Planning On CG36500 Boathouse, Museum Continues

ORLEANS – At the Orleans Historical Society, work continues toward building a new boathouse and museum for the famed CG36500 lifesaving boat.

The society, also known as the Centers for Culture and History In Orleans, is in the midst of a campaign to raise $4 million for the new building, which will adjoin the existing Hurd Chapel on the River Road property.

The CG36500 was immortalized in the film “The Finest Hour,” which tells the story of the vessel’s use in the historic rescue involving the SS Pendleton, from which 32 of 33 crew members were saved.

The lifesaving boat is on the National Register of Historic Places. Jay Stradal, president of the historical society’s board of directors, said the boat, which turns 80 this year, needs a safe place to be stored away from the elements. Currently, the boat is housed outdoors in Rock Harbor during the summer and at Nauset Marine East in the offseason.

“Wooden boats are very strong,” he said. “But still, if you’re out in the weather it’s not so much the salt water, it’s the fresh water. It’s the rain, snow accumulating on the decks winter after winter that really creates havoc.”

The 36500’s inclusion on the National Register also requires that there be an educational component to the structure where the public can learn about the vessel’s history. Plans call for the new space to be designed as a museum, where people can visit and view the boat from four different levels, starting from a balcony above the boat down to the deck level, water level and underneath. A sound system will also produce the sound of crashing waves, allowing for an immersive experience for visitors.

The Hurd Chapel, meanwhile, will also be used as “ancillary” museum space as needed, allowing for additional exhibits and programming around the CG36500.

“It’s not just a static display,” Stradal said. “We’ll have things that will make people want to come back.”

A soft launch of the capital fundraising campaign has to date raised approximately $600,000 toward the overall $4 million goal. Stradal said that includes two local Community Preservation Act grants totalling $300,000. By early next year, the society hopes to launch a proper public campaign for the remainder of the funding, Stradal said. In anticipation of the launch, the society has hired a campaign director, Liz Adams, as well as a campaign administrator.

“We’re reaching out to potentially 70,000 or so Coast Guard active, reserve or retired members,” Stradal said. “Family members of survivors. That’s really a national approach, not just a Cape or Orleans approach.”

Stradal said the society is also exploring different state and federal grant funding options as part of the campaign. He said the society hopes to have the necessary funds in place in time to potentially start construction in fall 2027, followed by a nine to 10-month construction period.

“You do your homework right up front, and things can come along pretty nicely,” he said. “That homework time just takes much longer than you ever thought it would.”

The $4 million figure covers everything from the cost of construction to the cost of operating the capital campaign, Stradal said. It also includes funding to help sustain the boathouse and museum’s operation into the future, he said.

And while the cost of goods and materials is high, the society is confident that the $4 million figure will hold up through construction. Stradal noted that that figure includes contingency funding, and he added that there could be room for “in-kind” work from contractors and subcontractors that could lower the project cost once the project goes out to bid.

The new building is being designed by SV Design of Chatham. Another firm, H2 Design Studio, is also working as a consultant on the museum space. 

“I think we have the right people in place now with the additional staff, plus the board is very much engaged,” Stradal said. “They’re all 100 percent into this. The volunteers we have as well are really helping out. It’s a real team effort.”