Pardon Me runabout, source: ABM
The Antique Boat Museum received word late last night that
the team at Brooklin Boat Yard, located in Brooklin, Maine, started the engines
of Pardon Me, a 48-foot runabout known as the largest in the world, in their
boat shop. Yesterday afternoon it was decided to drop her in the water for a
test run as well, after determining the time in the shop was successful.
The boat, built in 1948, ran great according to mechanics.
The engine performed “flawlessly.”
(See videos linked on our ABM Facebook page courtesy of Brooklin
Boat Yard)
She ran in the water for some time at 1000 rpm and around 22
mph. A less than 10-second full throttle run made 51 mph at 2550 rpm, which
further proved that the boat was drawing closer to being the way it used to be.
The boat left Clayton in 2012 to have its bottom restored to
allow for in-water use again. In the time since its been gone, the boat’s
entire bottom and keel have been replaced, her engines have been restored, and
a new rudder was installed.
Work still to be done is mostly varnish and hardware
installation. She is on target to be in Clayton well before the 50th
annual Antique Boat Show this August 1-3.
