Bigwin 66' Steamer rebuild need help

[Jeff G]

I am a director of the Lake of Bays heritage Foundation in Canada. We have a 66' Polsons Ironworks steamboat which we plan to restore. Because it is a composite design in poor condition we expect to start a new hull and use as much of the old boat as we can. I have contacted Melbourne smith as a possible boat designer and builder but am unaware of other people who might have enough experience to do the work. We plan to use the boat for commercial operations in Canada so we will need to meet all DOT and Coast guard regulations. Any suggestions of who I should speak to about design plans etc. Thanks

[paladin]

Jay R. Benford has experience in those lines, I believe and is a very good designer/engineer of these types of vessels.....

[WWheeler]

Is this a rebuild of the old boat that was beached at the back of Bigwin Is./Lake of Bays? When I was a kid (in the late sixties?) we would sail over to it and play on the deck.

It was quite a wreck, you could see fish swimming around in the hold. The deck was flush, any superstructure had been removed. If I remember correctly, the entire engine was still there.

Good luck, will it look like the Segwun?

[Ajax]

I remember the ferry to Bigwin from when I was a young boy, and I remember the wreck too. We used to paddle over from Nith Grove to go fishing and swimming. If my memory serves me well, you have a BIG job ahead of you.....

If you can, please post progress reports as you go. I would love to see the old girl afloat. Let me know where you plan to do the work; I have a place over on Kawagama and I go past Lake of Bays on the way down to T.O. so I can stop to have a look.