paint is also in reasonable condition, but it must have been redone a few times. I think I'll probably redo it within a few years. I would like to know more about Coberly and the group who were into oceangoing trawlers. There is a mention on the De Fever website of the "Ocean Cruising Society", and I'm assuming that he was a member. However, I have not been able to find any additional information. Certainly, the work of Mr. De Fever, Ed Monk, and William Garden in getting traditional workboats accepted as cruising yachts was very seminal. I've also wondered if Mr. Coberly knew Robert Beebe, author of "Voyaging Under Power". I know that Beebe lived in California for a time and that he was very interested in the the use of working hulls for pleasure. Your recollections of the engine room are very accurate. I think that when I repaint the engine I'll use Cat yellow as well, although those Detroits are always leaking oil. There was no hour meter on the boat when I bought it, but assuming a conservative estimate of 500 hours per year, that engine has about 20,000 hours. Amazing. At some point the non-skid on the engine room floors was painted over (idiots!) but the sight gauges are still there on the tanks. However, they are now covered with a plexiglas protector. Also, there is a nice big workbench on top of the engine, not sure if that was there in your days. When I bought the boat, much of the equipment was listed as "not working". Most of it just needed a bit of TLC. The Wood Freeman autopilot was one of the "not working" items, and with some cell-phone help from Mike Freeman (the founder's grandson) I was able to get it working, while we were at sea no less. The only problem was that the drive unit is located on top of the port fuel tank, so I had to wedge myself up into a space about 12 inches high and then look in a mirror to see the back side. But, the good news is that in a few minutes we had it fixed and from then on our new crewmember "Otto Pilotti" did the hard work. Thank you again for your recollections, it's wonderful to hear details of the early days of "Island Eagle". I certainly do hope that one day you will have the opportunity to come aboard and take the helm. David Harris writes: I imagine all the original paint was lead based, which might explain it's durability. I don't recall a brand for the paint, but all the varnish was "Man-of-War," because that's all the painter would use. Again, it was long before the days of UV screens, etc. The painter would redo the brightwork every six months or so. I remember Coberly had a real "thing" about the teak decks and every few months he came up with a new treatment to keep them looking new. I remember using pumice to rub them down to a nice pink and then painting on the latest concoction. The "best" stuff had some linseed oil in it. It made the decks look terrific, but we quickly found out that when the decks got wet they became as slippery as ice, so that prompted a renewed search for the perfect teak preservative. I wonder if he ever found one? I don't remember a workbench over the engine. I do recall a large cylindrical object, about 24" in diameter and nearly as long as the engine, covered in asbestos and canvas and painted white. It was positioned right above the engine. For some reason I thought that was a supercharger, but then again I can't clearly recall. I think I recall that the Island Eagle had a dry stack, so what I'm recalling may have been an exhaust manifold or something else. Considering how forbidden asbestos has become, I'm sure that configuration has changed or been modified. I didn't know that the Mauricio brothers owned the boat, interesting...! On the name Boyce, I vaguely recall the name Del Boyce, but I'm not sure if there's any connection. Scott Welch writes: Well, the decks are now done with a product named "Cetol", which has the downside that it is a bit cloudy looking. The upside is that it wears like iron, is UV resistant, and can be sloshed on about as easily as latex paint. Needless to say I can overlook a bit of cloudiness. The large cylindrical object over the engine is the muffler, and I assure you it is still there, in all of its asbestos-clad beauty. But asbestos which is contained is totally safe, and replacing that would be a massive job, so I'm leaving it right where it is. Someday it will fail... but I don't want to think about that!