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My Boat II | |
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I was the man to see if you needed a boat in the early days. I designed and constructed speedy fishing sloops for many years. Forget what you've heard about Ephraim. He chanced upon a contract with a well-known boating authority, and because it was well documented, he got a lot of credit for inventing the Cape Island boat. Here's how the story really went. I was the busiest boat-builder around at the turn of the century, and to be honest, I was having a hard job keeping up with the orders. I was living in Clarks Harbour when I first heard about the man who would change my life and a lot of other people's around here, too. His name was Samuel Bowker, one of those strange names you never forget. He sailed in at The Hawk, and word reached me that he was looking for me long before he arrived. I tried to look natural when he showed up at my shop, but I was as nervous as a nesting piping plover during a kindergarten school trip to the beach. He said he was from Nantick, Massachusettes. The year was 1902, if memory serves me right. He told me he wanted to do something that no one in these parts had done. He commissioned me to build a 46-foot power pleasure yacht, and even though I had a lot of boats on order, I agreed. I worked harder than I ever had, given that a gasoline-powered boat hadn't been built in the whole county yet. A year later and after a lot of tinkering with the plans, we launched the "Fantus Parnell", which was similar in shape to the motor-boats then used by rich pleasure-boaters. They were usually former sailing yachters who couldn't wait to try out the new power that was quickly gaining popularity. I realized that a fishing boat with a slightly different design could change the way Cape Sable Islanders lived. After that, I quit making the conventional sailing boats, even though all the other boat-builders still were. It was tough convincing the fishermen that gasoline power was the way to go. The first few motor-boats I made seemed to have problems every other day, and gasoline was a luxury very few could justify. Even when the fishermen had problems, though, they admitted that they could never go back to depending on the wind again. They could now carry larger and heavier loads, and there were very few days that the sea would force them to stay at home. The fishermen enjoyed my new hull designs, which got better each year; and with each boat I made, the beam and balance improved and made for drier decks and greater stability. My Cape Islander drew very little water, sitting up nicely on the surface so the fishermen could do their work more efficiently. When those still depending on the wind to carry them to sea watched my boats leaving the harbour in nasty weather and carrying more traps than their boats could, everyone wanted one. The buyers who dealt with the motoring fishermen were very impressed with how fresh their catch was when they reached shore, and found the larger single-boat catches more convenient when compared to dealing with several sailing vessels for the same amount. The happiest of all, I like to think, were the fishermen's wives. Their men were home early enough to lend a hand with the household tasks or spend time with the children. The Cape Island boat turned the lobster fishery into a very profitable industry. Nowadays, the fiberglass boats that first appeared in the 70's can last 50 years, and can be anywhere from 35 to 55 feet long. I hear people talking about who built the first one sometimes, and for every time I speak up, there's someone there to tell a different story about Ephraim and his so-called legacy. Believe what you want, but think about us on Dumping Day this year, and be proud of the inventive pioneers that once lived where you do now. My name is William Kenney, and I built the first Cape Island fishing boat. |
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