Wooden Boat Solutions Since 1973
Haul and Launch the same day or stay for awhile
Testimonials
“Richard is a genius!”
“Richard has created a masterpiece! I was blown away by the quality of this boat. I look forward to many years of enjoyment with this beautiful boat.”
“Their integrity is on the same level as their craftsmanship. No one does it better than Richard Stanley Custom Boats. Their work is A+.”
“I have known Richard for many years. He is well known for his competency, lack of arrogance and patience in the extreme.”
“I knew the sister ship to my boat, so I knew the potential she had. I can’t say enough about Richard, Lorraine and the crew as far as getting this boat up to an absolute jewel. Everything was well-handled and done efficiently. They are the best — thorough, knowledgeable, reliable, and skillful.”
“I wouldn’t go anywhere else. The quality of their work is outstanding. You always know what you are getting. My boat is so well-built and maintained. I highly recommend Richard Stanley Custom Boats to anyone who wants a wooden boat. It’s something they will own for the rest of their lives. ”
“Since I have had a Coast Guard Captain’s license for 62 years, I feel qualified to say I know a good boat when I see it. Ralph Stanley’s son, Richard, began his career as an apprentice in his father’s shop. It’s no surprise that he has developed into one of the premier master crafsmen in the trade of boatbuilding in the eastern United States. ”
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About Richard
A LIFELONG PASSION. A LIFETIME OF EXPERIENCE.
I spent quite a few of my spare hours as a younger guy working on older fishermen's lobster boats. Taking those old boats apart, and fixing them — I learned an awful lot about how wooden boats are put together, and where they fail.
When the younger (then) fishermen went to fiberglass, it looked like maybe the problems I'd spent so many hours solving were all going to be things of the past.
But to a man, once they'd gotten rid of the old wood boat and worked out of the new fiberglass boat, they told me they wanted their wooden boat back. The new boat pounded and vibrated, and slatted them around in weather the old boat would have gone through like a duck.
Raymond Bunker said that the new generation of boatbuilders had gotten everything wrong -- they put the plastic on the bottom, when it should have been on top; and they put the wood on top, when it would make for a much better ride if it was used for the hull.
I know Raymond Bunker was right. If you step back and think about it, it just makes sense. The watertight top. The comfortable ride of the wooden hull. The right material for the right job, and all of the sudden, there aren't so many sacrifices in the design process.
In the constant evolution of work boats the combination of a wooden hull with a fiberglass top is a revolutionary solution.