Who wants a project?

[Stevemilne]

1962-approx-boats-and-boats-McKenzieBay-Ontario.jpg20210212_171119_HDR.jpg I find myself with a skiff that needs a new home. My father found it abandond on the shore of lake Superior 62 years ago it was old when he found it. He rebuilt it and we used it for a long time, Then it sat for a longer time. It needs lots of work. It is in Southern California. I would love to give it to someone who wants a project. Or a Boy Scout troop, or a museum. I would love Ideas. The last thing I want to do is scrap it.

[sp_clark]

Where’s Todd when he’s needed....

[2dogsnight]

very nice!
Looks like good rowboat, how long is it ?

[Edward Pearson]

Looks like an Alaskan salmon handliner? They were about 14-15ft by 45/46 inch beam.





If it is, I don't think there are many originals left...

[amish rob]

Man, I’d love to do the work on that. What a lovely boat, and what a fun project; and, I recently found another mill, because the last two I had used burned.

Still. That’s time and money I don’t have. Well, the time I could make...

That is a lovely, lovely little rowboat. Sigh.

Not enough time in this life.

[johngsandusky]

Welcome aboard!
I hope the boat finds a good home. A word of warning: "Free" listings on Craigslist attract dreamers that may have no ability to repair or keep a boat. You did the right thing posting it here. There is a Facebook Woodenboat group too. Here on LI there are a couple of schools or groups that might take and restore it. Perhaps there's one near you too. Good luck, keep us posted.

[Thad]

The Great Lakes, especially Lake Superior, would be the place to start.

[Woody Jones]

The Maritime Museum of San Diego maybe interested. 619-234-9153. Looks like a worthy project and they have the expertise.

[nedL]

Nice little (over hear we would call her a) pea pod. I’d take her for sure if it was 300 miles and not 3000!

[timo4352]

Yeah me too Ned.
It's a nice looking boat.
Thorne is out that way....isn't he?
Maybe someone in his group of boating friends out there would take her on.

[Edward Pearson]

Narrow nailed strip construction (unless its not original). Small stealer under the gunwale forward can be seen to get the extra pop in the sheer. That suggests a Salmon Troller/ Handliner. Peapods were usually wider carvel or lapstrake. There’s a bit more sheer and those fore and aft decks with the coaming like on a canoe suggest the Salmon Troller as thats how they aranged it. Peapods usually beamier, less sheer about a foot wider. The Trollers were just rowers for trolling at 3 knots, quite narrow and lithe compared to a pod. Apparently the length is perfected to the PNW average wave period, or at least avoided resonance. Need to know its dimensions really. If its troller it’s roughly 100 years old as apparently alot were built during the great depression. Larry Westlake is the guy who’s studied them. Might be wrong though, just the first picture and construction suggested the Troller to me. A peapod would have heavier ribs less closely spaced? Not seen peapods generally with a small deck and coaming. Spent a bit of time looking at Trollers and have Brightsides plans (dad bought them). If it is one there’s only a handfull remaining. Depends if its savable or original I guess for a museum.

Steve how long is it and how wide is it? Any internal picture?

[Thad]

This boat came from Lake Superior, not the Pacific North West.

[Edward Pearson]

His dad found an old boat 70 years ago on Lake Superior. The design and it’s earlier life might lay elsewhere. A good boat is a good boat and enough reason to potentially haul it accross the country. The fleet of 100’s of trollers all got sold after WW2. Just saying. You Americans should know what it is. Fat beam its east coast and it’ll stink of lobster bait, thin its a westcoaster and stinks of Salmon. Someone go and sniff it’s garboards.

[Jfitzger]

Given that there has been commercial fishing on Lake Superior for almost 200 years I think it’s far more likely to be something indigenous to the Great Lakes than something imported from either coast. The Pacific is 1600 miles away from Lake Superior and the Atlantic 1200. It almost looks like a scaled down Mackinaw boat to me.

I really wish this was closer to me. I would happily bring it full circle and use it in Lake Superior.

[Larks]

Lovely. I’m looking forward to reading that someone here takes on this boat - I’m amazed that his dad found it 80 years ago and it’s still in such reasonable shape for restoration.

If I was closer......

[Tim B]

It looks like a herring skiff. The lake Superior fisherman on Minnesota's north shore used two types of boats. An open 'gas boat' which was usually around 26 ft long. This boat was used to fishing lake trout, by hook lines in the spring and summer and by nets in the fall. The fisherman usually had a second, smaller rowboat; which they used to net herring in the shallow waters around shore. The herring would be used to bait the hook lines. These herring skiffs were often double ended designs. There is a museum near Grand Marias, Minnesota, see North Shore Fishing Museum (commercialfishingmuseum.org). There is also a museum on Isle Royale. But most small museums don't fetch, so unless you want to deliver, they likely will not be interested.

By the way, is that picture of you and your siblings wading in Lake Superior? That would explain the sweater on your sister and the chilled look on your face.

-Tim