A little about us

Brian Fain

A little about myself and my interest in Down East Boats. Growing up along the Connecticut coastline, I am a lifelong New Englander. My first introduction to boating was at the early age of six, when I attended a summer sailing camp in RI. Over the years, I sailed with friends in Long Island Sound as well as the waters off the coast of Rhode Island and Maine. Upon moving to Branford Ct and learning to navigate the waters around the Thimble Islands, it became apparent very that if I wanted to gunk hole, I need a vessel with a shallow draw. After researching boat hulls and styles, I soon feel in love with the lure of a down east style boat. After a year or so of searching for the right boat, I found a Legacy 28 that was on the hard and nearly left for dead. I walked away from it twice, then I decided to ask a few basic questions to the broker. Apparently, he had no history of the boat and the engine hours were unknown. I rolled the dice and made an offer that was accepted based on the condition of the boat. As it turned out, the boat had less than 180 hours, but needed a lot of love. Although I bought the boat in December, with the help of many friends and many hours of boat yoga, I was able to get the essentials done and launch the boat in May. Over the next several years, Yacht stalker was reconditioned to Bristol condition and topped off with a newly painted stars & stripes blue hull & finely varnished bright work. Almost, if not all components had been upgraded or replaced. Through this process, I learned the passion that comes along with owning a down east boat, that is, it must always be clean and mechanically perfect. Hence, the website, downeastboat.com is dedicated to those who share the same passion as I do.

Chris Hauman

A little about myself and how I got involved in the concept Downeastboat.com .

I grew up in Guilford Connecticut on Trolley Road right on the beach. My father has been an avid boater ever since I was eight years old. He had a 32 foot Chris craft and then purchased to a 41 foot Morgan sailboat. He sold that boat and about 10 years ago got involved in another 41 foot Morgan. I personally love the water and got involved with the United States Coast Guard auxiliary back in 2015. I learned of the organization and was excited to help spread the word of boating safety to the public. I am currently the Public Affairs and Diversity officer For Flotilla 2401 in Branford Connecticut.

Brian approached me with the concept of downeastboat.com and I loved the idea. I’ve been a web developer since 2008 giving us an upper hand in tackling this project. The concept is simple to be a go to guide for someone researching or wanting to purchase a Downeast Boat. Brian knows these boats inside and out. Having torn one apart and rebuilt it hands on, he had the opportunity to learn a lot about these boats. Thank you for visiting our site, we hope you find what you are looking for!