Maggie Jane is for sale

Home Port: Quartermaster Harbor, Vashon Island

Year Built: 1968
Owner: Michael Murray
Designer: L. Francis Herreshoff
Design: Modified H28

Maggie Jane is a modified, strip planked H28 ketch design, extensively rebuilt and sailed out of Quartermaster Harbor on Vashon Island. Her dimensions are LOD 29.5’, LOA 33’, Beam 8.75’, Draft 3.67’ with a displacement estimated at 10,000 lbs. She is ketch rigged with a raised doghouse and an added bowsprit for lighter NW winds. Sails include a main, mizzen, genoa, jib, and light air drifter. She is powered with a 2020 Tohatsu High Thrust 6 HP outboard replacing the original 4cyl gas Gray Marine inboard. A 2 cyl Universal 5411 diesel is available for a later install.
Maggie was home built in the mid-sixties by a talented shipwright in Grand Haven, MI and cruised the Great Lakes extensively throughout the seventies. Like many who loved the iconic H28 design, it was a bit small for a growing family, and the builder modified her original plan for more cruising capacity. Her specifications are based on the 1942 L. Francis Herreshoff H28 design, as modified by an unconfirmed marine architect to a design similar to the Cheoy Lee Bermuda 30 design. Hull length is extended from 28’ to 29.5’, with a raised dog house and extended cabin. The bowsprit and 7/8 rig was, likely, later added to improve light air performance for PNW waters. She was constructed with 1” mahogany strip planking, edge glued and fastened every 3” with vertical, staggered bronze shank nails. Frames are 2” white oak, bronze fastened.
Maggie Jane was originally christened as the Margory Jane, named after the builder’s wife and, later, renamed Captain Pierce by a subsequent, Midwest owner, retaining that name until I took on the project of restoring her in 2008. We believe she was brought out to the Pacific Northwest in the early eighties by a US Navy Commander, a naval doctor, stationed at the Trident Base. I have been contacted by two other owner/families of her but a clear picture of her ownership in the Northwest for the past thirty years is still a mystery.

Major renovations:
Major work included replacement of both port and starboard sides of the house planking, a completely redesigned and rebuilt cockpit, rebuilt transom and rudder, replacement of hull planking at the sheer point in areas, a new replacement bowsprit, restored masts and booms, all new standing and running rigging, all new interior redesign with added full galley, dinette, wood stove, gimbaled Shipmate propane stove, a convertible main cabin double berth, new cushions, new ceiling boards and flooring, new wiring/panels and water systems and, finally, deck replacement and fiberglass/epoxy sheathing where required. My goal throughout this reconstruction was to repair, replace, renovate and update, as needed, but keep the vessel and all systems as original, and simple as possible in the spirit of the original 1942 Herreshoff design. Cruising aboard her today truly feels like being in a time capsule from an earlier era.

Early in the project I was contacted by a fellow in the Midwest. It turned out that David was the son of the original builder/owner and had located me through his correspondence with 48 Degrees North Magazine. We struck up a long, 10-year email friendship with my, periodically, providing his family with updates over the long restoration. This reconnection culminated in the Egger family joining us, as our guests, for the inaugural sail of the newly rechristened Maggie Jane (the new name gives homage to David’s mother, Margory Jane, for whom the boat was originally named). It was an emotional sail on Quartermaster Harbor that day in August 2015 where two families, previously unknown to each other and living thousands of miles apart, came together to celebrate the rebirth of a boat after 50 years. David published an article in 48 Degrees North in June 2020 entitled A Boat: Lost and Found detailing his search for, and subsequent finding, of his dad’s boat .

I am, regrettably, ready to hand off Maggie Jane to a new, responsible caretaker, if only because I still have too many boats and projects and, frankly, have too little time. See you out on the water!

Mike