A shipshape endeavor: Replica of historic oyster ship Ida May nears completion
A decadelong effort to replicate a historic oyster harvesting ship that trawled Long Island waters for more than 75 years is nearly complete, and marine educators hope the recreated 50-foot vessel — a symbol of Oyster Bay's rich maritime history — will also serve as a teaching tool.
The original Ida May, built by Frank M. Flower and Sons in 1925 as the first commercial oyster dredge to use an engine instead of sails, scooped up oysters from the bottom of the bay until 2003 when the company donated the ship to the WaterFront Center nonprofit for preservation. The Ida May was intended to be restored as a land exhibit, but the vessel was deemed too rotten to save and was demolished in 2010.
But the Oyster Bay group Christeen Oyster Sloop Preservation Corp. set a new plan in motion — to build a replica in an effort to preserve the history and spirit of the ship and use it to teach visitors about oystering and the health of the bay.
The reconstruction project started in 2011 and was expected to finish in 2013, but the endeavor was delayed due to funding issues. Now, with nearly $1 million in grants and private donations — including $125,000 from Billy Joel, who worked on an oyster dredge as a teenager — the ship is set to hit the waters May 3.
“There's a passion and appreciation for Oyster Bay’s history in all its many forms, and this is just an extension of that,” said George Ellis, executive director of The WaterFront Center, which is dedicated to marine education.
The vessel will join the Christeen — a restored 1883 oyster dredge found in disrepair in Connecticut that the center owns — as “floating classrooms.”
The new Ida May, which will hold 49 passengers, will be used for tours for school groups, where children can “see what pulls up from the bottom of the bay,” Ellis said. The 44-ton vessel is being built for Coast Guard approval, which will allow it to travel to different harbors and to be used for private charters, he said.
“We view these vessels as symbols of Oyster Bay and representing Oyster Bay,” Ellis said. “She’s going to be able to take the message of Oyster Bay and of oystering beyond Oyster Bay Harbor and be able to send that message to other areas."
At the helm of the Ida May project is shipwright Josh Herman, who restores, maintains and rebuilds historic watercraft.
Herman first became involved with the project in 2009 when he measured the original Ida May for reproduction. He left when the project went on hiatus but returned in 2013 as a consultant to guide volunteers through the meticulous process. Now, he's the full-time project manager and oversees the volunteers and his four employees. Many of the volunteers simply show up to the shipyard out of curiosity before joining the crew.
“Most of the volunteers are retired people who did something else for their whole lives and now they’re doing this for fun," Herman said. "They show up one day and we just give them a job.”
Herman uses traditional wooden boatbuilding methods but employs modern power tools. But the art and spirit of old-time watercraft work remains the same, Herman said.
“The method of building the boat is no different than it was originally," Herman said. "We still have to do it exactly the same way that it was done in the past."
Herman used historic photos of the ship as his guide in the replication, scouring the images for hints of the past that he can incorporate into the new vessel.
The project is a labor of love. Snow, rain, frigid temperatures or sunshine, work must go on. Tens of thousands of hours have gone into the project, said George Lindsay, president of the Christeen Oyster Sloop Preservation Corp.
“It’s been built right,” Lindsay said. “Josh Herman — one thing he doesn’t do is take any shortcuts.”
Herman, who worked on the Christeen and a 1929 schooner in Glen Cove, is also working on a reproduction of the ship Adriaen Block used to explore Long Island Sound in 1613.
The Ida May's interior is complete. The crew is currently planking the boat — unforgiving work, because the crew must quickly shape the heated wood before it cools. The wiring, plumbing and finish work remain.
“Hopefully this boat will last 100 years when we’re done,” Lindsay said.
A decadelong effort to replicate a historic oyster harvesting ship that trawled Long Island waters for more than 75 years is nearly complete, and marine educators hope the recreated 50-foot vessel — a symbol of Oyster Bay's rich maritime history — will also serve as a teaching tool.
The original Ida May, built by Frank M. Flower and Sons in 1925 as the first commercial oyster dredge to use an engine instead of sails, scooped up oysters from the bottom of the bay until 2003 when the company donated the ship to the WaterFront Center nonprofit for preservation. The Ida May was intended to be restored as a land exhibit, but the vessel was deemed too rotten to save and was demolished in 2010.
But the Oyster Bay group Christeen Oyster Sloop Preservation Corp. set a new plan in motion — to build a replica in an effort to preserve the history and spirit of the ship and use it to teach visitors about oystering and the health of the bay.
Reconstruction project on the Ida May, which began in 2011, was expected to finish in 2013, but it was delayed due to funding issues. Credit: Kendall Rodriguez
The reconstruction project started in 2011 and was expected to finish in 2013, but the endeavor was delayed due to funding issues. Now, with nearly $1 million in grants and private donations — including $125,000 from Billy Joel, who worked on an oyster dredge as a teenager — the ship is set to hit the waters May 3.
WHAT TO KNOW:
- The 1925 Ida May was the first oyster dredge to use an engine instead of sails.
- Crews have worked since 2011 to replicate the ship.
- The Ida May project will cost about $1 million when it is complete.
“There's a passion and appreciation for Oyster Bay’s history in all its many forms, and this is just an extension of that,” said George Ellis, executive director of The WaterFront Center, which is dedicated to marine education.
The vessel will join the Christeen — a restored 1883 oyster dredge found in disrepair in Connecticut that the center owns — as “floating classrooms.”
The new Ida May, which will hold 49 passengers, will be used for tours for school groups, where children can “see what pulls up from the bottom of the bay,” Ellis said. The 44-ton vessel is being built for Coast Guard approval, which will allow it to travel to different harbors and to be used for private charters, he said.
“We view these vessels as symbols of Oyster Bay and representing Oyster Bay,” Ellis said. “She’s going to be able to take the message of Oyster Bay and of oystering beyond Oyster Bay Harbor and be able to send that message to other areas."
Shipwright Josh Herman used historic photos of the original ship as his guide in the replication. Credit: Kendall Rodriguez
At the helm of the Ida May project is shipwright Josh Herman, who restores, maintains and rebuilds historic watercraft.
Herman first became involved with the project in 2009 when he measured the original Ida May for reproduction. He left when the project went on hiatus but returned in 2013 as a consultant to guide volunteers through the meticulous process. Now, he's the full-time project manager and oversees the volunteers and his four employees. Many of the volunteers simply show up to the shipyard out of curiosity before joining the crew.
“Most of the volunteers are retired people who did something else for their whole lives and now they’re doing this for fun," Herman said. "They show up one day and we just give them a job.”
Herman uses traditional wooden boatbuilding methods but employs modern power tools. But the art and spirit of old-time watercraft work remains the same, Herman said.
“The method of building the boat is no different than it was originally," Herman said. "We still have to do it exactly the same way that it was done in the past."
Herman used historic photos of the ship as his guide in the replication, scouring the images for hints of the past that he can incorporate into the new vessel.
The project is a labor of love. Snow, rain, frigid temperatures or sunshine, work must go on. Tens of thousands of hours have gone into the project, said George Lindsay, president of the Christeen Oyster Sloop Preservation Corp.
“It’s been built right,” Lindsay said. “Josh Herman — one thing he doesn’t do is take any shortcuts.”
Herman, who worked on the Christeen and a 1929 schooner in Glen Cove, is also working on a reproduction of the ship Adriaen Block used to explore Long Island Sound in 1613.
The Ida May's interior is complete. The crew is currently planking the boat — unforgiving work, because the crew must quickly shape the heated wood before it cools. The wiring, plumbing and finish work remain.
“Hopefully this boat will last 100 years when we’re done,” Lindsay said.
Brinley Hineman covers the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach for Newsday. She previously was a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a West Virginia native.
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