Gabriola Boat Building School

June-July 1998

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

by Alan Wilson

Workers are rebuilding the historic Silva Bay boatyards as a wooden boat building school.

As mentioned in the editorial, coastal communities are beginning to come up with alternative economic activities in the face of crisis in our resource industries. With fishing closures and fishing licence buy-backs, the lifeblood of many small communities is drying up. Gabriola Island is the scene of a joint federal/provincial funded project for displaced fishers. The Nanaimo Community Fisheries Development Centre is working with Gabriolans to rebuild the historic boat yard at Silva Bay. Eight workers are preparing the facilities to host a wooden boat building school, to start this fall.

Through a partnership with Silva Bay owner Mark Sager, the boat yard is being rebuilt with the expectation of creating at least twelve full time jobs. Sager sees solid business opportunities here and is providing the space rent free for ten years.

Bob Grant of the Fisheries Centre eventually expects to see an established school along the lines of the renowned Port Townsend, Washington wooden boat centre with retail and other spin-offs, providing long term sustainable economic opportunities for the Island.

Former Port Townsend resident Fred Apstein is helping to coordinate the project which has hired expert Gabriola woodworker and shipwright Bob Wyche to train students in building rowing dinghies. Fred also says there is space for a wooden kayak building course to be housed at the site and is inviting inquiries (250/247-0025). Locals are already looking into business opportunities of building wooden kayaks.

After years of disuse, it looks like Silva Bay should be launching new hulls well into the 21st century.