Newburgh Yacht Club

Boating on the Hudson since 1885

Saying Goodbye To Our Workboat

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When he was Commodore, Hans Peters, purchased the workboat for the club. He thought it could become the secret for easy dredging of the marina. 

Especially with the boat’s big 36-inch propeller and the towing rake he bought to stir up the bottom.  

He thought the silt could be whisked out of the marina with the help of the extra current generated by the propeller.

Hans Peters was Club Commodore in 1989 when he brought the workboat to the club. Here he’s enjoying some of his homemade wine on his back porch.

Did it work?   He said the powers that be at the club then were not keen on the idea and it never got a fair trial.    However, the workboat did get a lot of use.   In fact, it got more than 30 years of service at Newburgh Yacht Club.

The boat came to the Newburgh Yacht Club in about 1989.   It had been working nearby for some time helping with the construction of the second span of the Newburgh Beacon Bridge.  When its work at the bridge was finished, Hans Peters, purchased it for $5,000.  He then sold it to the Newburgh Yacht Club for one dollar. 

Hans says the boat may have been constructed in Newburgh by the Steel Style (Steelways) Corporation, which provided steel caissons used in the bridge construction.

View of the motor on workboat.

Anyone looking at our workboat was sure to mention its unusual motor.   A boat with a heavy steel hull was going to need lots of power.   It ended up getting a 6-cylinder diesel motor from an Oldsmobile sedan says Hans.   The motor had to be modified to work vertically rather than in its usual horizontal position.   Hans paid to have it done.   Master Technician/Inventor, Charlie Clauson did the job.  

In August of 2020, the club paid to have the workboat disassembled and scrapped. Below is a short video of some of that process.

2021 will mark the 53rd year of membership in our club for Hans Peters.  He joined in 1968.  He served as Commodore in 1989.   He and is wife Rita often attend our social events.  Hans is well known for bringing a bottle or two of his homemade wine along to our dinner events to make things merry. 

Hans thank you for the history on the workboat.   We look forward to seeing you and Rita and all our members here when once again when we will be able to have social events.