Metal work takes skill and experience if it is to be done properly. Fortunately, the Shipwrights Co-op has both.

The Pacific is an example of the Co-op's expertise. The steel trawler yacht had been modified with the addition of a tower and deck equipment. To accommodate those changes, a naval architect determined that the 60-foot-long hull needed to be lengthened by 8 feet in order to increase stability, add freeboard, and to add a state room. The Co-op's task was to cut the boat in half just forward of the wheelhouse and fill in the opening with a new metal structure.

After the cut was made, an I-beam keel extension and hull framework were welded in place. The new hull section was completed with the installation of the shell plate, guard and caprails. Every piece was precisely filled and welded to blend the new structure with the old, creating a vessel capable of withstanding the rigors of extended open-ocean passage making or inshore cruising.