Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

March 11, 2012

Saving the Kate

A beloved symbol of Moosehead Lake, the steamship Katahdin needs restoration so it can continue to be an 'economic engine' in Greenville for another 100 years.

By Bob Keyes bkeyes@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

GREENVILLE – The last time workers hauled the 220-ton steamship Katahdin from Moosehead Lake, they forced I-beams through its first-deck hull by cutting it open, then lifted it up and out of the water.

The process was akin to open-heart surgery, and it took years for the Katahdin, known affectionately around here as the Kate, to recover. Workers repaired a leaky hull during that last haul-out in 1994, but the mostly wooden boat sustained significant damage to its internal beams and flooring.

Moosehead Marine Museum executive director Jim Castonguay is determined to avoid similar complications this time around.

The Kate, nearly 100 years old now, needs a new keel and a refurbished hull. Last summer, before emergency and temporary underwater fixes by a team of divers, the Kate was taking on up to 700 gallons of water a day.

To ensure the landmark vessel survives into its next century, repairs are required at the conclusion of the upcoming cruising season.

"But this time, we need to find a process that is less invasive," said Castonguay. "We're confident that the people who will bid on this project will have a better plan."

Castonguay has begun preliminary conversations with boat yards on the Atlantic coast that might be interested in the work. The project will be put out to bid in June, and Castonguay hopes the work will be completed in the off-season.

The Kate will cruise this season as planned, he emphasized. The leaks discovered last summer have been fixed, but more extensive work is required to ensure the boat's long-term future.

The museum, situated on the southern end of Maine's most storied lake, is embarking on a quick and ambitious fundraising campaign, hoping to raise $500,000 by the fall so it can complete the work on the Kate next winter.

It has rented a booth at the 25th anniversary Maine Boatbuilders Show, which opens Friday at the Portland Company Complex on Fore Street.

At the show, Castonguay and Greenville Town Manager Gary Lamb will disseminate information about the Katahdin and the fundraising drive, not only to raise money for the critical repairs but also to generate tourism for Greenville.

They've put together a 14-minute video about the boat, its history and its role in the community that will be shown throughout the weekend.

Lamb said the Katahdin is the centerpiece of the town's history, and a primary rung on its tourism ladder.

Various studies have pegged its economic impact on the town at about $1.25 million annually, he said.

Lake cruises often are at the heart of many vacationers' wish lists, he said, and the Katahdin is rented June through October for weddings, memorials and other private functions.

"The Kate is a huge economic engine for us," Lamb said. "Cruising on the Kate is the second reason people come up here. The first is to see a moose. To lose this boat would be devastating, and we're not going to let that happen. We've had huge support locally. People here know the value of it."

The Moosehead Marine Mu-seum's presence in Portland represents an attempt to build awareness for the project and raise money from donors in southern Maine. So far, about $200,000 of the $500,000 has been raised in the Moosehead area.

Castonguay and others involved in the project suspect that local donors may be tapped out.

The museum, which itself has an annual budget of less than $200,000, raised $500,000 just a few years ago to reinforce its lake shore, where the Katahdin docks.

Last summer's discovery of leaks and the emergency repairs required to plug them represented the beginning of huge unexpected costs, Castonguay said.

(Continued on page 2)

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