Latest news with #woodenboats
The Guardian
5 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Matthew Law obituary
My brother, Matthew Law, who has died aged 63, was for more than 20 years a beloved tutor at the Boat Building Academy, the 'wooden boat school', in Lyme Regis, Dorset. The academy's motto, 'Launching People (and Boats)', perfectly encapsulated Matthew's own motivation. Thirty years sober at the time of his death, he tirelessly supported others struggling with addiction. He was an exceptional mentor: funny, original, gentle and passionate. Born in Dorking, Surrey, Matt was the second son of Tim, a headteacher who loved sailing, and Anne, who had worked as part of the Student Movement House organisation in Kenya, Tanzania and Burma. Growing up in Bude, Cornwall, meant playing in the sea and on the downs. Our family moved with my father's job to Hertfordshire, and Matt attended Cavendish school in Hemel Hempstead. Work experience as a thatcher and a summer job on tugs in Southampton harbour showed his affinity for craft and boats. He got a scholarship to Gordonstoun school in Scotland for his sixth form. After a year studying humanities at Middlesex Polytechnic, he returned to the family home, by now in Wareham, Dorset, and worked for the RNLI as a labourer and in their research department in Poole. In the early 80s Matthew joined the Tate Gallery in London as a technician, combining his love of art with his forklift driving skills. From there, he joined a year-long EU youth expedition, driving a convoy of 4x4s from London to Cape Town, engaging in projects along the way. After jobs in London as a management consultant, then a researcher for a Confederation of British Industry film project, in 1989 Matthew joined the Irish aid agency Goal, driven by a desire to return to Africa to work in relief and development. He managed their Khartoum office for a year, and in 1990 he helped establish Action Africa in Need in Nairobi, setting up a new aid route into war-torn South Sudan. This led to him overseeing the south-east region of Kenya for Unicef, establishing refugee camps and aid routes for the thousands fleeing conflict in Somalia. In 1995 he embarked on a master's in development studies at Trinity College Dublin, where he got sober and a distinction. After a stint at Save the Children in London he made another change. He undertook a year of training in 1999 at the wooden boat school and was apprenticed at Latham's boatyard in Poole, then returned to the school as a tutor, quickly assuming substantial responsibility for its operation. One of his colleagues in Lyme Regis described the 'many hours we spent in fits of giggles, trying to pull ourselves together to look more professional. I think it was all this laughter that made him such a hit with the students.' He was a wonderful teacher, hugely knowledgable, with a genuine interest in those around him; and an enthusiast for, among other things, dogs, fun, his family, calligraphy, friends, exuberant rearrangements of the English language, and chocolate eggs. He is survived by me, and by his niece, Eliza and nephew, Seamus.
CBS News
24-07-2025
- CBS News
Alexandria is home to one of the nation's largest boat museums
From wooden boats to classic boats to odd boats that maybe should have never been on the lake in the first place, Alexandria, Minnesota, is home to one of the largest boat museums in the entire country. "You've got to have a picture with Big Ole," said Kim Hess, a visitor. At 65 years old and nearly 30 feet tall, the big Viking casts quite a shadow in Alexandria. But just beyond his silhouette is a museum that celebrates a different part of the town's history. "It makes sense that we would have a museum devoted to our lakes, lake culture, lake life, and all things lake-related," said Kaci Johnson. In the mid-90s, a group of residents wanted to highlight wooden boats and their craftsmanship, believing they were essentially works of art. So, they converted an old city garage into the Legacy of Lakes Museum. "Our oldest wood boat is 1894. There is something great about seeing the lights shining off the mahogany," said Johnson, who is the associate director. She said there are now nearly 100 different classic boats and watercraft in the museum. Many of them donated and many of them local. "Every little town had a small boat works, but then those grew into brands you recognize like Lund, Larson, Crestliner, Alumacraft," Johnson said. "Our own Alexandria Boat Works was probably one of the earliest in the state, if not the earliest in the state." They were once a Glastron distributor, which made the popular James Bond boat. "This is the model they used for the famous 'live and let die' scene where he jumps over the road," Johnson said. Nearby, you'll find the Falls Flyer by Larson, a nod to Little Falls native and aviator Charles Lindbergh. "There are not too many of them, but they are popular among collectors," Johnson said. Driving a boat is one thing. Flying a boat is another. "This is the Heli-Bout. It's the only one in the world," Johnson said. Evinrude and designer Brooks Stevens came up with the idea in the 1960s, hoping boaters could lift off from lake to lake. "It doesn't fly. It spins though," Johnson said. At least the UFO next to it, the unidentified floating object, did work as expected. "This is a floating saucer. According to the owner, it's almost impossible to sink this," Johnson said. In the Land of 10,000 Lakes, this place fits right in, even if you're someone who doesn't like making waves. "I like the reactions from people who are like, 'I don't even like boats, but I love this museum.'" Johnson said. "To be Minnesotan is to fall in love with the lake, and that's kind of what we embody here at this museum." There are 350 lakes in Douglas County, surrounding Alexandria. Next year, the Legacy of Lakes Museum will celebrate its 25th year in its current location. They are open seven days a week from mid-May until the end of October.
CTV News
14-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
In Lunenburg, N.S., boatbuilders carve out niche markets in challenging times
Shipwrights work at the Big Boat Shed where traditional wooden boats are built on the historic waterfront of Lunenburg, N.S., on Monday, July 7, 2025. Located on the Smith and Rhuland boatyard which opened in 1900, the workshop was the main boatbuilding facility where more than 270 boats were built — including the Bluenose II. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese LUNENBURG — At a wharf where oceangoing yachts tie up for repairs, Paul Baskett — a boatbuilder and owner of Lunenburg's Old Town Boatworks — says his craft is showing signs of renewal amid challenging times. 'Lunenburg in the boatbuilding repair world is bustling,' he said, standing alongside a varnished wooden mast from a vintage sloop he's carefully restoring. Baskett, 53, came to the community to be part of what he called 'the working waterfront' about 20 years ago, after becoming an avid sailor in his teenage years, and apprenticing as a shipwright in England. But survival in this industry hasn't been easy in recent years, as boatyards have had to shift to a creative mix of filling niche markets — ranging from rebuilding classic sailing yachts to fabricating uncrewed vessels with laser-cut sheets of aluminum. Twenty-three years ago, a 2002 study for the Nova Scotia Boatbuilders Association noted, 'this sector has the potential to create significant benefits for rural Nova Scotia. From a strategic planning perspective ... the sector is a star performer.' However, Transport Canada data compiled by the association shows new vessel registration in the province peaked around 2003 at about 200 boats and declined to less than 50 boats in 2023. Boatbuilders have moved increasingly to repairs and refits as new construction lagged. Jan Fullerton, executive director of the association, said in a recent email the hurdles have included rising costs during the pandemic, persistent labour shortages and increasing regulatory requirements. Lately, there's also been the rise of tariffs and trade barriers, which 'impacts manufacturing costs (and) ... affects the affordability of custom and semi-custom boats,' she adds. But part of the answer appears to lie in combining the town's favourable geography with its reputation as a hub for marine industry expertise. 'Lunenburg is on the way to everywhere if you're on a boat,' said Baskett. 'This is where people stop in.' Last week at his dock, the arrival of a seagoing yacht from the southern Caribbean drew a network of boatbuilding tradespeople, including riggers, sailmakers, diesel mechanics, marine electricians and shipwrights. The specialists will spend months refinishing teak wood decks, adjusting stays and upgrading sails. Baskett says each job varies in scope and revenues, with some bringing in $80,000 over a few months, while larger jobs may provide up to $2 million to the local tradespeople over two years. 'The money all stays in (Lunenburg) county. It's quite amazing actually,' he added. As he speaks, Doug Theobalds, a retiree who spent about 30 years in the marine paint and varnish industry in Maine, strolls into the yard where he has several wooden boats being meticulously restored. Theobolds said he expects repairs to his William Fife III double-ended sloop — named for the Scottish boat designer who conceived its elegant proportions in 1938 — will be true to the first version of the yacht. 'I get it done here because of Paul (Baskett's) philosophy toward wooden boats ... restoring them as close to the original as possible,' he said, pointing out the reworked mahogany doors that open into the main cabin. 'Maine and Nova Scotia both have traditions of wooden boats, but Lunenburg is a little closer to the past than Maine. ... The focus in Lunenburg is its history and its association with the past,' said Theobalds. A widening circle of boat owners are also noticing pricing in Nova Scotia is lower for retrofits than in the U.S., while quality is comparable, said Michael Moreland, the owner of Ironbound Rigging Co. — one of the subcontractors who often helps repair yachts tied to the Old Town Boatworks wharf. 'It's the busiest June over the past six years. It's been on a steady climb ... Our dollar is good value compared to the U.S. or the euro,' he said. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the harbour, Colin Ross, the research director of ABCO Industries — which had built vessels for the Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Navy — said he's aiming to marry the yard's historic knowledge of boats to modern manufacturing techniques. In one of the fabrication buildings, the 38-year-old physicist stands before a gleaming, all-aluminum, uncrewed service vessel, explaining how it will carry out hydrographic surveys of the ocean bottom. 'Instead of sending out a large harvest vessel with a full crew and the fuel bill associated with it, you can send this and ... provide the harvest vessel all the information needed to target the species they're looking at,' he said last week. 'We are ramping up into a lot of new products,' said Ross, gesturing to a nearby all-electric vessel. But returning boatbuilding to its heyday of the past century — when Nova Scotia designers were world famous and marine construction was a mainstay in rural towns — is still a long way off. Baskett said Lunenburg must build more, lower priced housing for workers on a lower middle-class salary, while ensuring that a gentrified town is more accepting of the noise and dust that a modern boatbuilding shop generates. 'Some aspects of our community are still obsessed with the 1800s and I'm more interested in the 2030s and the 2040s because there are really skilled people here and they are skilled people who want to live and work here,' said Baskett. Brad Boutilier, owner of the Lunenburg Shipyard, said in a recent interview he's struggled to take the yard towards profitability even as it provides the marine railways and lifts that allow the local industry to remove boats from the water. Still, Boutilier is optimistic prosperity is on the horizon for his industry. 'My long-term goal is we're going to make a modern, innovative shipyard,' he said, adding he may partner with other firms to build an indoor facility. Amid the diverse approaches to survival, Baskett said the key for the town will be nurturing and growing a network of specialists and experts, ready to take on a variety of jobs. 'Boatbuilding here is very niche ... It's like guitars. Some want a new instrument and some want an antique Stratocaster,' he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 14, 2025. By Michael Tutton
