UGLY BOAT

What a strange name for a blog. Who would be interested in "ugly boats"? Well perhaps this idea needs to be put in context. For instance when you look at a typical yacht costing upwards of $100,000 you do not think ugly, right? You see the nice lines, the gleaming hull, the shining stainless steel railings and accessories and the lustrous varnished wood trim. ugly does not ever enter your mind at all. You see, that kind of a boat is not what I am talking about.

We started out with a yacht that met the above description. In the 8 years we had this yacht we spent quite a bit of time and effort cleaning, polishing, painting, varnishing and waxing to keep it looking yachty and in 'bristol condition'. It was a good looking boat that we thought met our needs and we were very proud of it. It also served us well when it became our home and mode of adventure during the 5 years my wife, 4 children and I spent cruising from Glacier bay, Alaska to Stewart Island, New Zealand and many ports in between. Seahorse V was not an 'Ugly Boat'.

Our next boat was an 'Ugly Boat'. It was names Steveston2, a 65 foot double ended salmon packer built in Steveston British Columbia in 1919 by a Japanese/Canadian shipbuilder for the booming fishing fleet. When I first looked at her abandoned on a BC Packers dock in Prince Rupert she looked worse than an 'Ugly Boat'. She seemed to be about ready for her last run to the graveyard. With closer inspection I could see that even though she looked abandoned and unloved, she could maybe be repaired enough to get another year or so out of her. A lot of time, effort and money later she was chugging up and down the coast if not like a youngster at least as an spry dowager.

Steveston2 was not a yacht. She was a work boat designed to go out in all weather to load fish from the commercial fishing boats and transport the load to the packing plants located up and down the BC coast. You would not call her pretty but as it is said "form follows function". Everything about her was designed and built to do the job, not to look good. She did not need shiny stainless steel fittings, varnished teak trim, fancy white fenders, gleaming polyurethane painted topsides, or fancy canvas covers. Instead she was functional with galvanized steel fittings, plain painted interior, old car tires for fenders, topsides covered with common house paint and plain tarps.

For some reason I found that I was more comfortable with Steveston2, my 'Ugly Boat', than I was with Seahorse V, my 'Yacht'. Maybe this reflects my plebian upbringing. Whatever it is I was more comfortable with a 'workboat-like' vessel than a 'yacht'. An 'Ugly Boat' if you will.

This blog is about people and boats that emphasize function rather than fashion. An plain functional boat will go anywhere a yacht will, be just as comfortable and rewarding. As a bonus it will likely take less upkeep, and maintenance, while costing much less in effort and money. I hope to write about ways of doing things easier, more reliable and more efficiently. Hopefully others will share their experiences and ideas related to their practical boats and practical boating ideas.