Longtime MDI boat builder sells business to protégé
PHOTo / LAURIE SCHREIBER
Rich Helmke is seen here with Deb, an old Robert “Bobby” Rich boat that made Helmke fall in love with the Rich brand.
BERNARD — Boat builder Robert “Chummy” Rich, who has been featured in books and videos, sold his long-running boatbuilding operation, Bass Harbor Boat Inc. in Tremont, to his protégé, Richard Helmke.
Rich, the fifth generation of Rich boat builders, took over operations at the boat yard in 1981. He has talked about retirement for some time, but the plan to sell to Helmke came together recently over dinner.
“He indicated how he'd love to retire and sell the place, but he'd miss it,” Helmke recalls. “And that's when we came up with an idea together: 'What if I bought the place, you still keep coming in and do your thing every day and enjoy it as long as you want, and it works out great for both of us?'”
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Rich's grandfather, Clifton Rich, opened a small shop around 1910 at what is locally known as Bernard Corner, a crossroads in Tremont, on Bass Harbor. He built punts, dories, small fishing boats and sailboats that were a mainstay for the local fleet.
Clifton had three sons who became boat builders in the area — Chummy's father Robert, who was known as Bobby, as well as Ronald and Roger. Other branches of the Rich clan also set up shops around town.
Bobby started what is now known as Bass Harbor Boat on the Bernard shore in 1939 and soon became the go-to builder for all manner of workboats, recreational boats and specialty craft, including a mini-tug.
Chummy Rich learned the craft from his grandfather, father and his father's employees. He began working at Bass Harbor Boat in 1958 and took over operations upon his father's death in 1981. Together, Clifton, Bobby, and Chummy produced at least 367 boats.
He was featured in a short film, “Chummy Rich: Maine Boat Builder,” by Dobbs Productions of Bar Harbor and has been the subject of stories in books and magazines.
None of Chummy Rich's kids wanted to take over the business.
A decade ago, Rich started to think about retiring from the boat construction side of the business to concentrate on boat transportation. That was around the time Helmke landed on his doorstep.
Helmke, a wooden boat enthusiast who had been living in Nyack, N.Y., contacted Rich to get restoration advice for a Bobby Rich boat built in 1959. The two men hit it off. In 2006, Helmke moved with his family to Bernard to work for Rich.
With the transition, Helmke intends to keep the Bass Harbor Boat name and continue the focus on wooden boat repair, storage and restoration, as well as transportation. Plus, he's building a 34-foot spec boat.
“We have a shed full of boats right now, doing the same thing for 50 years,” he says. “Take my boat, for example. My family goes out and has fun. You imagine, 30 or 40 years ago, the same thing was happening in that same boat. And the boat's just chugging along, doing what it's supposed to do, smiles on everybody's faces.”
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