"Lorna Foss"

I saw this tug on yacht world, well worth a look through the photos, especially the engine room.
Definitely a project boat, and I love the comment: "needs some TLC"

1903 Classic American Built Tug Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

Enjoy

Robbie

Boy..thats a big step back in time!

A single handler if I ever saw one. What....no swim platform?

Wow, it sure would be nice to see that restored. But that would be a BIG project!

robbie said:

I saw this tug on yacht world, well worth a look through the photos, especially the engine room.
Definitely a project boat, and I love the comment: "needs some TLC"

1903 Classic American Built Tug Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

Enjoy

Robbie

Click to expand...

There are many old Foss tugs still around. The picture is on Lake Union, and docked under the free way bridge. She is direct drive with N tans/gear boat. So the engine has to be shut down, the cam cog turns so the engine turns in the opposite directly. We had a neighbor, TJ and Brandy, that had an old Foss Tug that made a regular habit to crashing in/though docks. When it was a whole marina afair to get the tug in/out of the dock/marina. We used several inflatale as bow and stern thrusater to get the tug line up straiught before the engines were started. Great times an memories.

The Thea Foss, a 100 ft steel, 1930, is still the Executive boat, dock one marina over from us. It was direct drive until about 10 year as it crashed though one to many docks. In the summer it leaves the lake, and at Christmas goes out almost every night following the Christmas ship. The first time a the Thea dock, I was no the engine room, had had to change my under ware as the prop wash sounded like it was right next to us. When the dock they lined up about 300 yards from the dock and slowly chuck/coasted in.

Back in the early 1900 hundred, Mrs. Thea Foss stated a row boat rental business and most of the ships were still sail and/or steam, so they rented her the row boats to dock the big ships. So that is how Foss Tug got started.

My grandfather was the chief engineer at Foss Tug back in the fifties and was in charge of all tug maintenance and the machine shop. He got me an after school job cleaning the machine shop after the workers went home. Anyway as a Foss big shot, he was allowed to take out Thea Foss once in awhile and I remember driving it under the floating bridge during a summer weekend day when he invited my family aboard. I was probably around 10 to 12 years old at the time.

Ron

it would be a lot cheaper to give Hinckley $3,000,000. to build you a replica than it would be to repair that junker.

Friends,
Popeye has left the building!

Foss has a great history in Puget Sound. Someone will buy her. A friend of mine owns the original Thea Foss, now named Mitlite.

That would be a great boat to fix up and use if one had the time and money to do it right. Hopefully someone will do just that.

Northern Spy: "Foss has a great history in Puget Sound. Someone will buy her. A friend of mine owns the original Thea Foss, now named Mitlite."

Had a chance to buy MITLITE in the early 1980's. At the time, what would have sold me on the chance to become her caretaker would have been if the original Enterprise was still in her, just like Henry Foss built her.

LORNA FOSS needs a money-is-no-object kind of owner. But it would be a great project.

These are the kind of boats that an owner has to love as they make zero sense either rationally or financially. Almost became caretaker for a 30 foot Monterrey Troller, still may someday when the right one speaks to me.

There's something intangible about a work boat that just makes me throw reason out the window. They lack any modern convenience whatsoever and leave me drooling when I see a for sale sign in the window.

CPseudonym said:

These are the kind of boats that an owner has to love as they make zero sense either rationally or financially. Almost became caretaker for a 30 foot Monterrey Troller, still may someday when the right one speaks to me.

There's something intangible about a work boat that just makes me throw reason out the window. They lack any modern convenience whatsoever and leave me drooling when I see a for sale sign in the window.

Click to expand...

Do it! You know you want to. I'll hold your hand and walk you through the tear down and rebuild stages mate!

It's not crispy enough for me but a great looking rig.

swampu said:

It's not crispy enough for me but a great looking rig.

Click to expand...

Haha

Phil Fill said:

Somebody will by it and restore\ it as a hobby. That is what older boats sort of become as it make no financial/logical sense to drop so much time and money. Just like restoring old autos/houses! Its more for self worth/pride, I did that! There are a lot of shows around Puget Sound they go to.

Click to expand...

I agree for boats and cars but disagree with the house comment. Dont know about where you live but over here Lots can be made by renovating a house and on selling it.

Hendo78 said:

I agree for boats and cars but disagree with the house comment. Dont know about where you live but over here Lots can be made by renovating a house and on selling it.

Click to expand...

True but some people buy old houses, restore them with no intention of selling them. We have a lot of historical houses building.

I forgot to mention a lot of old boats/tugs have been restored at the wood boat center at the south end of Lake Union. Reparing and maintaining old wood boats is a lost art and there are ony a few places/yard that have the knoweldge and/or capability.

During the forth of July they have Wood boat show. You should see some of the old wood boats have been restored/pimp out.

Phil Fill said:

During the forth of July they have Wood boat show. You should see some of the old wood boats have been restored/pimp out.

Click to expand...

I've mentioned this before but I had a ball at that show 4 years ago building a Union Bay Skiff with my grandson.