If Dorchester County had a Boat Builders Hall of Fame, Neck District natives Captain Jim Richardson and Harold Ruark would have been unanimous first round picks.

These local legends’ legacies are fittingly enshrined within the historic Hayward Street buildings bearing their names, The Richardson Maritime Museum and Ruark Boatworks.

For the uninitiated “come-here” crowd and youngsters just coming up, Richardson, fondly known as Mr. Jim, was the dean of Dorchester’s boatwrights, but also rebuilt the 19th century Spocott Windmill on Hudson Road practically from scratch, without blueprints.

Harold Ruark joined Mr. Jim’s Boatyard after serving in World War II, and later designed and built award winning hydroplanes on the American Power Boat Racing Circuit.

A prolific creator of precision model replicas of historic Chesapeake Bay ships and workboats, Ruark’s mini masterpieces have been displayed by the Smithsonian and other museums. But his master crafting genius also helped produce a life-sized reproduction, the Skipjack Nathan.

Now, on gray winter days, when old and young salts alike are pining for Spring’s clear sailing weather, the seasoned faithful and even a few newbies make their way up to Ruark Boatworks, purposefully biding their time amidst the sawdust and planed wood curls of boats being built and restored.

This year’s off-season was especially productive, with the innovative rebuilding of the Nathan's original 30 plus year old 47.1-foot boom, which helps steady the sail on bottom, traditionally made from local loblolly pine.

Both sails are annually removed over the winter for cleaning and any needed repairs

The boom is normally left on. But, during the ship’s recent regular inspection, the Dorchester Skipjack Committee decided that the time had come to replace it.

With far fewer tall trees available as source material, the Committee came up with a plan to build a new, stronger boom from scratch, starting with planks of Douglas fir to be cut, planed, epoxied together and cured into an elongated octagon, to be tapered to resemble the familiar rounded log shape.

Another rewarding project has been the building of a new 12-foot Nevins Skiff by the Wednesday evening boat building workshop where participants of all skill levels have been welcomed.

The workshop, which began in mid-December, is another of the organization’s ongoing educational outreach activities, including youth projects in partnership with area organizations, according to coordinating Board Members Dave Williams. Richardson welcomes community interest in sharing such programs, Williams added.

Additional repair and upkeep on other historic boats has been ongoing, along with outdoor clean up and clearing on the Richardson campus to prepare for upcoming work on the historic Presidential yacht Sequoia, currently encased in protective wrapping until work plans are finalized.

The dedicated volunteers of the Dorchester Skipjack Committee, which maintains and operates the Nathan, and the Richardson Maritime Museum Board, in many cases overlap and share the common goal of preserving this area’s Maritime heritage.

While the public is welcome to visit Ruark Boatworks during the site’s open hours, a special Boom Reveal Open House Monday, February 19 from 10 a.m. to noon, and members will be on hand to share painstaking precision details of both the Boom and Bevins Skiff building process.

For more information, visit the Facebook pages of the Richardson Maritime Museum and the Skipjack Nathan of Dorchester, call 410-221-1871, 410-228-7141, or email info@richardsonmuseum.org or info@skipjack-nathan.org.