"Thunderbird" Awaiting Restoration
LOD 32 feet
LOA 37 feet
Displacement 13,000 Pounds
Draft 4.5 feet
When Boats had a Soul
There
was something magical and alive in an old wooden boat. She had a soul that came
from the live trees that became her timbers, a heart from the man who hewed and
shaped her frames, and a beauty and simplicity from the nature that surrounded
her. She was born much like a child, out of passion and love, of great hopes
and endless dreams. She passed her life being thought of and cared for, and in
turn, looking after those who loved her most. She slipped from sprightly youth
into dignified old age, whose last years she spent quietly in sunny fields or
down on the shore with the tide washing her peacefully away; and even in those
last few days, she stirred the hearts of those who looked her way, and
something of her passed on into the tool shed; her planks mended, or she seeped
respectfully away into the earth from where she came.
-from a book by Ferenc
Mate.
Interior is gutted and made ready for reframing.
Exterior shows full lines with much sweep and deep bilges.
Floors and keel are shown. She has been out of the
water for five years, but is still holding her shape.
Frame fractures along the turn of the bilge are
shown. Some replanking and sistering
has occurred over the years.
It is anticipated that "Thunderbird" will be moved to
Nakomis Nelson