From the humble ash used to frame Morgans, to fine exotic species used to trim dashboards and interiors, Black Horse Garage can refinish, rebuild, and preserve the wood found in your classic car.
Our services, carried out 100% in our facility by our own skilled craftsmen, include:
Like building a ship in a bottle, Frank Buonanno has spent the past few months constructing a 20' boat in a 21' barn. The circa-1840 structure lacks any insulation and a gas-fueled heater in the corner fights a losing battle against the day's bitter cold. He maneuvers around the capsized hull of the Rescue Minor, his latest seagoing vessel telling its story - the details of its design, the meticulous assembly, the trivial flaws no one but he would ever notice.
While no stranger to boatbuilding and works of great craftsmanship, this project is a new challenge for Frank. He's chosen to build a unique design penned by renowned hull designer William Atkin. The flat-bottomed skiff was originally intended as a military rescue vessel. With a draw of just 6 inches (even at full speed), it's perfect for shallow waters, yet is remarkably stable in rough service.
This is no gilded craft; it lacks ornamental trim and superfluous brass fixtures. Its beauty lies in its operation; its magnificence is found in fine points destined to be submerged and invisible. Take for instance the Kitchen rudder, a curious piece invented by a British Admiral in the early 20 th century. It does away with the need for a gearbox since it acts as a directional thruster to reverse the boat and can be opened or closed to alter the vessel's speed. This allows the motor to maintain a constant, efficient RPM. A remarkable piece of anti-technology, it accomplishes so much with simple mechanical principles and some creative problem solving.
It's an unusual boat for sure, but there's nothing out of the ordinary about the building process - it's typical Frank, with equal parts machinist precision and heart-felt emotion. Listening to him talk about the Rescue Minor, you hear the excitement in his voice, his respect for the designer's ingenuity, his admiration for the simplicity of it all.
Frank plans to launch the Rescue Minor this spring. And so at the end of the day, after restoring works of art at Black Horse Garage, he'll head down to the Sound to push off in one of his own.
