2021.87.91

BOAT BUILDING ON THE BANK The inspiration for building a boat on the river bank was the recognition of a need – hopefully a profitable need - for a vessel to perform an identified service. This need dictated the boats size and design. Financing the project through a partnership including the entrepreneur owner, the builder, and the boats master was common. The next step was to secure a builder who would often design the boat. A two to three foot half model of the hull was carved to illustrate the design and for use in lofting the design- which was the task of transferring the design to frame drawings. Wooden boat construction did not require a huge investment in large buildings and heavy equipment. Tents or small shops were used for the fabrication of keel and rib sections, but the keel was laid, frames were assembled, and the hull planked, all on a level area next to the river. Upper works were usually completed after launch. Construction was largely confined to warmer seasons. There were no full-scale steam engine shops in this area so that work was done elsewhere – for instance, Grand Haven was the location of the Bloecker shop which did much of the work for John Martel, a major builder. John Priest was a local metal worker, and a talented shipsmith, who did much metal work in his shop at the foot of Hoffman Street. During the shipbuilding era boats built in Saugatuck were harbor tugs, riverboats, commodity haulers, passenger-cargo vessels, barges, fishing tugs, water taxis and a variety of private use vessels. With the exception of a few barges the Bon Voyage, built here by Rogers and Bird in 1891 was the largest steamer at 155 feet with a beam (width) of 30 feet. I thank Kit Lane for her vast knowledge of local boat building history. Her book “Built on the Banks of the Kalamazoo” is a wonderful and invaluable resource on the builders and the boats they built here. By Jack Sheridan

Remembering When

Winthers, Sally

01/02/2022

03/31/2024