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The Year in Review There used to be a slow season at The Center for Wooden Boats, but it’s now a fast fading memory. We started the year with lots of ideas: a strategy for grant applications; a plan to partner with Seattle Public Library to create a union list of all maritime publications and archives in Puget Sound; planning our working exhibit for the January downtown BoatShow. We set up native Canoe carving programs with five schools; sent out Auction invitations and printed and mailed CWB’s 2006 Program Catalogue. in January we received two key grants: $7,500 from 4Culture for a gangway to Lake Union Park and $12,000 from Collectors Foundation to hire a Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding intern. February was another rush of happenings, featuring a $250,000 Transportation Enhancement Grant award to create a master plan for exhibits and interpretation at CWB and Lake Union Park. We were busy upgrading our floats, and created a plan to transform one to a water taxi landing. In March CWB’s supporters came together for a festive Auction which brought in $115,000. We completed a Conservation Assessment of CWB’s historic atifacts to start mapping a preservation plan for the future, thanks to a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. We began the restoration of the Herreshoff 12 ½ Shrimpo with a workshop conducted by Eric Dow of Maine, and Executive Director Betsy Davis went to the Herreshoff Museum where the Classic Yacht Symposium was held to give a talk about CWB’s boatbuilding programs. April brought an explosion of youth programs. 300 kids were provided with 1500 hours of field trips, sailing classes, canoe carving, Pacific Challenge training, and service projects. The Carpentry Program at Seattle November / December 2006
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2006 was a remarkable year at The Center for Wooden Boats. Kids, adults and families participated in maritime heritage skills workshops, learned to sail, built boats, took free public rides, attended regattas and festivals, and rented historic boats for family outings. CWB gave lots of people the fun and education they will long remember.
Inside This Issue:
FOUNDER’S REPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 NEWS FROM SOUTH LAKE UNION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 AROUND THE SOUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 SPECIAL HOLIDAY INSERT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 FROM THE BOATSHOP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 MISTRAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 MARITIME SKILLS PROGRAMS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 NEWS FROM CAMA BEACH / HAIDA CANOE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 UPCOMING EVENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 BUY A BOAT FROM CWB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Shavings 1
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Volume XXVI Number 5 ISSN 0734-0680 1992 CWB
The Center for Wooden Boats Shavings is published bimonthly by The Center for Wooden Boats, 1010 Valley Street, Seattle, WA 98109 phone 206.382.2628 fax 206.382.2699 To learn more about CWB, please visit our web site at www.cwb.org
Our Mission
To provide a community center where maritime history comes alive and our small craft heritage is preserved and passed along to future generations.
CWB Staff
Betsy Davis Executive Director Dick Wagner Founding Director Jake Beattie Waterfront & Youth Programs Director Geoff Braden Shipwright in Residence Corrina Douglas Sailing Coordinator Patrick Gould Boat Sales Manager & Instructor Julia Makowski Sailing Instructor Katy Mathias Business Manager Edel O’Connor Boatwright & Workshop Coordinator Greg Reed Livery Manager, Dockmaster Saaduuts Artist in Residence Heron Scott Lead Boatwright Eldon Tam Operations Manager Adam Karpenske El Toro Maintenance Manager
Board of Trustees
Mark Barnard Stephen Kinnaman Alex Bennett David Loretta Caren Crandell Lori McKown David Dolson Robert Merikle Brandt Faatz Walt Plimpton Gary Hammons Chuck Shigley David Kennedy Denise Snow Andrea Kinnaman Bill Van Vlack Design and production of Shavings by CWB volunteer Heidi Hackler of Dolphin Design, www.dolphindesignstudio.com. Printed by Olympus Press, www.olypress.com. 2 Shavings
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The Center for Wooden Boats was born a foundling. CWB’s address was our houseboat, CWB’s phone was in our kitchen, next to the coffee pot. Our birth was not known, much less celebrated, on the east coast or even the east side of Seattle. Today you can learn about CWB through publications, radio and television all over the country. We have members from everywhere on the globe except Antarctica. We are offering advice on how to create CWBs to organizations and government agencies from western Europe to eastern Australia. We have been woven into our national fabric and even a portion of our global fabric. It was a long time process of doing lots of good things for our community. Even with our many connecting links, we are still one small island, following our mission. And that’s not easy. We are deluged with offers to make CWB bigger and better. The offers we get must be evaluated by how they fit our culture. These are the standards that a homeless CWB planted and nurtured 30 years ago: Free for all. There is no entrance charge because we want everyone to be welcome, no matter their age, ability or ethnic origin. Sanctuary. We are an oasis within a frantically changing world. We provide a tranquil environment of classic boats, water and friendly staff and volunteers. Arts and Crafts. Our wooden structures are of human scale and built with loving care. They are used for activities that connect all visitors with traditional craftsmanship through direct experience. Open Doors. All staff, volunteers, skills instructors, apprentices, and interns are knowledgeable, accessible, and eager to provide information. Inspiration. Students learn heritage skills they never dreamed possible. CWB makes dreams come true. Inclusive. We not only want everyone to come to CWB but we want them to join our learn-by-doing programs. Scholarships in cash or in-kind are available. U Drive. Our boats are meant to be interpreted by using them. Our shop is meant to be
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interpreted by picking up the tools and using them. Our purpose it to pass on the heritage by passing on the heritage skills. Restoration. The whole CWB site is an exhibit of maritime maintenance and restoration. The process of boat surgery is a spectator event. Compare and Contrast. At CWB one can see and use a wide diversity of types made in different regions by different cultures for different functions. The Principality of Lake Union. CWB has defined the lake as a maritime heritage museum. We are the stewards of this lake as a historic site for historic boats and maritime skills. In Unity is Strength. Partnerships add new dimensions to our programs and make CWB and its partners stronger. Kids. The skills we teach to youth are practical uses of math and science, they widen horizon’s of history, geography and social studies, they give experience in teamwork, leadership and the self confidence to live a full life. Our instruction has actually been life changing for some. These standards will guide CWB in providing long lasting learning experiences through our environment, programs and dedication of excellence in education.
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The Year in Review (continued from page one) Central Community College’s Wood Construction Center agreed to build two portable pavilions. The George Lucas Educational Foundation created a 7-minute video on their website of CWB’s program “Carving Cultural Connections,” which involves Saaduuts working with kids doing canoe carving. The 1913 101’ Schooner Adventuress and Sea Scout ketch Yankee Clipper visited at the Heritage Ships Wharf. We had an inspiring Board Retreat in the top floor of the 1914 Smith Tower and re-affirmed our mission. May highlights included the Mother’s Day Sail at Camano Island State Park, a donation of a Thames River motor launch and a weather station. We formally partnered with United Indians of All Tribes to carve their
51’ red cedar canoe log. We published a new brochure describing the Historic Ships Wharf. During Memorial Day weekend we provided a toy boatbuilding workshop for kids at the Northwest Folklife Festival. In June the Coast Guard’s role in the Normandy Invasion was celebrated at the Historic Ships Wharf with two of the 83’ cutters and some of their original crews. The New Belgium Brewing Company pledged beer for our Festival. CWB gave presentations at the Washington Museum Association, the Sunset Club and Design Within Reach. We published a new Self-guided Walking Tour of CWB. The Washington Service Corps selected CWB to participate in the Americorps program, and King County’s 4Culture awarded CWB $20K for collaborative maritime heritage programming at South Lake Union Park. Exciting as our Wooden Boat Festival was, November/December 2006
it wasn’t the only big event in July. We got started on our first audit, our annual program with AIDS hospice residents of Bailey Boushay to provide weekly sailing rides began again, the youth summer sailing program started up; the Aleut natives of St. Paul Island adopted CWB for training on their traditional ikyaks for the Tribal Journeys paddle of indigeneous peoples of the Northwest. August highlights included a visit of the brig Lady Washington to the Historic Ships Wharf; our annual Regatta for the Ben Seaborn designed 26’ Thunderbird sloops, our annual Footloose Regatta for physically disabled people, and a sailing program for Girl Scouts. We were awarded $150K over 3 years from the Murdock Trust to hire a development director, and 100 year-old Puffin was relaunched after an extensive one-year restoration. In September Pirate (R-11) sailed to Victoria’s Classic Boat Festival and received top honors. She was joined by six other CWB boats at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival, where the Puffin gave free public rides. CWB was also active at South Lake Union with several events: Seafaring Family Fun
Days, a youth-focused weekend; the Blanchard Regatta for wooden one-design sailboats; and Seattle’s Boats Afloat Show. Holland America Line sponsored a luncheon and presentation of our youth education programs aboard the tour ship Westerdam, and CWB kicked off a new story reading program for 2-5 year olds aboard Northwest Seaport’s 1889 tug Arthur Foss. October, November and December will keep us busy planning our programs for next year, refining our budget and publishing the 2007 Program Catalogue. We will also be writing grants, updating our Cama Beach Business Plan, completing our Audit, planning future facilities and carrying on our many liaisons with our neighbhood, the maritime heritage community and our governments. We’ll also test our new fishing field trip aboard Northwest Seaport’s 1933 Troller Twilight, and work with Pyramid Communications to create a marketing strategy for our youth programs. CWB appeared in several national publications this year, including Men’s Magazine, Coastal Living, and Edutopia, published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation. A highlight was the cover story about Pirate, our restored 1926 R’ class sloop, on the cover of the Wooden Boat Sept/Oct issue with a full story of her history and restoration. What is the value of CWB’s contribution to the community during 2006? In terms of the life-long skills, widened horizons of history, self-confidence, pride of place and oasis of beatuy and serenity, we estimate the value as inestimable.
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News from South Lake Union The Lake B Lake Union is an urban planner’s dream. Hidden by the hills of our city is a deep, clean and weather protected lake in the middle of Seattle, connected to the inner sea of Puget Sound on one side and on the other side, two lakes, nestled between ridges of greenery. Both the salt and fresh water neighbors have sensitively developed shorelines. There is probably no other city core area that can compare with Lake Union. The unique setting of this lake and its special natural and cultural history needs to be preserved. We have an opportunity to become Lakes Union’s Curator. In many ways the lake is a prism offering shafts of enlightenment about the area surrounding the lake. From its geologic formation to its fern bars the lake is a microcosm of the evolution of Puget Sound. Its many facets, physical and historical, make Lake Union a jewel of Seattle. The lake was scoured out by the Vashon Glacier about 13,000 years ago. It was about 900 acres, 40’ deep. Glaciers did things like that. Vashon Island is a glacial moraine. It is composed of the gravel dropped as the glacier retreated. Today the lake is about 700 acres, due to man made infilling of the shore lands. The city halted filling in 1963, finally drawing to a close the last of the earnest, creative and often monumental efforts of Seattle citizens to improve what Mother Nature provided. The first people hardly scratched the surface. And rightly so. The natural features of the environment were the resources of their lives. They were the Duwamish “people of Duwamps River.” They came here more than 5000 years ago. We know that Lake Washington was an inlet of Puget Sound until about 5000 years ago. The Cedar River delta sealed off the saltwater inlet where Renton is now. The Sammamish River then proceeded to fill up what we now call Lake Washington. Shore side forests were submerged. The Duwamish have myths of the lake swallowing the shore4 Shavings
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line. When Lake Washington was dropped 9’ to match the level of Lake Union in 1916, campfire hearths were uncovered. There were 18 home sites on Lake Washington a few on Lake Sammamish and three on Lake Union. Three creeks, likely salmon spawning streams, flowed into Lake Union on the eastside, at the NOAA base site. Another emptied on the south side at Waterway 5, just east of CWB. The Lake Union longhouses were at Portage Bay and the creeks. The total population in the three lakes was about 700. Longhouses were approximately 50’ x 100’ and sheltered 4-5 families. The walls and roof were made from long cedar planks split from ancient trees. The planks were fastened to the post and beam structures with lashings made from the inner bark of the red cedars. Beside the home sites, there were seven winter villages on Lake Washington and one on Lake Union, a short hop southwest of CWB. Winter villages were places of potlatch and ceremony, shamans, spirits, myths, song and dance. After the spring to fall period spent collecting and preserving food resources, the Duwamish gave themselves a three month vacation with live music and dance productions. Every winter village had a burial ground. The Duwamish were river and lake people. They used weirs and dip nets across creeks to catch smelt, suckers and peamouth fish. In mid summer the salmon arrived. They hunted deer and elk, browsing on skunk cabbage at the marsh margins. There was Kokanee (landlocked sockeye salmon) in the lakes. In fall they hunted muskrats beaver and otter and gathered wapato (“Indian Potato”). Autumn also brought migrating fowl. They set up net walls on tall poles in the marshes. Men in canoes frightened the birds who became entrapped in the netting when they flew away. Canoes also approached the marshes at night with fires lit on earthen hearths in their canoe.
The light lured ducks from the marsh and they would be caught by spears thrown underhand with multi-barbed ends, which lodged in the duck’s feathers. Lake Union was called Ha-AH-Chu in the Lushootseed dialect of the Salish language. It meant “littlest lake.” The people were called ha-ah-chu ASBSH, the “littlest people”. Lake Washington was HAH Chu, “The Lake” and Lake Sammamish was HAHT-hah-chu, “Second Lake.” Chinook was a trading jargon of the Northwest natives. The Chinook term for Lake Union was Tenas Chuck (“Small Water”); Lake Washington was Hyas Chuck (“Large Water”). A Quilleute Elder, David Forlines, told me his people of the Pacific Coast had legends of trips to the trading spot at South Lake Union where CWB exists. This site was a crossroad of native commerce from time before history. The salt water people could enter Lake Union from Smith Cove. It was connected to Salmon Bay by a narrow pass that is now the Interbay fill. The canoes could then enter Ross Creek, the outlet of Lake Union. The tide could carry canoes, paddle free, to the mouth of the lake where the Fremont Bridge is now located. The trade landing, at South Lake Union, was only another 1 ½ miles of paddling from Ross Creek. Most of the longhouses were abandoned and destroyed by 1900 and families had moved to reservations, however, a 1904 photo shows Chief Chi-Siak-Ka, at his longhouse in Portage Bay, in the process of completing a carved cedar lake canoe about 16’ long. The Chief, known to his white neighbors as Lake John and his wife Madeline lived on the site of Seattle Yacht Club. The canoe looks exactly like the Salish canoe we have on display hanging in our Pavilion. We must never forget the rich and complex first people of the lake and the environment they thrived on.
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News from South Lake Union Hands on Diesel Class Unique in the Nation b y
Capturing the excitement of our maritime heritage at Seafaring Family Fun Days in Lake Union Park. CWB is working on a master plan for maritime programs in Lake Union Park.
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During September ten students participated in a unique hands-on class to learn about steam and diesel engines. The class took place aboard five ships, four of which were running: Arthur Foss, Duwamish, Virginia V, Lightship Swiftsure, and the Lorna Foss.
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The Center for Wooden Boats and many of our friends are working hard to create an Interpretive and Exhibit Master Plan for CWB and Lake Union park. The work is funded by a 250K grant which is administered by the Washington State Department of Transportation. CWB will be working with many organizations and individuals in the development of this plan, and we will provide regular updates on our website and in Shavings. We believe there is a shared goal for building an exciting array of vibrant maritime programs, exhibits, and educational experiences and events at Lake Union Park. Our region is rich with maritime organizations offering quality programs, and their collective programs presented as a whole can create a dramatic new cultural resource for the City of Seattle and surrounding areas. This collaboration is potentially far-ranging. In addition to working with the groups currently based at Lake Union Park, we envision working with organizations who offer vessel-based maritime and environmental education programs, and other Seattle cultural institutions with connections to the maritime story. We will also explore educational partnerships with other regional maritime hubs such as in Port Townsend, Tacoma and Gig Harbor. November/December 2006
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CWB published a request for proposals this summer, and received over two dozen proposals from across the country (and Australia). These finalists will be working with us on this project over the next nine months. • Interpretive Review Consultant David Hancocks, Australia • Seattle History Museum Consultant Museum of History and Industry, Seattle, WA • Active Historic Ships Education Les Bolton, Grays Harbor, WA • Historic Ships Museum Specialist Ray Ashley, Chula Vista, CA • Illustrator (landscape/scenic) Stephanie Bower, Seattle, WA • Illustrator (technical illustration) Eisterhold Associates (Jan Adkins) Kansas City, MO • Community Involvement Consultant Loud Monks, Seattle, WA • Graphic Designer Dolphin Design, Seattle, WA CWB’s invites participation in this planning process from any individual and organization who has an interest in participating in maritime programs, education and events at Lake Union Park. For more information please feel free to phone Betsy Davis at The Center for Wooden Boats. 206-382-2628, or email betsy@cwb.org.
This class is just one of a series developed and offered by Northwest Seaport at the Historic Ships Wharf in South Lake Union Park. In addition to serving the students who are eager for a chance to learn in a real-life situation, the class serves to maintain and repair the engines on some of these historic ships. One notable aspect of the class is the number of different maritime organizations who collaborated to make it so compelling. The creator and sponsor of the class is Northwest Seaport, who also owns the Arthur Foss and Lightship Swiftsure. The Virginia V Foundation contributed both time on the vessel with the engine running, and a volunteer. The Fireboat Foundation donated the Duwamish with the engine running and their engineer, and Dan Grinstead brought the Lorna Foss. The Youth Maritime Training Association offered scholarships to high school students and CWB helped with marketing and registration. Shavings 5
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Collaboration Strengthens Boatbuilding Skills
Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building students visited The Center for Wooden Boats during September 2006. The field trip introduced thirty students who are just beginning their schooling in wooden boat building to a variety of projects currently underway at CWB. Head Instructor Tim Lee noted, “I think that it’s a great relationship with the Center for Wooden Boats; to see former students applying their skills so successfully. It’s nice to see that working on wooden boats isn’t just a pipe dream and that something real can actually come out of their schooling at NWSWB.” Jeremy Katich is restoring a Blanchard Junior Knockabout as part of his 6-month internship at The Center for Wooden Boats.
Thanks to support from The Collectors Foundation, The Center for Wooden Boats is offering a 6-month internship to Jeremy Katich, a recent graduate of The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding. CWB’s Lead Boatwright, Heron Scott, selected Jeremy from among several highly qualified applicants from the program. Jeremy notes that The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding “provided me not only with the skills necessary to do my job here at the Center but also helped inspire my interest in the rich Northwest maritime heritage that surrounds me here.” At CWB, Jeremy has worked on many different projects, and explains his work to museum visitors.“My daily interactions with the visitors and the Center’s volunteers make me feel that I’m helping to reinforce the understanding that wooden-boat work is not some obsolete or quaint hobby but rather an applicable, progressive and important craft that’s absolutely worth pursuing.” “I see my work as my art and so when I make a new part for a boat, or repair something that I know will last another several decades as a functional part of something even larger and more beautiful, I think ‘what better exhibit?’”
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CWB’s Artist-in-Residence, Haida Carver Saaduuts, describes the creation of a dugout canoe.
CWB Volunteer Paul Marlow demonstrates how the Pirate pond boats models are constructed.
CWB’s Intern Jeremy Katich, graduate of Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding, describes the process of restoring a Blanchard Junior Knockabout.
CWB’s Shipwright-in-Residence, Geoff Braden describes techniques he’s using for restoration of the Dory Q’ona.
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Some sail but never build. Others build but never sail. But how often do you meet someone who can replace a garboard, handle the tiller, and stitch together sails flying over the whole darn scene? Thanks to a partnership between the Center for Wooden Boats, Northwest Sails, and the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building, students in Port Hadlock will be building sails for our Blanchard Junior Knockabout fleet under the guidance of Sean Rankins this fall. The Northwest Sails loft is directly upstairs from NWSWB, just down the road from Port Townsend. Rankins approached the Center recently with an offer to build sails for our hardworking sloops. Incoming students of the NWSWB will work with him to construct two suits of sails that should be completed in time for Christmas. Northwest Sails pieces together cloth professionally for those who order it, the loft also serves as a working classroom for students of the boat building school and beyond. “I try to keep things based in education as much as possible,” Rankins says. “It is way more fun that way than working in a production loft.” In addition to touring the schooner Martha and absorbing lectures from noteworthy figures in sail construction and design, students plan to visit the Center during their autumn course to cruise the very boats they are building sails for. “I took several trips down to Seattle to take measurements and see if all the boats are rigged the same,” Rankins said. “I noticed that several boats had variations. All those little things affect performance.” In conjunction with NWSWB, Northwest Sails offers classes to the public in everything from sail making, running-rigging construction, sail trim, sail dynamics, sail assessment and the operation of sewing machines. For more information, check-out http://www.nwboatschool.org or keep your eyes peeled for upcoming classes with Sean Rankins offered through The Center for Wooden Boats here in Seattle.
Thank You for CWB’s new Weather Station
Many, many thanks to Don Walters for the CWB’s new weather station. We find it to be extremely useful on almost a daily basis as we check on conditions for dragonboating. Up until now we’ve been making do with the supposedly localized TV station weather data...but having the full range of readings available now at SLU is truly a gift. And, one of our members at Billings Middle School plans on using it with her science classes. Also didn’t mention that we’ve shared your CWB website and weather station page with all our paddlers. Since we paddle 4-days a week, year-yound they can now have accurate advance info on Lake Union paddling conditions and dress appropriately. Lee Bjorklund, Tacoma Dragon Boat Assoc., Seattle Coach November/December 2006
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During the summer of 2005, CWB, the Classic Yacht Association, the Museum of History and Industry, the Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society, and the Seattle Public Library formed a Working Group and began discussions of how to find ways to collaborate, promote collections and services, and build a stronger presence for maritime history in the Puget Sound region.While recognizing that almost 200 separate heritage organizations exist in the area with information about maritime history, there is awareness that many of the collections are not catalogued or stored in optimal conditions. Further, these valuable collections are not fully cataloged and are often overlooked by researchers, students, and local historians. This led to proposing a survey of these maritime organizations, groups, and institutions. Preliminary results could then be used to develop a community-wide strategic plan which would address the following goals. • Support the work of the Maritime Heritage Task Force in their work to create a maritime history “presence” in the greater Puget Sound region • Identify & quantify the maritime collections • Propose possible solutions for preservation and conservation of these resources • Identify potential grants to help catalogue and stabilize these maritime resources • Undergo review by the Maritime History Advisory Group whose members are librarians, archivists, historians and interested and knowledgeable members of the community. The project is being staffed by graduate students in the iSchool at the University of Washington and volunteers. For more information about the project contact Jodee Fenton at the Seattle Public Library (Jodee.Fenton@spl.org) or Betsy Davis at cwb (betsy@cwb.org) Shavings 7
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Special Holiday Insert Eldon will create and deliver
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Special Holiday Insert Eldon will create and deliver
Winter Livery Hours Oct. 16, 2006-Mar 17, 2007
Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. 12:00 pm - Dusk Tuesday-Friday by appointment.
Although the sun is still shining and remains relatively warm, a look at radiating deciduous leaves informs us that autumn is here. Walk the CWB docks on most weekdays and you will notice a stark contrast between the passers-by checking-out boats in the crisp outdoor air and the throngs that mill around during summer’s balmy glow. The livery’s sign-out log reflects this change in season, with the numbers of boat uses plummeting since Labor Day. From mid-October through mid-March, the livery will be open every weekend and national holiday from noon through dusk. If you’re not sure when exactly the sun goes down, give us a call—we’ll have a sunset table at the front desk and in the Oarhouse. Fret not! Weekday boat use is still a reality. We just want you to call ahead and let us know you’re coming to assure someone will be available to get you on the water and stand-by as a safety boat driver while you are enjoying the lake. We will try our best to accommodate drop-ins, but an advance appointment will guarantee we’re available! Sailing instructors who have taught at CWB within the last 12 months may use our keelboats during open daylight hours Tuesday through Sunday. Please check-in at the front desk before rigging for your sail. Questions? Please contact livery manager Greg Reed. Greed@cwb.org
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The 2006 Norm Blanchard WOOD Regatta had over 50 sailboats participating including a fleet of El Toros skippered by junior sailors, graduates of CWB Youth Sailing Program. The boats ranged in size from the 8ft El Toros to the 43ft Susan Skadi, Ziggy Glocker’s 1935 racing sloop. The boats raced in two separate courses on Lake Union. This year’s version had several highlights. First, the committee boat, Barnacle, a 38ft 1931 Blanchard bridgedeck cruiser was the oldest Blanchard in the fleet and her owner, Dr. Marc Raichle, won the Fisheries Supply Long Distance cushion award - he traveled from St. Louis, where he lives, to make sure the Blanchard Regatta would be supervised from aboard a classic Blanchard. Another highlight was the participation of five Intenational Dragon sailboats. These 29ft elegant former Olympic racers once were part of a large Seattle fleet in the mid 70’s with Pat Mayer’s Sliv IV taking first place. Also two Blanchard Senior Knockabouts (B-36 and B-73) did very close battles in the races with Courtney Bartlett/Chris Butler’s Eleanora (B-36) narrowly edging Jim Lewellin’s Solace (B-73) for the overall title in the large cruiser-racer division. Jim Flint skippered Blanchard Junior Knockabout Pamela to wins in all five races. Eight Pelicans fought it out on the small boat course with Phil Litrenta’s Williwaw coming out ahead. In the Classic Plastic Division Stephen Jensen’s San Juan 21 Charmed Juan took the honors. Another highlight was the gift from the San Juan 21 Number 1 Fleet of an excellent San Juan 21onederful Spanish Tinto (red) wine from their “private” reserves in Yecla, Spain. Due to great interest in reviving the Dragon and Blanchard Senior Knockabouts fleets we wish to have all those interested in these classics communicate with Vern Velez at vvelez@cwb.org. November/December 2006
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C o l l e c t i o n From the Boatshop
B y H er on Scot t This winter notably a new the CWB stem and tranboatshop will som. They’ve begin (and also laid new finish) a restocanvas on the ration of the deck and have Captain Pete, begun to refinour 13 ½ ‘’ ish the spars. We tugboat built expect her to be by students done by the end of at the maDecember so Bud rine carpenRicketts, CWB’s try program custodian can get at SCCC in in some winter CWB EL Toro Maintence Director Adam 1998. The sailing on his fa- Karpenske shows off his new bottom. Pete was devorite boat. signed by The BJK currently on the dry dock, the Meg, is nearing completion Captain Pete CWB workboat the Captain Pete. by Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding intern Jeremy Katich. Culler and is He’s splined in a new section on the top of the transom, scarfed a three built much like a traditional wooden tugboat; it’s hard chined, has a cross foot section of sheer plank, replaced the deck and center line blocking, planked bottom, and carvel planked sides. She carries a four cylinder Westand also built new Honduras mahogany coamings that just turned out erbeke diesel for power, and is used on Waterway Four as our work tug. beautifully. All he has left is the varnish and paint. The boat should be She’s routinely used for moving our docks around, hauling anchors, towing back in service by the start of November. boats to boatyards, and even in some power boat classes. Being such a well used boat has its advantages and its disadvantages. For one, people are really drawn to the boat and its cuteness and its functionality, on the other hand the boat shows its use. The guard has long ago been ripped off, there’s a nice chunk on the stem broken off, the covering boards are cracked and split, there’s rot in the dash underneath the instrument panel, and she leaks. None of these problems are major, but put together they will keep us busy for about six months. Just about when she needs to be up and running for the hectic summer season. Like all the work in the shop, the boat will be open for inspection and interpretation throughout this process. Volunteers and staff alike will have their hands in the project, exhibiting the skills and trade needed to keep a boat like the CWB Intern Jeremy Katich and CWB Boatwright Adam Karpenske Captain Pete functional and safe for many paint the dec of the Meg years to come. As always, thanks to all the volunteers that come down and volunteer Meanwhile the work is progressing their time to the boatshop. I continue to be inspired by the dedication nicely on our other projects. The dory and passion of the people drawn to this place. If anyone is interested in Q’ona has gotten quite a few improve- CWB Volunteer Dave helping out with any of these projects, come see me at the shop. ments from CWB shipwright Geoff Ballard dismantles the rig Braden and his crew of volunteers, most on the Dory Q’ona 10 Shavings
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C o l l e c t i o n Mistral
B y E r ic Sor ensen Executive Director, Experience Mistral Project, http://svmistral.blogspot.com Mistral visited the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival this year with a core mission: defend the Port Townsend Challenge Cup. The vaunted cup defense ended up being a sidelight, in a good way. The cup was started last year as a complement to the boat show’s schooner race. You may recall Mistral won, starting poorly, then watching the pack get hung up in a current while we steered wide. We all limped around the course in the faintest of air, and Mistral hung on to beat Sparkle, the Port Townsend boat to beat, and the Center’s own Pirate. Scott Rohrer had Pirate bow out of this year’s race, which looked like it was going to have last year’s dead air until about 15 minutes before the start. Then someone switched on a big fan. Mistral beat Sparkle to the starting line, then watched its big black waterline cruise by. So much for our cup. As it was, we had our hands full. A huge gust came from port. I was controlling the mainsail, so it was my job to let the sail out and spill some wind so the boat wouldn’t get knocked on its ear. But it’s a big boat with a few tons of ballast on the keel. I figured we could just wait the gust out. Water came over the toe rail and on to the deck, then up to the windows of the house. Kemp let me know to ease out the sail with the encouraging, mentorly manner of a skipper under pressure. He said something like this: “LET OUT THE MAIN!” I eased out the sail just enough to lift the rail from the water and kept it there as dark gusts tried to bat us about. A thick curl was gushing off the bow like water from a storm-choked culvert. Brooke Marjamaa, executive officer and leader of the foredeck, was getting washed in a Maytag. I had to loop the handheld GPS around a vent to keep it from sliding overboard. Its readout was academic; we were flying. Mistral’s designer, Ben Seaborn, had aimed to have this boat and its five-foot keel part tons of water at a time with minimum fuss. Our dirty, November/December 2006
splintered hands had helped that effort along this August, hauling out and brushing, sanding, wiping, painting, fairing, smoothing and otherwise caressing every turn and surface. Now it was all coming together. We were a funk band in a deep groove, taut with concentration but aware on a clear, second level that this was one great ride. It would have been frightening if we weren’t in the good hands of Kemp and each other and the experienced hull and rigging of Mistral herself. “We sailed that boat about as hard as it can be sailed,” Kemp said later. “This one day of sailing has made all the work worthwhile,” said Erik Nielsen, one of Mistral’s more loyal volunteers. The next day we were supposed to join the rest of the boat show and sail along the Port Townsend waterfront, but the wind was up early, the Seattle-bound flood tide was starting and I got antsy to go. At 1:30 we left the Point Hudson Marina under sail and kept sailing for the next seven hours. We skirted the north end of Marrowstone Island and rocketed past Bush Point with the flood adding nearly two knots to our stern. The wind held all the way to the breakwater at Shilshole. As we dropped the sails in the dark and got a tow line to Brian Bennett, another one of the Center’s vast community of volunteers, I noticed we were moving with a certain economy of motion. With wits and wind alone we had covered more than 30 nautical miles and navigated the salty tide-tossed basin that help make this a place like few others. We did it in a boat made from trees by smart people who lived and worked on these shores. We continued a tradition in which the boat had become part of us and we had become part of the boat. It was a good weekend. This article is adapted from a longer feature in the Seattle Times Northwest Weekend section. Shavings 11
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Maritime Skills Programs Inspired by John Guzzwell b y
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If you’ve ever considered building a boat of your own but have been discouraged by the complexity of plank on frame construction you’ll want to know more about cold molding. As taught by John Guzzwell, cold molding takes advantage of the resourcefulness of veneers and the strength of modern adhesives. Cold molding reduces or eliminates framing leaving a clean interior. With no frames and planking there are no heavy fasteners going through the hull and no swelling or shrinking seams between planks to allow water into the boat. John has built several boats in this mode with excellent results and longevity ranging from tenders to a 130-footer. Epoxies, resorcinol and 3M 5200 are all suitable glues, but after developing a sensitivity to epoxy in the early nineties John discovered a water-based glue from the Borden company that showed good potential for the marine environment. Containing no petroleum Wonderbond’s advantages are myriad. Tools clean up easy, it’s non-toxic and the cost is about 20% that of epoxy.
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The use of veneers has many benefits as well. Their manufacture generates less waste and more of the tree can actually be used; no long clear timbers are needed when skinning the hull. This also means that one person can do the bulk of the work when building a cold molded boat. During the five day workshop six students laminated three layers of 1/16th inch veneer onto a mold of a John Atkins Petey Dink design. Each layer, or skin, took about one day to fit, glue and clamp. The first skin’s strakes are glued to the keel, the 2nd is glued to the first at 90 degrees and the 3rd glued 90 degrees to the second. By having each skin’s grain oriented in three layers all going in different directions the strength of the hull is maximized. Our pram popped off the mold as scheduled on Friday with minimal fuss. The skeg, gunwales, thwarts and knees must be made and installed to finish the boat but when this is it will be very stiff and weigh in at less than fifty pounds.
I was surprised and delighted at the relaxed, hands on teaching style of John Guzzwell’s cold molded boat building class. My fears of inexperience faded quickly as we got right to work learning John’s techniques as we went. John always had time for our questions and before long we became a bonded team of cutting, stapling, gluing comrades. We finished with a completed hull and skills and confidence to build our own boats. This is the first time I’ve taken a boat building class and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the instructor, facility, and staff at CWB! I’ll be back to take more classes for sure. Probably the class on building a sail rig is next for me. Thanks for getting me started, Lloyd Jones, Portland. Oregon
Information about upcoming workshops for next year could go here. Website. whatever information.
In September John Guzzwell (second from left) returned to CWB to teach a Cold Molded Boatbuilding workshop. Five students spent a very enjoyable week building a dinghy and learning tried and tested skills from a master craftsman. 12 Shavings
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Cama Beach Area Update for October, November and December, 2006 As of September 25, 2006, Phase II B construction has started at Cama Beach. The bid for Phase II B construction was awarded to Advanced Construction Inc. located out of Mukilteo. This phase will include the Welcome Center, and the Comfort Station off West Camano Drive, completion of the utility system and the rehab of the 44 historic structures in the National Historic site along the shoreside.. This work is expected to be completed by the fall of 2007. The final phase to open the park includes the rustic retreat lodge, the dining hall and the administration complex. This final phase should start in 2007 and be done in spring 2008. With this schedule the grand opening of the park will be in May of 2008. Volunteers are building furniture for the 5 new cabins at Camano Island State Park (CISP). After the furniture for the cabins is complete, the volunteers will get back to building furniture for Cama Beach. The furniture lumber is milled from the trees that were felled for the Cama Beach parking lots. As always Friends of Camano Island Parks continue to do an incredible amount of trail maintenance at both parks. The Cama Quilters continue to sew and create while working at the South Camano Grange. CWB has begun planning for activities at Cama Beach State Park, and uses the facilities at Camano Island State Park for the annual free public sail over Mother’s Day weekend. For more information call Betsy Davis at CWB, (206) 382-2628.
Under sail in Saratoga Passage during CWB’s free public sail over Mother’s Day Weekend on Camano Island.
For questions or concerns about the progress and status of the project, to volunteer, or to be added to the mailing list about the opening of Cama Beach, please contact Cama Beach State Park (360) 387-7542 or e-mail at cama. beach@parks.wa.gov .
H a i d a C a n o e The Center for Wooden Boats hosts Haida Carver Saaduuts as an Artist-in-Residence. His program, Carving Cultural Connections involves the community in the creation of traditional dugout canoes.
This summer several young people worked with Saaduuts on carving a dugout canoe in South Lake Union Park. Participants included Youth Engaged in Service (YES) members. YES is a program for middle-schoolers run by Seattle Parks and Recreation. November/December 2006
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New: Story Hour for ages 2-5
Northwest Seaport and The Center for Wooden Boats are continuing the new tradition of Story Hour on the Historic Arthur Foss (a 100 year old tug boat). The stories feature kids, boats, and the sea. This event is for kids ages 2-5. Information is available at www.cwb. org. This is an ongoing event, every second and fourth Thursday of the month. The Arthur Foss is located on the Historic Ships Wharf in South Lake Union Park.
Seattle Honors
History and Veterans of the USS Washington BB56
The Museum of History and Industry and the Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society invite you to a special evening honoring the history and veterans of the Battleship Washington BB56. The special program will be held at the Museum of History and Industry. Seattle, on November 10, at 7:30 p.m. This is the 64th anniversary of the third battle of Savo Island when the USS WASHINGTON sank the Japanese Battleship, KIRISHIMA in a wild engagement that was the turning point in the battle for Guadalcanal and the Naval war in the Pacific. Rear Admiral Herbert M. Bridge, USNR (retired) will speak on the distinguished career of the WASHINGTON during World War II. Rear Admiral John W. Goodwin USN, Commander, ABRAHAM LINCOLN Strike Group will speak on Navy activities at the present time. A special display will feature a large scale model of the USS WASHINGTON, built by Clayton Naset, a chart showing USS WASHINGTON’S battle participation, a life-size replica of a 16” gun projectile and a description of the gun. USS WASHINGTON veterans who served on the ship as well as all veterans, their families and the general public are invited to this interesting free program. 14 Shavings
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CWB Auction March 3, 2007
Save the Date!
Saturday, March 3, 2007 5:00 - 10:00 p.m. The Mountaineers Club 300 3rd Avenue W.
We’re already gearing up for our 2007 Annual Celebration and Fundraising Auction. It’s going to be bigger and better than ever, with the help of all our generous friends and enthusiastic volunteers. Our goal is to raise more than $100K to help fund our many exciting and growing programs. This year’s event is being held once again at the Mountaineers Club. It’s going to be a night of great food, music and the best auction items in town!
We hope that you’ll want to participate by donating an item (http://www.cwb.org/AuctionDonation.htm) or helping out with auction preparations. We accept a wide range of items including maritime goods and services, gift certificates, event tickets, wine packages, and unique experiences. This is also a great way to promote your business or organization! 100% of the proceeds from the silent and live auction go to support CWB. For additional information about donating, visit our website at www.cwb.org or contact our auction coordinator, Eldon Tam, at (206) 382-2628 eldon@cwb.org.
Holiday Lights Cruises for 2006
See the lights of the city and then rendezvous with the Christmas Ships parade. What better way to see this tradition of lights and music than from the decks of an historic steam ship! This year the S.S. Virginia V offers three opportunities to join the fun. All trips depart Seattle’s Heritage Pier (south Lake Union) promptly at 7:30 PM and return approximately 10:30 PM. Cruises include complimentary hors d’oeuvrs & desserts plus a cash bar. Tickets $60 per person ($50 members). Contact the Steamship Virginia V Foundation at (206) 624-9119 or www.virginiav.org.
Friday December 1st Friday December 15th Saturday December 23rd
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The Feed and Caring of CWB A Perfect Boat that Nobody Wanted We get all kind of boats donated here at CWB. Some are beautiful varnished show boats; some are deteriorated project boats that need to be saved, and some that nobody wants. This summer I received a boat that fit the last category. It’s a 24’ skiff constructed of plywood on yellow cedar frames. It’s beamy and has high freeboard, a motor well and a completely open interior. It was designed for the gill netting fishery on the Copper River in Alaska, but never used for that purpose. The donor purchased two of the skiffs for Dungeness crab fishing off of Camano Island. The boat that he gave us was the second one he purchased, thinking that he would use it when the first one wore out. The good news for us is that it never did wear out and the second boat was never used. He kept it for years after he stopped crabbing with the intention of eventually using it, but came to the realization that he was past that point in his life and decided to donate it to CWB. I accepted it with the possibility of using it in our new class teaching kids about the life on a working gillnetter. It turned out to be the wrong boat for that program and I decided to sell it. I advertised it here at CWB, in Shavings, and on our website
b y P a t r i c k G o u ld for several months. I even ran a couple eBay auctions, but couldn’t sell the boat. Keep in mind that it’s painted gray and has a thick layer of fiberglass over the bottom. It doesn’t
Donate Your Boat to CWB in 2006
Get that unwanted boat out of the backyard or garage. Stop paying high moorage payments. Donate your boat to CWB! Boats that are donated in 2006 can still qualify for an income tax deduction. As long as we receive the vessel before December 31st you will still receive a deduction if it sells before you file your 2006 return. Give our boat donation manager, Patrick Gould, a call today. look like the typical highly finished boat that you see at CWB. I knew it was a good boat, but wooden boat buyers in Seattle just didn’t seem to understand this big, blocky gray thing that didn’t even have seats. Then along came the perfect buyer, and it instantly became the perfect boat. Robin Mail is a fisherman from Aberdeen,
Classifieds CWB Winter Livery Hours
Oct. 16, 2006-Mar 17, 2007 Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. 12:00 pm - Dusk
Tuesday-Friday by appointment. November/December 2006
Molds, patterns, loft, prints, pictures for a 23 foot fantail launch. Contact Pete Hurd at 1360-652-6922. Power, hand tools and other boat related things are also for sale.
WA. He’s been fishing all his life and makes his living doing it. He was in Seattle visiting the Boats Afloat show and spotted the skiff in our parking lot. He called me the next day and we struck a deal for the boat plus a little extra for me to tow it to Aberdeen. The next week I drove it down there. As I passed tidal creeks (pronounced “crick” for all you city folk) and clam shacks I began to have the feeling that the boat was going to a good home. One thing I noticed as I pulled up to Robin’s landing on Chenois Creek was that there was no launch ramp and I wondered how we were going to get the boat off the CWB owned trailer. I found out a short time later when Robin pulled up in his pickup. We tied one end of a rope to his truck and one end to the boat. We both got in our trucks and drove in opposite directions! In no time the boat was off the trailer and on the bank next to Robin’s landing. We chatted for a bit and I left with his promise of some fresh Salmon the next time I was in Aberdeen. Since then I talked to him a few times. He reports that all the fishermen are jealous and want to know where he got the skiff and where they can get one like it. That’s how the boat that nobody wanted turned out to be the perfect boat.
CWB Wish List • • • • • • •
A pickup truck Wooden Boat Magazine Issues # 1-12 4 x 6 nice rug for kids in the library Kids’ Books DVD Player Refrigerator (please contact us first!) Digital cameras
September/October Shavings Contributors: Lee Bjorklund • Betsy Davis • Jodee Fenton • Patrick Gould Lloyd Jones • Adrian Lipp • Greg Reed • Larry Roth • Saaduuts • Jack Saylor Heron Scott • Eric Sorensen • Dave Thacker • Dick Wagner Shavings 15
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Buy a Boat from The Center for Wooden Boats !
Occasionally The Center for Wooden Boats has a boat donated that does not quite fit with our programs. We find good homes for these boats and use the proceeds to fund our operation. For more information call Patrick Gould at 206-218-6547or see our website www.cwb.org. William Garden Sloop 47’ LOA. This boat is owned by Front Desk volunteer Ros Bond. He will donate $12,000 to CWB if we find a buyer for him. It’s all Teak, and it’s the best built wooden boats we’ve ever seen. You’ll get a perfect boat and CWB will get some cash to help us provide all the programs that you know and love. Please call for full specs and more info. $169,000 Cruisers Inc 21’x7.5’. A husky runabout for big lakes or the Sound. Hull is in good condition and has been painted recently. Interior is a little rough but serviceable. The V6 OMC engine was submerged and is not running. The trailer is good but shows some surface rust. This is a desirable model that is becoming more collectable as time goes on. $1,950. 12’ Whitehall. 12’ LOA We received a new Whitehall and we have decided to sell one of the old ones. It’s in pretty good condition but needs to be refinished and a small repair of the Breast Hook. $1,995
1010 Valley Street Seattle, WA 98109-4468 206.382.2628 • www.cwb.org • cwb@cwb.org
23’ Norwegian Kutters. We have three available One of the sexiest daysailers ever built. These little racers are the pocket sized descendants of boats like the R Boat Pirate and the
Dragon. They’re nimble, easy to single handle and a real hoot when the breeze picks up. They were donated as a fleet of four and we’ve decided to sell them individually. They all need work, but they’re worthy projects. $3,000
Preston Wright Sloop. 47’ LOA Built in the Philippines in the 1980s using South East Asian style boat building. Plenty of room for living aboard. Great BMW diesel. Good sails with low hours. It does need some attention but is worth a look if you’re interested in a large boat with blue water potential and lots of interior space. $17,995
Sierra Sloop. 26’ LOA The forerunner of the famous Northwest Thunderbird design. Cedar planking on oak frames. A great boat that we have been sailing every week since it was donated. It needs some cosmetic sprucing up but otherwise is ready to go. (We cracked a transom plank recently. The repair will be included at full purchase price, or do it yourself and save $500.) $4,000 Blanchard Senior Knockabout. 26’ LOA $2000 goes to CWB when the boat sells At one time The Blanchard Senior fleet was the largest wooden cruising sailboat fleet on the West coast. Many are still around and they are enjoying a resurgence in popularity. They really are the ultimate low cost classic sailboat, and we should know. Two of our employees own Seniors and one of them is a permanent part of the Fleet. We also have eight of the Blanchard Junior Knockabouts, the little sister to the Senior. We love Blanchards and would love for this one to go to a good home. $4,995 Petrel. 18’. We’re selling our Petrel! After many years of faithful service we’re finally selling this 18’ camp cruiser which needs some TLC. It has a little cuddy cabin and the mast folds down for easy trailering. It does have a leaky centerboard, but it’s repairable and would be a great boat for gunkholing around the Sound or the inside waters of British Columbia. Imagine trailering it to Desolation sound for a week exploring all the little pockets that are off limits to larger boats. $3,400
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