Road closes for transfer of giant boat

A large vessel will be seen slowly making its way to land and across a Freeland road this week.

By Luisa Loi • January 7, 2025 1:30 am
Photo by Luisa Loi Tyler Allen, also known as “peanut” by his coworkers, paints the Madison Bay on a Tuesday morning. The boat is about 17 feet tall from the bottom to the main deck and was covered under a giant tent at the time this photo was taken. Madison Bay is inspected every five years by the American Bureau of Shipping, and all the necessary renovations, including the replacement of the anodes, are done at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders.
Photo by Luisa Loi Tyler Allen, also known as “peanut” by his coworkers, paints the Madison Bay on a Tuesday morning. The boat is about 17 feet tall from the bottom to the main deck and was covered under a giant tent at the time this photo was taken. Madison Bay is inspected every five years by the American Bureau of Shipping, and all the necessary renovations, including the replacement of the anodes, are done at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders.

A large vessel on giant sausages will be seen slowly making its way to land and across a Freeland road this week, prompting a temporary road closure.

Starting at 8 a.m. this Thursday, East Shoreview Drive will be intermittently closed from Cameron Road to Woodward Avenue to allow the transfer of a 286-foot-long and 76-foot-wide Boyer barge, named “Madison Bay,” from the Nichols Brothers Boat Builders shipyard to the water after undergoing some repairs, according to General Manager Nick Zustiak.

Once the transfer is completed, a second boat, the 167-foot-long and 42-foot-wide Victoria Clipper V catamaran, will be moved back to the shipyard. The road is expected to reopen to traffic at 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10, according to a notice sent out by Island County on Dec. 31.

The Madison Bay, which Zustiak said weighs approximately 1,700 tons, will be moved with the help of about 12 to 15 workers and what he described as “sausage-shaped airbags,” multi-layered rubber bags that are placed under the boat and inflated for the vessel to roll on.

Steering a large vessel on these sausages can be challenging, though Zustiak assured there is no risk of the boat tipping over and causing harm.

The catamaran, which is smaller and lighter, will be moved with hydraulic crawlers and about four to five workers.

County Engineer Ed Sewester said this is the first time the county has sent residents a notice about a boat transfer and the resulting road closure.

Recently, the road was closed for longer than planned due to external factors. This may have inconvenienced residents who prefer to use the road rather than the highway, Sewester said.

Zustiak said he appreciates the public’s patience, and the Nichols Brothers team is willing to work extra hours to reopen the road as soon as possible, though that significantly depends on the tides and how safe it is for workers to do so.

“We try and make it a priority to not have it closed any longer than we have to,” he said.

When a large vessel needs to be moved from the water, for example, there is limited time to perfectly position the boat over the airbags before the tide goes out and the boat stops floating. Transfers may also require leveling the ramp with the road using gravel or dunnage wood, which can take additional time.

Zustiak, who has been working for Nichols Brothers for over 30 years, said these road closures can happen multiple times in a year, though the frequency and duration depends on the project they are working on. To limit the frequency of the disruptions, the company tries to schedule transfers back to back.

Seeing large vessels be moved on land is not exactly an everyday experience, and can be an impressive scene to behold, Zustiak said. Some people like to stop by and admire, though it used to be a more popular activity to kill time, he said.

People interested in observing the transfer may do so from the park surrounding Freeland Hall, or anywhere safe that isn’t beyond the road closure signs, Zustiak said.

Nichols Brothers welcome community members to submit questions and feedback.

For more information, contact Nichols Brothers Boat Builders by searching nicholsboats.com/form/contact-us or call Island County Public Works at 360-679-7331.

(Photo by David Welton) A man and his dog walk by a boat’s turbines at the boat ramp across the street from the Nichols Brothers Boat Builders shipyard in a photo taken in 2015. This week, a barge and a catamaran will be moved to and from the shipyard.

(Photo by David Welton) A man and his dog walk by a boat’s turbines at the boat ramp across the street from the Nichols Brothers Boat Builders shipyard in a photo taken in 2015. This week, a barge and a catamaran will be moved to and from the shipyard.