Beachcombing
Beachcombing Texada (Based on a story told me by my father, Lee Roberts) By Tad Roberts Beachcombing in BC is a very specific enterprise; the practice of cruising the local coastline in a small boat...
View ArticleDRAGOON
Dragoon Dragoon, an Ocean Racing Ketch Launched 1925 Built by H.W. Embree & Son in Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia Designed by Ford, Payne, and Sweisguth Drawn by Francis Sweisguth (1882-1970) Built...
View ArticleODAMIT (oh-dam-it)
Odamit (Later Chack-Chack), my Grandfather Harry Roberts boat, at Malaspina Galleries, Gabriola Island, 1924. The boat was about 35′ x 12′, built on the beach at Roberts Creek and launched 1923. Harry...
View ArticleOF RATS AND MEN
Beach at Roberts Creek looking south from the creek mouth. A story by Harry Roberts. Re-written by Tad Roberts in August 2022. From : Of Rats And Men, I believe this could have been an unpublished...
View ArticleCruising the West Coast of Vancouver Island by M. Wylie Blanchet.
Cruising the West Coast of Vancouver Island By M. Wylie Blanchet Published in Rudder Magazine of December 1936 Is cruising the West Coast of Vancouver Island feasible for the small cruiser? “Quite...
View ArticleSISTER KEELSONS
Sterling Shipyard drawing of sister keelsons Sister Keelson installation by Sterling Shipyard. The sister keelson’s were a west coast substitute for floor timbers, adopted to do the floor’s job and...
View ArticleSaving Old Boats
Assessing the significance of a vessel From: Recording Historic Vessels by National Historic Ships, UK. The goal of researching a vessel’s history is to gain a fuller understanding of the significance...
View ArticleFraming Wooden Hulls With UHMW-PE
Wooden boat building, like all construction methods, continues to evolve with availability of skills and materials. But I have to come down against the wholesale replacement of bent oak ribs with...
View ArticleThe Cogge Nonsuch
In 1916 Douglas P. Urry was serving (probably RCN) in the North Sea. While reading off watch he came across mention of “the Cogge Thomas,” and started to wonder what that ship might look like. He wrote...
View ArticleSakamoto Brothers Boatbuilding at Osland
Above is the beautiful gillnetter Bee, built 1933 at Osland. She might be double-ended or round-sterned, but hard-chined (vee-bottom) which is very unusual. It’s launching day. There’s another boatshop...
View ArticleGillnetters at Cassiar Cannery
Storing gillnetters ashore for the winter, at Cassiar Cannery outside Prince Rupert. These were probably taken either before or during WWII, some of the boats have round front proper pilothouses, but...
View ArticlePost Class Patrol Boats
Once again our Federal Government is selling off what I think are irreplaceable assets at a bargain price. Five of the 65′ x 17′ Post Class Patrol boats were built by Philbrook’s Boatyard in the early...
View ArticleBC Handliner, Luoma Loon
Luoma Loon, BC Handliner built by the Luoma Brothers at Shack Island probably in the 1930’s. She’s 13′2″ x 4′ to the outside of her 1/2″ planking. 12 strakes of red cedar, six per side, on 1/2″ x 1″...
View ArticleGillnetters at Cassiar Cannery
Gillnetters at Cassiar cannery waiting for the season to start. All painted up, some of these are new boats, one or two built at the cannery and others built by Wahl’s in Prince Rupert. No chimneys so...
View ArticleThe Troller Georgina
Her name is Georgina, a very old picture of a troller, perhaps before gurdies, for sure no davits. No exhaust stack so probably Easthope power. It’s mesmerizing how these old boats would slip along at...
View ArticleFraser, A Gillnetter
I believe the Fraser was originally the Fraser Belle, built in 1959 by Masao Kamachi at Kamachi Boat Works at Queensborough. Masao owned the boat until 1961 so may have fished her those first few...
View ArticleTroller Early Spring For Sale
The double-ender Early Spring was built in Sointula, by Edwin Peterson, in 1941. Gross tonnage is 10.63, she’s 37′10″ long overall, beam is 9′8″, draft is 5′6″, and displacement 17tons. Power is a 3-71...
View ArticleTroller Hull Lines
The Richmond Star is a 40′ by 12′ troller built by Ernie Wahl in 1977. Below are the few lines drawings of real troller hulls that I’ve been able to gather. There are some shared features to these...
View ArticleDouble-Deck Seiners
The double-decker Chelsea Lake, built as the Great Northern 3 by A.C. Benson Shipyard Ltd. in 1947. Design is probably by Robert Allan of Vancouver. For a few short years big double-decked seiners were...
View ArticleBoats designed around Old Engines
The 1889 built tug Valerie K in the Johnston Straits. The story of two engines and five boats. My friend Bill Page has a couple of old marine engines that should be busy pushing boats around. But which...
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