Looking for info on bridgdeck cruiser in B.C.

[RobK]

This boat recently changed hands through the Vancouver Craigslist. The boat sold before I could contact the seller and in hindsight, I couldn’t have crossed the border anyway. I did however find the boat to be very charming and would love to know more about it if anyone here knows the boat or comes across it in the future. Thanks for looking.

Rob

[cstevens]

She’s lovely. Do you have a name? She looks a lot like Cle Illahee (https://classicyacht.org/boats/cle-illahee) which was built by Vic Franck but that type was built by several yards in the PNW/BC region. Hoffar Beeching, Blanchard, Franck and others. Keep your eyes open and another one will come along.

[Nicholas Scheuer]

​I like everything about her.

[RobK]

Thank you both for responding. Chris, I really enjoy reading your posts and the photos of and from Skookum Maru are great. My wife and I haven't had a proper boat trip in a year and we tend to favor the south sound. Jarrel Cove is her favorite spot.

The ad didn’t contain much info. No name mentioned and there is obviously nothing visible in the photos. He did say that the boat is 36 feet and was built in Coal Harbor, Vancouver Island in 1936. No mention of condition but the asking price seemed reasonable without being so low as to cause concern.

Between reading this forum and watching videos on YouTube I think I came to believe that all of the nice wooden boats in the area were well known in the wooden boat community. I’m starting to realize that there are probably hundreds of nice wooden boats in the northwest that have no internet presence; this boat being one of them.

[cstevens]

Cheers Rob. That little bridgedeck is a jewel. My guess is that she was built by Hoffar-Beeching (which was Boeing Canada by 1936) but I don't find any reference to a boat like her in the listings so perhaps not. There were plenty of yards in that area building similar boats at the time. I think most of the classic motor boats in Seattle are somewhat known due to the presence of the Classic Yacht Association. The members tend to know the boats around here. The CYA has a smaller presence in BC so I suspect there are more boats up there just sitting in sheds.

We will have to give Jarrell Cove another chance in the fall I think. It seemed like a nice place but over-crowded right now. I walked up to the campground, which also looked like a great place to stay except for one big RV sitting right in the middle of things running a very noisy generator. Not at all pleasant.

[cstevens]

Rob, this boat might be worth a look if you are still searching for a classic bridgedeck cruiser:

https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/b...182720773.html

I don’t know the boat and at that price I’d expect her to have needs but she seems likely to be worth the effort.

[bluedog225]

Must look away....

[cstevens]

Must look away....

Ha! Yes, she looks like a sweet little boat doesn't she? And only 28'. Just large enough for a couple to cruise aboard without breaking the bank...

[RobK]

Chris, Thanks for thinking of me. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for the right boat, but I'm not looking aggressively. I have my folkboat to keep me busy and to keep me on the water.
The boat in the ad is a bit smaller than I'd like and although it has it's charms, I see a lot of things that I would want to tackle immediately which is not quite what I'm after.

[cstevens]

Yep, I think that's a fair assessment of that boat. Ok then

[Jim Bow]

Twice in two days I’ve seen Boeing-Canada mentioned. Yesterday I saw a PBY Catalina labeled as “Boeing Seaplane”. A little research showed it to having been built by Boeing-Canada under license. And now this thread.

[cstevens]

Jim you will see Boeing Canada come up a lot more if you spend much time around the PNW classic yacht scene. They built some fantastic boats. The yard was formerly Hoffar-Beeching before Boeing bought them in, I think, 1936. Deer Leap is a pretty good example of their work.

https://classicyacht.org/boats/deerleap

[RobK]

This is interesting. I found this on the Canadian page of the CYA website.
I wonder if the boat I'm curious about comes from one of these builders?

[cstevens]

This is interesting. I found this on the Canadian page of the CYA website.
I wonder if the boat I'm curious about comes from one of these builders?

It's certainly possible. The great majority of boats from the Canadian-Japanese builders in B.C. were commercial - mostly trollers, seiners, and gillnetters - but Hasegawa and others also produced a few pleasure boats.

If you are interested in B.C. boats and boatbuilders there are some great resources out there, starting with Nauticapedia:

https://www.nauticapedia.ca/

There is a long, although still incomplete, listing of B.C. boat builders here:

https://www.nauticapedia.ca/Articles/Boat_Builders.php

Also the principle compiler of the Nauticapedia, John MacFarlane, is on Facebook and runs the B.C. Nautical History group there (https://www.facebook.com/groups/BCNauticalHistory). Much of the content is focused on commercial maritime history but the members are very knowledgeable about B.C. boat building in general.

You might also try the Classic Yacht Association Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/classicyacht

And the CYA Canadian Fleet group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1910626202589615

Those groups are less active than the BC Nautical History group but the members are likely to know more about B.C.-built yachts.

[RobK]

Thanks Chris,

I'll enjoy looking through those pages.

I just got home after looking at this boat up in Everett. Like the one that you pointed out to me, at 32' overall, I suspected that this boat would be smaller than I would prefer. It never occurred to me that preference would have nothing to do with it. I can't stand up in this boat! At six feet, I can only stand upright when standing dead center in the wheelhouse and then I'm looking directly at the upper frame of the windows. The berths are also too short. Not the boat for me. That said, I really enjoyed having a look. She's a very cute boat in good condition and if she were scaled up slightly I'd be very tempted. I envy the next owner. Provided he's of the proper stature of course.

[BBSebens]

I just got home after looking at this boat up in Everett. Like the one that you pointed out to me, at 32' overall, I suspected that this boat would be smaller than I would prefer. It never occurred to me that preference would have nothing to do with it. I can't stand up in this boat! At six feet, I can only stand upright when standing dead center in the wheelhouse and then I'm looking directly at the upper frame of the windows. The berths are also too short. Not the boat for me. That said, I really enjoyed having a look. She's a very cute boat in good condition and if she were scaled up slightly I'd be very tempted. I envy the next owner. Provided he's of the proper stature of course.

Im glad you went and looked at Folly. She sure looks great in the photos, and at a great price. I'm also 6' tall, so I'm glad I didn't get my hopes up and go see her.

[RobK]

She is definitely a nice little boat. As I'm really still in the learning process, I'm glad I went to take a look. If you have just seen the Craigslist photos, there are quite a bit more a Yachtworld.