The historic buyboat Linda Carol, built in Mathews County in 1931, sustained extensive surface damage during an early morning fire on Wednesday at the Surf Rider Restaurant in Poquoson.

Owner Bill Mullis of Gloucester said the starboard side of the pilot house was scorched and the windows were busted out, but she’s not beyond repair.

“We plan on fixing her,” he said. “We’re going to save the boat. “She’s not gone.”

Mullis purchased the boat from an owner in New York in 2013 and had her towed to the York Haven Marina in Poquoson for restoration and repairs. She was in sad shape, but Captain Dave Rollins and his crew worked on her over the next two years and turned her into a showpiece.

Mullis said he has kept her docked near the restaurant since the renovation was complete so people dining there could see her.

“Maybe that wasn’t the best idea,” he said. ...