Ptl build certificate?

[Flatlander]

Hello! New to the forum. Up in Alaska getting ready to go trolling on our 1976 Pacific Trawler. Coast guard wants a “Certificate of build” to let us proceed. We believe the boat was built in Bellingham, WA.

Does anyone know of any information about the company that built these? Need to find someone who worked there apparently.

We’ve been through all the professional maritime title services with no luck. Coast guard says we need someone who was there back in 1976! Tall order for sure.

Any thoughts, ideas ir contact numbers appreciated!

Thanks, Buzz

 

[Larry M]

I assume you’re commercial fishing where the vessels must be US built?

 

[Flatlander]

Yes. Salmon trolling in SE Alaska.

 

[Steppe]

Buzz,

You are not going to like this answer.

I purchased a 37' Pacific Trawler, hull number 28, in 2015 and at that time we were active in the informal owners association. A spreadsheet was issued at the time that showed boat hull numbers, dates, owner addresses etc. From that spreadsheet I can provide you the following information:

1. Between 1969 and 1973 seven boats were built in Japan with wooden hulls.

2. The first fiberglass boat, hull number 1 and subsequent boats thru #21 were built in Costa Mesa, CA. I have no information about the firm's name, address or anything else. The last California boat appears to have been built in 1977 and at one point was named Clementine. I vaguely remember looking at Clementine in around 1995 when she was on the market in Seattle.

3. The Washington based company started by Roger Drill built hull #22 through #53 in Marysville, Burlington and finally Bellingham, WA. Washington boats were built between 1979 and 2002. The company went out of business sometime in 2002 or 2003 and a few subsequent hulls were repossessed or reclaimed and finished by owners.

I doubt you will find anyone who used to work on the Costa Mesa built boats.

 

[Flatlander]

Thank you Steppe!

I appreciate the detailed info. Looks like it was built down in Costa Mesa. That makes sense. I just talked to Roger Drill and he didn't have any new information but thinks it was not built in Bellingham also.

Continuing my search for someone that may have worked at Pacific Trawler in 1976 in Costa Mesa. I saw an article mentioning a couple guys named Mike Howarth and Henry Morschladt. sounds like they worked there around 1975 and then went on to start their own boat company, Pacific Seacraft.