Introduction

This study sets out to document the shipwrights and boatbuilders who were integral to the north coast fishing industry throughout the twentieth century. The goal is to celebrate the men and women who built and maintained the thousands of wooden vessels which carried North Coast fishermen safely to the fishing grounds.

The great majority of vessels built on the North Coast were the gillnetters, trollers, seiners and halibut boats constructed for the vibrant salmon and halibut fishing industries. In their heyday, salmon canneries maintained their own large fleet of gillnet boats. Often individual fishermen built boats for their own use in the off season. Some of these builders found their boats were sought after by others, so they broadened their scope and opened boatyards.

Fishing boats weren't the only wooden vessels to be built, of course. Many rowboats and skiffs were produced over the years, some of which still exist. Pleasure craft were also constructed, as were work boats. The skills of the shipwright are also applied in the ongoing maintenance and repair necessary to keep the boats afloat.

The stories of the North Coast boatbuilders and their wooden boats are many and diverse. This project records some of them. There are tales of the hermit on Stephens Island and the couple who spent five years working on a troller for their son, who wasn't interested. There are accounts of the record setters, too, like the Wahls who launched more than 1000 boats, and the long-lived McLean’s Shipyards, still going strong after 90 years.

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