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Vienna's Wooden Canoe/Boat Restoration: A Tradition Returns
A lifetime boat lover who has been working and playing with boats since the age of twelve, Bob Bassett of Kimball Pond Boat Barn in Vienna is very close to his career dream. "My goal is to get out of carpentry and work on boats," Bob states. "I want to specialize in wood-canvas canoe restoration." From the looks of the Kimball Pond Boat Barn, Bob is well on the way. The spacious barn, completed last December, already houses two boats and six canoes in various stages of repair. A third boat is stored outside under a protective roof waiting for its turn.
The early 1900's are the dates Bob attaches to the canoes, although one dates to the 1980s. Four of them plus a dinghy are Old Towns; one canoe is a White; and one was built by former wooden canoe builder Jeff Hannah of Mount Vernon. The boats Bob is refinishing are more easily identifiable. "The Snake" is from Bequia in the Grenadines, West India. It was built by hand tools in 1982 from seven different local woods and has both handsewn sails and handmade oars. The other boat in the shop was built by Marcus C. Lowell of Amesbury, Mass. — the oldest continuous boat-building company in the country — in 1930 or 1931. "I've got a ton of hours in it," Bob states. The paint was all cracked and chipped.
In the future he will offer a maintenance program, Bob points out. In the future he will also make a form and build canoes. But for now restoration, the rich history of wooden boats and canoes it deals with, and the careful craftsmanship of this traditional art is his specialty. If anyone has a wooden boat or wood-canvas canoe in need of restoration, Kimball Pond Boat Barn can be reached at 249-2814 or kpboatbarn@yahoo.com for an appointment. Like a true boat lover and paddler who's also a practical Mainer, Bob says, "I'm looking for winter work." | |||
