This was in the Letters section of Scuttlebutt this morning.  A very good indication of the kind of shop the Abbott’s ran:

“From John Horsch: Man, it was sad to read about the fire at Abbott
Boat Works. In 1995, the Abbotts built us a new Soling, and I had the
unique and memorable opportunity to witness the boat shop in all its
glory. Among the highlights were hockey games on the radio, breaks in
production so that the employees could put the finishing touches on
Chief’s new fiberglass ice-fishing hut, and constant stories about
Bill’s kids’ exploits on the rink. The topper was when we got set to
leave, new boat in tow, Bill gave us a license plate for the new
trailer, saying: “Now this is the license plate off of the moose hunting
trailer. And moose hunting season is coming up. So make sure you mail
this back right away when you get home.” The Abbotts are great people
and they build fast boats. Here’s hoping we’ll see a phoenix rise from
those ashes.”