Utopia

Utopia, a staysail schooner, was built in 1946 by Peterson Boat Yard in Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin. It was the first boat built after the war for the owner of the yard, Fred Peterson. He used the boat as his personal yacht and sailed across the Atlantic and back; soon after, he spent 3 years circumnavigating the globe in her.

In 2016 she was donated to Inland Seas Education Association in Suttons Bay, MI, by the Peterson family to be used by the organization for educational programming. She has a unique construction method used by the Peterson Yard for a time: the bottom of the boat is steel and transitions to wood construction below the waterline.

We were involved right away in work to be done on deck, including rebuilding a cabin corner. Later it was found on the bottom that the junction of wood and steel was deteriorated and needed repair. We proceeded with partial re-framing, scarfing on nearly 40 new frame ends, and installing new steel floors. Deteriorated steel hull sections were cut out and new sections welded in. A new steel rabbet was bent in place and welded as well. We made a stem repair, followed by re-planking in the affected area. Finally, caulking, paying the seams, painting, and many smaller tasks were completed before re-launching. Work was aided with the assistance of the staff of Inland Seas including Adam Burke and from Garret Eisele from Clark and Eisele Traditional Boatbuilding.