World Photo by Susan Chambers

A laborer works on the stern of the F/V Pacific Hooker at Giddings Boat Works in Charleston on Wednesday.

Giddings Boat Works owner Don Giddings said the trawl vessel was sponsoned (widened) and lengthened a little bit. Before the work was done, the stern narrowed to about 16 feet wide; now there's very little taper to the stern and it's a little more than 20 feet wide. The design and widening will make the boat more stable and more buoyant. Giddings and owners at other shipyards have said several boats have undergone or are waiting for sponsoning work, one of the consequences of the groundfish buyback program that retired several boats and permits but created new opportunities for other boat owners to redesign or refit their vessels. The Pacific Hooker is owned by Pacific Seafood Group, out of Clackamas.