We had the privilege of restoring the Sparkman and Stephens yawl, MAH JONG, from 2015 to 2017. Originally built in 1957 at Cheoy Lee Shipyards in Hong Kong, she sailed to the East Coast of the United States upon completion and spent most of her life in New England. After sitting out of the water for two years in Tortola, she arrived at Gannon and Benjamin in need of a significant restoration.

During the restoration, we were able to save much of her teak planking, but replaced all of her frames, her forekeel, and laid a new teak deck. The original forekeel, made from Yakal—a tropical hardwood—had been badly damaged by a corroded steel maststep. We replaced it with a new forekeel crafted from angelique timber and installed a new stainless steel maststep.

The original Ipol copper-riveted frames were replaced with steam-bent white oak in the forward quarter of the hull. Due to the curvaceous shape of the hull, we could not use steam-bent white oak further aft without overstressing, so the remaining three-quarters of the hull was reframed with live oak. We also replaced all of her floor timbers with either live oak or custom-fabricated bronze floors.

The interior, worn out, dark, and cramped, was completely gutted and redesigned for more space and comfort. A new cabin house was built, better suited for cruising, and all of her systems were replaced.

Our work on MAH JONG was honored in 2018 when she won the Restoration of the Year (over 40 feet) award at the 11th Annual Classic Boat Awards.

In 2022, MAH JONG returned to our yard for a new engine, making her fully ready for cruising anywhere in the world.