By Micah True

"It’s more than a boat, it’s a way of life."

That’s how Doug Leen feels about his current home, the classic 73-foot restored tugboat Katahdin.

Leen, who arrived in town recently to head up Southeast Regional Health Consortium’s new dental clinic, spent the last eight years restoring the tug, which is tied up at the Haines Small Boat Harbor.

The Katahdin, built in 1899 by the Seattle shipwrights the Hanson Brothers, is one of few remaining tugs of its generation in such good condition, Leen said. "There’re older ones, and there are better ones, but there aren’t many older, better ones."

The tug spent most of the last century in unglamorous roles, including stints as a cannery tender and log hauler. Originally dubbed Katahdin, the tug was renamed Catherine Foss after it was acquired by Foss Launch and Tug Company in 1940.

Foss used it to haul logs from timber camps in the Strait of Juan de Fuca to mills in Port Angeles and Tacoma, Wash., until it was transferred to Seattle, where it hauled gravel, petroleum and other commodity barges in Puget Sound.

Unlike many of Foss’s tugs, the Catherine was not requisitioned by the military during World War II, according to company historian Mike Skalley. "Some of our boats were requisitioned, but we needed commerce to continue in Puget Sound, and the Catherine stayed on," Skalley said. Foss decommissioned the Catherine in l964. A subsequent owner changed the tug back to its original name.

When Leen found the tug in l994 at an Orcas Island, Wash. boat yard, she had no decks, key timbers were rotting and neglect had taken its toll: "She was pretty derelict," Leen said.

Leen paid $10,000 for the tug and has spent $500,000 fixing it up, work that drew the "Best Restored Tug" award at this year’s Seattle Maritime Festival.

"Virtually everything on the boat has been replaced, renewed or restored," he said. "There’s always more. I’ll never finish."

But for now, the tug’s as luxurious as modern pleasure craft.

"This boat has every modern convenience that a modern yacht would," Leen said. A system to make potable water, generators, a navigation system and a galley with a full complement of kitchen appliances bring touches of modernity to the antique boat.

The Katahdin, originally steam-driven, is on its fourth engine. Its current powerplant, a 240-horsepower 1944 Washington six cylinder, direct-reversing engine, was damaged when he bought it, but Leen says he’s always enjoyed fixing machines. "I’ve always tinkered with old mechanical things."

The direct-reversing engine adds character to the boat, he said. Instead of using a transmission to shift into reverse, Leen stops the engine and then starts it again in reverse. "It’s very simple, very elegant, but for some reason it scares a lot of people. Shutting off your engine when you’re coming into dock is not a normal thing to do."

When it’s running, the engine needs to be oiled regularly, Leen said. "We go down about every three hours and go through an oiling regimen. It takes about 10 minutes. It keeps everything lubricated." The engine's valves could get too hot to function if not manually oiled while the boat’s under way, he said.

Leen said his interest in boats is relatively new. "I used to mountain climb a lot. The older you get, the harder it gets to get up in the mountains. I thought (boats) would be a good hobby to get into."

Before buying and restoring Katahdin, Leen was proud owner of a 1909 tug measuring 54 feet, the Winamac. But fate intervened before Leen got a chance to enjoy the fruits of his restorative efforts. "It sunk on its maiden voyage. It was a pretty sad day."

He’s had more luck with Katahdin. He’s lived onboard the tug for the last four years, and regularly travels with it. His most recent trip, the voyage from his former home in Seattle to Haines, took 14 days.

The boat’s age makes parts scarce. "I’ve got a container full of parts that I bought with the boat," Leen said. If his collection lacks a needed part, he has them specially manufactured.

Leen says the boat is not an investment he expects to profit from. "All boats have negative value. You put more money into it than you’ll ever get out of it…You just do this out of the love of old boats."