Why I want Lowell’s Boat Shop to receive a grant and be saved for future generations.

By Hawk Hickok Hick man - retired Irish Sea Mousers MA

(The author gathering Irish Sea Moss in Minot MA) (The author again in Scituate near 1st Cliff. Both pictures are of the 1970 built Amesbury Dory-all mahogany construction.)

In 1959 , at the age 16, we moved to Scituate Mass, a lovely town located on the Atlantic Ocean on the South Shore. After washing dishes at a restaurant for my first summer, I noticed young men rowing out of Scituate Harbor every day and later returning with beautiful wooden boats full of seaweed. After several inquiries to various high school classmates, I learned that they were engaged in one of the town’s oldest industries, Irish Sea Mossing and that the beautiful crafted boats were dories. I decided then and there that I would become a sea moss gatherer.

In my first year, not having the wherewithal to purchase a dory, I was forced to borrow a skiff (square stern) from the gentleman who purchased the moss. Working my way through each summer for 10 years, I was finally able to order my “dream boat’, an Amesbury Dory, to be built at the Lowell Boat Shop in Amesbury Ma.. The dory, pictured above in two different color schemes, provided my with a sturdy work boat and delightful rowing craft from then until the present time. I had it made from mahogany because of the added durability over traditional pine. True to its billing, it has continued to function up to the present time (closing in on 40 years), albeit with lots of maintenance to “keep it afloat”.

The dory was delivered by truck to my home on 2nd Cliff in Scituate and I fell in love with her immediately. Over the next 15 years, she would hold over 500,000 pounds of sea moss and provide me with the best kind or rowing exercise imaginable (not to be confused with the recreational speedy rowing practiced by rowing clubs in much lighter craft). I was able to put upwards of 1500 pounds in her without sinking. If you know anything about dories, you know that the more weight you place in them, the steadier they row (they tend to be “tippy” when totally empty).


For the 39 years I have owned the dory, I always had thought about visiting the Lowell Boat Shop, but never got there until two days ago. I had corresponded with Pam Bates at the shop a few years ago when I had entertained the idea of buying a new dory and had the address in hand. So, on a sudden whim, while out on a motorcycle ride with my best friend, I decided to find the shop and visit. As I had fallen in love with the dory 39 years previously, I instantly fell in love with the boat shop. We had come down a hill and were approaching Main Street in Amesbury, where we knew the shop was located. Glancing across the intersection to our left, we immediately spotted a dory our front. My heart began to speed up. At age 65, I was finally seeing where my dory had been built.

As we parked our Harleys and approached the door to the shop, an aura of tranquility and awe descended over us. We were entering another time, a time of handcrafting, a time of silent beautiful rowing craft, moving up and down the Merrimac and other New England Rivers and shores. At first we thought no one was in the shop as we looked at it standing there silent and dark, but then we spotted keys in the door!!! Pam came to the door, and after bidding adieu to some visitors who had arrived prior to us, and finding out who we were, gave us a wonderful tour.

As we walked throughout the three floors, we were transported back to the 1800s. We could feel (and I expressed this feeling to Pam) the ghosts of all boat builders past. It was a spiritual journey for me and I truly mean that. I was entranced. Pam explained to us the voting contest to get the grant and we immediately voted on line when we got home. We will spread the word today via e-mail to our hundreds of friends and try to help Pam and the friends of Lowell’s realize their dream, a grant to fix up the shop, the oldest boat shop in the U.S., and to continue to build boats and teach others to build them as well.

Hawk Hickok Hickman