THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 5, 1995 TAG: 9511040100
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY PHYLLIS SPEIDELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
William S. ``Bill'' Magann recently became the guardian of 50-year-old classic Chesapeake Bay dead-rise and plans to ready the vintage workboat for a new life, working with disadvantaged and at-risk youngsters as well as local Scouting groups.
About six months ago the Portsmouth Community Development Group purchased the Mobjack, a veteran oyster boat, from a Norfolk seafood processor and distributor, J.H. Miles & Co. Inc.
Magann, a Portsmouth native, is a PCDG board member and volunteered to oversee the refurbishing of the Mobjack into an excursion boat that the PCDG hopes to use to for short fishing and sightseeing excursions around the Hampton Roads waterways.
``We want to be more involved with underprivileged children, Scouts and other groups,'' Magann said. ``A lot of the children we associate ourselves with would probably never have the chance to go out on a boat like this.
``And the project also goes along with saving something neat that has gone by,'' he added.
The Mobjack is, according to Magann, the last shell boat left in Virginia and one of perhaps only a half dozen remaining buy boats. When the oystering trade flourished, local watermen would bring their catch to the larger buy boats to be collected, weighed and sent on to packing houses for distribution to markets.
During the off season, the larger buy boats would transport seed oysters and shells for replenishing oyster beds along the James River and in the Chesapeake Bay.
Custom built in 1946 in Deltaville, Va., of heart pine, the Mobjack is 72 feet long, 24 feet wide and draws just over 5 feet allowing it to move easily in shallow waters. The boat is equipped with a chain-driven steering mechanism and is powered by a 300 horsepower diesel engine.
A pilot house, a few steps up from the stern deck, holds two bunks, a small galley with space for a restroom. Just over the pilot's head is a fold-down chart board that still has charts indicating the Mobjack's last voyage up the James River in 1985.
The Mobjack, like other buy boats, was built to withstand heavy water. Its stability and its wide decks make it a perfect candidate for conversion into an excursion boat, while preserving the unique character and appearance of a Chesapeake Bay deadrise.
Although the boat is in good condition, some cosmetic work, additions and light repair need to be completed before the PCDG can move forward with their youth oriented plans. Volunteer labor will help the project but donations must fund the work. ``The boat lives on donations and tax credits,'' Magann said.
Magann and PCDG are aiming for next spring as a target date for the Mobjeck's maiden voyage in its new life. MEMO: For more information about the Mobjack project, call PCDG at 399-0925.
ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
Bill Magann recently became the guardian of a classic Chesapeake Bay
deadrise.
by CNB