Photo / Courtesy Billy Black
A Rockport Marine employee works inside the hull in one of the areas reinforced with carbon fiber and other materials.
July 13, 2025
Midcoast boatbuilder teams with Ocean State designer on 95-foot sailing yacht
Photo / Courtesy Billy Black
Ouzel’s hull is seen in late 2023 when it emerged from the building and was turned over. The wood is visible as well as carbon-and-foam composite bulkheads used in high-load areas.
Rockport Marine, a boatbuilder based in midcoast Maine, is slated to wrap up construction this fall of a 95-foot sailing yacht that’s been several years in the making and positions the boatyard to better take on European rivals.
“A yacht like Ouzel would most often be built in Europe, and likely from aluminum or possibly composite,” Sam Temple, Rockport Marine’s president, told Mainebiz. “This is our bid to compete in that space.”
‘Superyacht’
Maine is known for wooden boatbuilding, from traditional plank-on-frame construction to the more modern wood composite technique of layering thin sheets of wood with epoxy resin to create a strong, light hull.
Founded in 1962, Rockport Marine specializes in custom wooden boat construction, restoration and design. Powered by a 60-strong crew, the yard stores and maintains a fleet of classic wooden boats and usually has some large restorations and/or new builds in progress. Going into this winter, the yard has a restoration in the shop and several potential new and refit projects.
The boat under construction, whose build name is Project Ouzel, was designed by Newport, R.I., naval design firm Langan Design Partners LLC. Project management is being provided by Marine Construction Management, a Newport, R.I., firm that specializes in overseeing construction of custom-built, large, luxury yachts often called “superyachts.”
Ouzel is being built using cold-molded wood construction. The process involves layering thin sheets of wood with epoxy resin and is said to create a strong, light hull. The technique yields a strong shell while requiring less framing that a traditional plank-on-frame wooden yacht, said Tom Degremont, a partner at Langan Design.
Materials used for the construction of the boat’s internal structural grid include carbon fiber, also commonly used in boatbuilding and providing a high strength-to-weight ratio.
‘Wilder places’
The owners are experienced boaters whose previous yacht was a 64-footer from a high-end builder in Finland called Baltic Yachts, according to a news release.
They will use Ouzel, which was designed to their specifications, for an extensive remote cruising itinerary.
Rendering / Courtesy Langan Design Partners
The rendering gives a good sense of what Ouzel will look like when launched.
“They are interested in exploring wilder places,” said Temple. “The boat’s systems and to some degree construction details reflect that brief.”
The design combines a classic above-the waterline look with a modern underbody.
“When the clients were choosing a builder they were focused on Maine boatbuilding, and they have given an opportunity for this unique industry to show the best it has to offer,” said Temple, a third-generation boatbuilder.. “Maine and, more broadly, the U.S. Northeast contains a confluence of marine tradespeople, allowing elements of work to be shared across multiple shops.”
Project team
Photo / Courtesy of Rockport Marine
Sam Temple
The project team included structural engineers, technical experts, mechanical, electrical, mast and rigging specialists.
Rockport Marine had previously worked with Langan Design on the construction of Spirit of Bermuda, a 112-foot, three-masted schooner based on an early-19th-Century style and launched in 2006.
Further conversations resulted in the latest commission.
The yacht’s owners “already knew they wanted to build in Maine and understood our construction methods,” said Temple.
'Good design support'
Construction of initial parts began in late 2022. It’s expected that the boat will splash in early fall, followed by sea trials with the goal of allowing Ouzel to sail away for the winter.
Maine builders have built cold-molded boats for about 40 years,Temple said.
In Ouzel’s case, the cold-molded wood hull is strengthened by the use of fiberglass and carbon fiber in the structural grid in order to withstand the strains that result from the forces of sailing.
“The composite elements of the build grew our capabilities,” Temple said. “We’d honed those skills on a few boats prior to this, but with good design support we were able to get comfortable in that space.”
Contributing the carbon fiber and fiberglass components were Steve Hassett and Nate Hassett, family members who own Custom Composites Technologies in Bath.
One of Temple’s long-time employees interested in expanding his skill set in that field trained with the Hassetts as he assisted in making the parts.
Additional vendors included Marine Hydraulics Consultancy in Washington, which built the hydraulic system.
The yard has received some interest in other work on this scale.
“Our infrastructure would need to grow to accommodate work larger than Ouzel, but I welcome that opportunity,” Temple said.
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