36' Willis Deadrise Sink Netter (1933) - SYLVIA II

Built in Morehead City NC in 1933 during the Great Depression, Sylvia II was designed as a “Deadrise” sink netter,with a draft of only 2.5 feet, a long sweeping shear and a rounded stern. Working the Core and Bogue Sounds in summers and long lining off shore in the winter, she earned her keep as one of hundreds of such boats working the NC commercial fishery.
Commandeered by the U.S. Navy in WWII as a patrol and supply boat, she hunted German U boats off the Carolina coast and delivered supplies to remote coastal stations.
After the war, she served as a waterborne “school bus” ferrying children from settlements on the Shackleford Banks to mainland schools, and then, throughout the remaining decades, worked as a charter fishing boat.She is on the NC Register of Historic Vessels and is documented as the states oldest surviving wooden fishing vessel.
Purchased by me from an ad in Wodden Boat Magazine “save a classic” in 2014, she underwent a complete six year “keel up” restoration into a family cruising vessel. Focusing on maintaining her historical integrity while upgrading her for safe and current use, each individual piece of her was removed and replicated with modern materials.Framed in Angelique and planked in Atlantic White Cedar, she is silicon bronze fastened throughout. Interior woods include Mahogany, Sapele and antique heart pine.
She is powered by a Cummins 210 HP 6BT turbocharged diesel, ZF transmission and Seastar hydraulic steering system.