Betselma: The near eighty year old loster boat being converted into a screen accurate Orca

In 1944, Ralph Wooster started construction on a 38ft lobster boat with a 12ft beam, name Betselma. The hull design was a truly unique hybrid between a Nova Scotian “Cape Islander” hull and a Maine “Downeaster” hull. This unique hull design proved to handle rough seas very well and made the Betselma incredibly fast in the water. To quote a former deckhand, “The Betselma ran faster as the devil himself.” Ralph Wooster finished and launched the boat in January of 1945.

The Betselma would not be registered with the United States Coast Guard until 1962. The reason being, Ralph Wooster was running rum from “Rum Row” in the Atlantic. Even though prohibition had ended in 1933, Maine was still a very much dry state.

From running rum and various other alcohols, guns were also ran as well. At the end of WWII, the Betselma even had a run in with a German U-Boat. The forward mounted gun ripped through the boat and turned the windshield of the pilothouse to splinters. The Betselma was able to escape and was run up on a sandbar in order to save the vessel, until patchwork could be made in the daylight hours and then towed back to the harbor to be fully repaired.”

The Betselma's builder, Ralph Wooster (centre)

Ralph Wooster would later pass away in 1979, from there Les Bex would purchase the Betselma the same year. Bex ran Camden Harbor Cruises for many years before retiring in 2012. Les Bex served as board member of the YMCA, Coach of the Sailfish swim club, US Swimming referee, and on the Ski Patrol at the Camden Snow Bowl during the winter months. A talented Circus Model builder, Less owned a circus wagon commissioned by the Circus Museum in Baraboo, WI. Les also enjoyed displaying his Bex Bros. miniature circus layouts. On rainy days at the dock, Les would whittle wooden circus animals. Betselma went on to continue operations at Camden Harbor Cruises, until she was listed for sale in 2017 and sold to Jonathan Tedder in 2018.

The Betselma's new owner Jonathan Tedder

The Betselma is now serving a new purpose. She is currently being restored and converted into Quint’s trusty fishing vessel from JAWS, the ORCA. Her total length is being extended by two feet to make her a total of 40 feet long.

Jonathan Tedder and his grandfather working on the Betselma together, before he passed in August 2021. He built battleships in the Mobile, Alabama shipyard during WWII.

Her original CAT 3304B Diesel engine is being replaced with a Ford Lehman 2728TI Diesel engine, a very big improvement over the original ORCA’s Ford 4-cylinder Kent gas engine. Jon Tedder has spent the past three years acquiring every piece, from Rock-Away fighting chairs, the Greener Harpoon Gun featured in Memories from Martha’s Vineyard, the yellow shark barrels, and many other screen accurate pieces, that make up the ORCA.

The Warlock (top) that was converted into Quint's shark hunting vessel Orca in Jaws (1975) and The Betselma (bottom), currently being converted into a screen accurate Orca.

Jon says that the expected completion date is 3-4 years away. Jon acquired his boat building knowledge from his grandfather who built battleships at the height of World War II in the Mobile, Alabama shipyards. His grandfather was an integral piece to the Orca Rebuild project, before his untimely passing in August 2021. Jon has a YouTube channel, a FaceBook page, and an Instagram page, where everyone can keep up with the current progress of his mission to rebuild the MOST screen accurate ORCA.

Words and images by Jonathan Tedder aka ‘Orca Rebuild’

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