The SSS Loch Smyth
It's common for Sea Scout ships to go by a ship name rather than its unit number. Even more so when a Sea Scout ship owns a vessel. When this ship was founded, our namesake vessel was an inflatable raft. But, in November 2023, that changed.
Thanks to some friends in Oklahoma, we learned of an Eagle Scout alumni wanting to donate his old sailboat to Troop 185 in Jenks, OK. They had no need for it but knew of some Sea Scout friends in Kansas City that did! Luckily, one of our committee members' parents live near Grand Lake, where the vessel was stored.
On the day before Thanksgiving, Sea Scout Ship 7394 became the proud owner of a 2007 Hunter 216 21-foot sailboat. Only 250 boats were made as an experiment to see if sailboat hulls could be made of ASA thermoplastic.
Based on the comments online (and the condition of this particular boat), ASA thermoplastic was not a great material for sailboat hulls.
The main deck has a number of cracks around the cabin area.
These cracks on the port and starboard sides seem to line up to where the mast stresses the main deck.
This is the crack that keeps the boat out of the water. It extends from the main deck to the keel.
Cracks aside, this sailboat is in good condition and is a great opportunity for Sea Scouts in the Northland to learn to sail!
The good news is that the boat seems repairable. And, given that every Sea Scout rank requires eight hours of boat maintenance, it's a perfect project for us. Our goal is to put this sailboat in the waters of Smithville Lake in the early summer of 2024. But, we need your help.