In June of 1892 John William Dorey was born in the community of Kyars Cove on Black Island, Notre Dame Bay. A fisherman all his life, John built boats as a means to supplement his income and constructed the motorboat featured here in the 1950's…

Born 1884 in Garnish Newfoundland, Stephen Leonard Grandy sparked a longstanding family preoccupation with dory construction which began with his employment with G & A Buffet Ltd., a company selling dories along the south coast of the Island. Stephen studied the design…

On Deer Island, Bonavista Bay, it was common practice for boat builders to harvest their timber according to phases of the moon." Everything is governed by the moon,” says boat builder Sam Feltham, “You wouldn't cut timber when…”

In summer of 1909, the schooner, Little Jap, left from Deer Island in Bonavista Bay to fish on the Labrador Coast. She returned home with “six hundred quintals of salt bulk cod” at the end of October, a little later than was usual. “She got her fish that summer at…”

Henry Vokey was born with boat building in his blood; His uncles and grandfather before him were boat builders. Henry Was born in 1929 to parents Joseph William and Mary Vokey and grew up in Little Harbour, located in Trinity Bay, Newfoundland. As a boy…

Known for its wild Atlantic salmon, the Gander River hosts thousands of tourists from all over the world each season. Located in central Newfoundland, the Gander River is the third largest river on the island and is internationally recognized as…

Juniper (Tamarack) is a strong softwood that grows mostly in wet swampy areas and is the preferred timber for the ribs of the Gander River Boat. Builders heat thin strips of juniper in steam or boiling water to make it pliable enough to bend the wood to the…

Ernest Hodder was born to Archibald and Clara in Davidsville, Gander Bay in 1933. The oldest of seven children, Ern followed in his father’s path working as a guide on the Gander River in the summer and spending winters working in lumber camps. “I enjoy it out on the river. If you’re…”

Eugene grew up in Glenwood alongside the Gander River and learned how to build boats at a young age. “It always enthused me building boats. I used to go out to my uncle Nat Gillingham’s when I was growing up. They were…”

Basil Gillingham was born in 1940 in George’s Point, Gander Bay and spent fifty years guiding on the Gander River. He learned how build boats at a young age watching his father, Leslie Gilllingham. In his father’s earlier days, these boats were double-ended and…

Lester Vivian was born in 1932 in Gander Bay, Newfoundland. By the age of sixteen, he had learned how to build Gander Bay boats and began to work on the Gander River. “The river was our highway,” and it served as the primary route…

In 2013, the Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador travelled to Glenwood, Appleton, and Gander Bay to learn about the unique Gander River Boat. Designed and modified by generations of boat builders, these boats are…

The Gander River Boat (also known as a Gander Bay Boat or Gander River Canoe) was designed and modified by generations of Gander Bay builders to suit the specific conditions of the Gander River…

The distinction between a punt and a rodney, or if there is even a distinction to be made, is often debated among boat builders and enthusiasts. Both punts and rodneys are…

Boat builder, fisherman, husband, great-grandfather. Born March 26, 1936, in Wild Cove on Fogo Island, Nfld., died Dec. 25, 2012, on Fogo Island, aged 76. Ed was a master builder of wooden boats, among the last surviving artisans of the trade…

When Calvie was fifteen, he used this three piece mould method to build his first boat. The day he had her out on the water for the first time, someone came along and wanted to purchase her. “There was an old fella down there, Uncle Lige Price…”

Displacement boats are designed to minimize resistance when travelling forward through the water, whereas planing boats are designed to. The displacement hull form is configured to minimize drag or the resistance to…

Carvel planking on traditional wooden boats relies on the wood and caulking between the planks swelling to seal the hull against leaks. Since the 1950s numerous marine sealing compounds and adhesives have been developed…

As the power available in outboard motors increased, and planing became a possibility, the traditional boat builder was presented a design challenge. In the traditional process…

Born in Summerville in 1928, Tom built his first boat at the age of 12. "It was what we called a rodney - a small boat about 12 feet long. We used to tow her behind the trap boats." Tom spent 15 years fishing with his father for cod, mackerel, herring, squid, salmon…