Sweet Tilly
Sweet Tilly was the tenth hull constructed by renowned and extremely well respected boat builder O'Neil Jones in 1955. Given her narrow beam and more refined lines, we believe she was originally intended to work the long lines sunk to the bottom of one of the Bay/s many wide, shallow river mouths with bait tied at regular intervals. This is called a trotline, not a "trout line" and used to temp the delicious blue crab to grab ahold of the bait and not let go. Tilly would have "trot" up and down this line, pulling it to the surface and harvesting the crabs. Her extremely shallow draft and classic Chesapeake Bay deadrise workboat design all but insist that this was her original use.
Sweet Tilly has had many names since her keel was laid in the middle of the last century. She was probably built in or near Todville, MD which is the heart of historic Chesapeake Bay small boat construction. She has served essentially two purposes, fishing and pleasure. Now she blends work and pleasure to be available for you. Its one thing to get out on the water, its another to do so in a style so perfectly aligned with the cultural and historic context of the Chesapeake as Sweet Tilly.
Length: 36' 3"
Beam: 8' 8"
Draft: 2' 6"
Propulsion: Marine Power, 5.7 liter V8, fuel injected inboard
Sweet Tilly used to be Sweet Kate for about the last twenty years. To honor the extensive and expensive restoration, preservation and general care with which the previous owner maintained the vessel, we kept the "Sweet" and substituted Tilly for "Kate." Nothing against Kate, we are sure she's a sweet person given who her husband is. Besides, Tilly is suggestive of her hailing port, Tilghman, MD.
Learn morE about the legendary Builder here:
A historic deadrise workboat
History & Culture Ambassador
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. The variety of plentiful sea life, especially the blue crab, oyster and rockfish, have made the Bay a national treasure. The skill and determination with which the watermen took to the intensely variable conditions of the Chesapeake is on full display aboard Sweet Tilly. Built in 1955 she was constructed without plans simply by the memorized knowledge of legendary builder O'Neil Jones. HIs work along with the countless others of his profession over decades, if not a few centuries, demonstrates the simple, safe, durable and fully optimized approach to aquaculture that developed and grew out of Bay conditions, culture and economics. It just so happens that a vessel designed as the best way to take fish out of the water is the perfect platform to safely bring you and your party out onto the waters that demanded form follow function.
Made of WOOD
Oil companies really made building a boat in wood a very rare, expensive and difficult endeavor- unnecessarily. Though Fiberglass boats have their undeniable upside, nothing can be done to deny the appeal, practicality and long history of wood as material for workboat construction. Sweet Tilly was constructed in a time before widespread use of fiberglass (plastics) and is therefore a distinct and almost luxury experience in today's America. We maintain her with a mix of skill and yard bills. At least we know that the local craftsman we employ are absolute experts at what they do, our surveyor, shipwright, painter, mechanic and more! Sweet Tilly contributes to keeping traditional wooden boat skills alive.