Cutts & Case, Inc.

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Cutts & Case, Inc. Designers & Builders Of Fine Wooden Yachts

We all know that big projects take time. With full, keel up restorations like HOTSPUR’s there is so much to do, so many...
10/14/2026

We all know that big projects take time. With full, keel up restorations like HOTSPUR’s there is so much to do, so many steps between where you begin and where you visualize the finish—along with other boat restoration and maintenance projects moving alongside. It’s easy to lose sight of just how far we’ve come with HOTSPUR.

Dennis keeps moving forward. Patterning frames and planks, cutting, fitting, fastening, filling and fairing—one laminate, frame or plank at a time. The work may not always lend itself to a dramatic update, but every piece brings HOTSPUR closest to where she needs to be—whole and back on the water!

There has been a great deal of progress since the last posted update in February. If you’ve been following along with the daily stories you’ve seen the progress made, but if you’ve missed those then swipe to see the older photos and join us for an introspective, reflective, interior view.

The very last image is the most recent, taken minutes ago of the same interior transom view where Dennis had been installing the new frame laminates on HOTSPUR’s aft portside (the right side in the photo). Check back for more restoration updates, and see the daily stories for current snippets of Shipyard projects!

As always questions and comments are welcome and we appreciate the “likes and shares,” too!

10/13/2026

Only the best for SOUVENIR!

With all the time, talent and materials invested in SOUVENIR’s brightwork remediation, varnish maintenance, prep work and paint jobs, you know that machine made vinyl would not dare disgrace her freshly painted transom.

Jay Brown set up his mobile studio space and spent a September morning in the museum shop. He measured her transom, noted the gentle camber and sketched a few lines that became a beautiful stylized script befitting of her unique Cutts and Case charm and character. No short cuts or machine made copies here, just Jay’s practiced eye, steady hand and full focus absorbed in his task. He was wholly present with each intuitive brushstroke lettering her name—he did not notice me watching as he paused to dip the brush to add then remove a measured amount of paint. Inhaling he would reposition the guide, hovering with the brush and wait to exhale a curving a line of gold to finish the “V”— artful meditation. I waited until he paused for more paint to make a little noise and walk by—-I didn’t want to interrupt his flow, so I did not catch the outline. The end result was a perfect finish of bold, gold letters thinly outlined in a rich navy to complement the boot stripe 🤩😘🤌✨

Jay has developed his talent here and many other boatyards and businesses over the course of his career. His work adds something more special than just SOUVENIR’s name and hailing port. Jay’s lettering breathes more life into her, complimenting the work of all the other talented hands that have created, cared for and sailed her, too! His craft, like that of Cutts and Case, is part of the Chesapeake’s longstanding maritime tradition and why we feel that these wooden boats have both souls and soles.

Jay Brown’s brushwork honors both. Thank you Jay!

10/09/2026

SPELLBOUND is enjoying the gustier winds now that we’re getting into the fall sailing season.

Boss took her out Monday during lunch to stretch her sails with a group of friends who were visiting—we assured him the boat work would continue in his brief absence and that he needs to actually sail SPELLBOUND and not just work on her.

So off he went and an hour or so later I got a call that they were en route back towards the Yacht Club. I caught them from the TAYC dock giving the Oxford Ferry and its passengers a show. You can definitely tell who had the helm on that last pass 😎👌

Quite the ketchup, SPELLBOUND is easily recognizable with her hard top Bimini and little HEX—her dignhy—resting aft the spacious cockpit, and beneath the mizzen boom. Ronnie does not take her out in light winds, so summer sailing is sparse as he waits for a minimum of 12kn before leaving the docks. This weekend’s weather may be a wet for her, but even the overcast grey gusty days are a welcome opportunity for her “to get out in it” ☁️🌬️⛵️

Regardless of what the weather may or may not do, we hope that you can adjust your sails and find some creative play this weekend!

Mid-1990s Throwback Thursday of a very young Ronnie and Clint. They’re smiling and standing in front of what was shaping...
10/08/2026

Mid-1990s Throwback Thursday of a very young Ronnie and Clint. They’re smiling and standing in front of what was shaping up to become MILLENNIA, built from the start using Ed Sr’s Cutts Method of strengthening the hull using Kevlar cording soaked in epoxy and strung like tendons between a double planked hull.

At this point, she was still taking shape. Swipe to see a more recent photo of her docked in front of the Byberry, swipe again to see an interior throwback view of Clint prepping her interior ceiling and companionway, also mid-late 1990s. MILLENNIA launched in 2000, making her the second youngest of the Cutts’ fleet (bonus if you can name the youngest in the comments below!). The intention in her construction was already the same one that has guided Ed Sr’s designs and Cutts and Case’s : build a boat to last—Quality is its own legacy.

Ed Cutts Sr once reflected, “We’re all of us temporary. We tend to forget that, and some people think that they can go on forever. Boats can and should last longer than people. Boats we build can go on for a hundred years, and more, if they’re well care for. They’ll outlast all of us.” He said it cheerily, with a grin—documented Wayne Brown in the biography he wrote about Ed Cutts.

MILLENNIA is one of those boats; inspired by and designed from Ed Cutts Sr’s dreams, built with his patented Cutts Method by him, his sons—Eddie Jr and Ronnie—and crew like Clint and Dennis here at the yard, where she is still lovingly maintained. Ronnie and the crew all recognize that we are custodians of these boats, keeping them and these shipyard traditions for the next generation, and hopefully those thereafter.

10/07/2026

ISABELLA’s main hatch had begun to show signs of wear and leak at the seams, it was time for restoration. The first step of restoration prep was the careful demolition of the top and damaged sides—which Rob removed with enough care to preserve the original frame, giving Chris a proven template for the new work rather than starting from scratch.

New, beefier sides were patterned and teak cut and shaped, complete with slide-channel grooves. Then Chris carefully fit, glued, and fastened them into place, checking once again that hey would line up snugly with the existing receiver on ISABELLA’s companionway. A beautiful piece of sapele was selected for the new top. Chris glued and fastened it into the frame, adding strength to the whole assembly, then faired it in using techniques and tools Dennis had shared with him.

From there came fiberglass and epoxy sealing over the entire top, followed by decorative molding and teak trim—as this hatch needs to fit both funcitonally and asethetically. Everything was sealed once more after the teak fiddles were fastened in place on top, after setting up over the weekend Chris then primed the top and sides of the hatch.

And that’s only the restoration prep. The finish work comes next—not only on this hatch, but on ISABELLA’s fore hatch and fore hatch receiver, too!

Hatches are some of the most hardworking pieces of craftsmanship aboard a boat. They have to withstand constant use—and sometimes abuse—while continuing to look beautiful and make a tight seal over the companionway below, protecting the cozy cabin and crew from wind, rain and weather.

So the next time you slide a hatch open, or step on one while flaking a sail and moving about the deck, take a moment to appreciate what’s beneath your feet. It’s a work of art!

Shipwrights are artists whose skills double to serve a functional purpose. Experience counts. Details Matter. Quality is its own legacy.

A rare sighting— most of the Cutts and Case crew in one place— standing still long enough to get a photograph where ever...
10/06/2026

A rare sighting— most of the Cutts and Case crew in one place— standing still long enough to get a photograph where everyone is smiling AND looking at the camera.

It was a Tuesday morning—before ELF’s decks were prepped for paint— most of us were on time and had remembered our new sunshirts and a couple others needed an extra one. That’s alright, we still have a few more left if you need one, too!

More than an attempt had been made to get everyone together and we still missed getting Bobby, Remi and Dinah in on this one. From the lot of 50 photos, this was the only one we all managed to smile for 😂—there were definitely a few good humored jokes made at the boss’ expense over how long it was taking to get a few photos.

It’s a good thing to be busy with boat work, we’re definitely blessed to be busy with it and that’s certainly something to smile about. As Kenneth Grahame wrote in his classic The Wind in the Willows:

"There is nothing—absolutely nothing—half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” We’re here for it! ⛵️😎🙌

Hope this made you smile, too. Happy Tuesday!

10/02/2026

During ELF’s finish finale, Dennis and Chris rolled out new nonskid decks using George Kirby Jr. Paint Co. ‘s Colonial Cream in a low lustre finish.

Cutts and Case is a longtime fan of George Kirby Jr. Paint Company and we are grateful to work with a family-owned and operated company that takes the same pride in its craft as we do in ours. George Jr., Shari and the whole Kirby crew are wonderful to work with. We are proud to support good people making good products 🙌

Earlier this Spring a case of the Colonial Cream in a low lustre finish was ordered for KID, NAIMA and ELF. Also this spring, SWELL was looking pretty sweet with her topsides in Kirby’s Alerion Green—check out her launch in the linked reel below. This summer, George Jr. color matched a discontinued blue color that Ed Sr had always used for his boats’ decks—check back to see SOUVENIR’s decks finished in this special custom color!

09/30/2026

Into the finish work on SOUVENIR, too!

Dennis and Clint are brushing on Pettit EZ Poxy in Semi-Gloss White. Cutts and Case purchases these quarts by the case, we use quite a bit of this finish topside paint at the yard as it brushes on beautifully with a glossy finish that holds up for years 🤩

Do a double take of that close up to see how all that careful prep work pays off 😘👌

Great job guys 🙌 New deck nonskid is up next, check back for more!

09/29/2026

Finally in the finish stages of catching up with ELF’s restoration work.

This video is really a humble brag compilation of Dennis’ 40yrs+ of brush skills—meaning he’s humble so we’re bragging and showing off his finish work skills 😄

Seriously though, his hands do not shake as he applies a thick strip of green bottom paint just under and snug up to that nice, fresh, shiny, wet-finish looking final white topcoat. He is in the finish work flow; skills level: Master ✅👌

And in true Dennis fashion, once he’s done he gives Rob a hand finishing up the deck prep. Mission to launch ASAP and underway 🙌

Cutts and Case is blessed to have all around craftsmen with years of experience who are also true team players that support one another. Thank you guys!

Check back for ELF content as there is more finish work to come in the final week countdown to launch!

Topsides: Epifanes Yacht Coatings Yacht Enamel White
Bottom: Pettit Paint Trinidad HD Green

Throwback Thursday brings us back to Fall Equinox 2013 when the National Sailing Center & Hall of Fame together with the...
09/24/2026

Throwback Thursday brings us back to Fall Equinox 2013 when the National Sailing Center & Hall of Fame together with the Chesapeake Traditional Sailboat Associationin Annapolis hosted the (then) 4th annual Classic Wooden Sailboat Race and Rendezvous!

Cutts and Case was well represented by SPELLBOUND sailed by Ed Cutts Jr., Ronnie Cutts and Chris Neustadt. They sailed over with a small fleet of client boats, including BERWYN, SPIRIT, SURFBIRD, and TIME to take part and enjoy the weekend festivities! Swipe to see a few more photos and leave a guess as to which two client boats are in the last images ☺️👇

📸🙏☺️: Christopher Neustadt

Address

306 Tilghman Street
Oxford, MD
21654

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm

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