29' Peterson Susan Schooner (2022) - BISH

BISH is a Murray Peterson SUSAN, 30′ Gaff topsail schooner he originally designed for use by he and his wife Susan for weekend outings in the 1930’s. The topsail plan was designed by his son Bill. The original sails were built by Nat Wilson of Booth Bay. He also made my sails just before having his son take over. You can follow the build on bischoffboatworks.com. It is not a commercial yard. I owned a branding firm so I have to name everything (sorry). It took 12 years to build. I work alone, 2 days a week. BISH is Port Orford Cedar on Tennessee White Oak frames. Teak deck laid on laminated Doug Fir deck beams. Purpleheart keel. All spars are solid Alaska Sitka Spruce.
The name BISH comes from my dad’s nickname. He was a California State worker, but was an armchair adventurer… with an emphasis on Canadien Voyaguers, wolves, canoes, explorers, tugboat captains. He was the founding president of the American Whitewater Association, American Canoe Association, American Square-dance Callers Association, American Speluncking Association, etc. He loved venturing out with me on my 37′ cutter and pretending he was an explorer. My wish is that his spirit of adventure lives on in this build.

She launched in July 2022 at Canal Boatyard in Seattle. Masts were stepped and final rigging measurements taken. All rigging (except forestay which is stainless steel) is 7×7 galvanized wire from UK, parcel and served. Due to thinness of top mast, I had to hire a crane to fit the upper shrouds. She is currently at Edmonds Marina (F04) in Edmonds, WA. There is a feature article about the boat, including some sailing shots, in the March/April 2024 issue of Wooden Boat Magazine.
To see progress pictures of the build, go to http://bischoffboatworks.com