N.S. boatbuilders carve out niche markets in challenging times

CBC

7 hours ago

At a wharf where oceangoing yachts tie up for repairs, Paul Baskett — a boatbuilder and owner of Lunenburg's Old Town Boatworks — says his craft is showing signs of renewal amid challenging times.
"Lunenburg in the boatbuilding repair world is bustling," he said, standing alongside a varnished wooden mast from a vintage sloop he's carefully restoring.
Baskett, 53, came to the community to be part of what he called "the working waterfront" about 20 years ago, after becoming an avid sailor in his teenage years, and apprenticing as a shipwright in England.
But survival in this industry hasn't been easy in recent years, as boatyards have had to shift to a creative mix of filling niche markets — ranging from rebuilding classic sailing yachts to fabricating uncrewed vessels with laser-cut sheets of aluminum.
Twenty-three years ago, a 2002 study for the Nova Scotia Boatbuilders Association noted, "this sector has the potential to create significant benefits for rural Nova Scotia. From a strategic planning perspective … the sector is a star performer."
Rising costs, labour shortages
However, Transport Canada data compiled by the association shows new vessel registration in the province peaked around 2003 at about 200 boats and declined to less than 50 boats in 2023. Boatbuilders have moved increasingly to repairs and refits as new construction lagged.
Jan Fullerton, executive director of the association, said in a recent email the hurdles have included rising costs during the pandemic, persistent labour shortages and increasing regulatory requirements.
Lately, there's also been the rise of tariffs and trade barriers, which "impacts manufacturing costs (and) … affects the affordability of custom and semi-custom boats," she added.
But part of the answer appears to lie in combining the town's favourable geography with its reputation as a hub for marine industry expertise.
"Lunenburg is on the way to everywhere if you're on a boat," said Baskett. "This is where people stop in."
Last week at his dock, the arrival of a seagoing yacht from the southern Caribbean drew a network of boatbuilding tradespeople, including riggers, sailmakers, diesel mechanics, marine electricians and shipwrights.
The specialists will spend months refinishing teak wood decks, adjusting stays and upgrading sails. Baskett said each job varies in scope and revenues, with some bringing in $80,000 over a few months, while larger jobs may provide up to $2 million to the local tradespeople over two years.
"The money all stays in (Lunenburg) county. It's quite amazing actually."
Lunenburg's long history in industry
As he speaks, Doug Theobalds, a retiree who spent about 30 years in the marine paint and varnish industry in Maine, strolls into the yard where he has several wooden boats being meticulously restored.
Theobalds said he expects repairs to his William Fife III double-ended sloop — named for the Scottish boat designer who conceived its elegant proportions in 1938 — will be true to the first version of the yacht.
"I get it done here because of Paul (Baskett's) philosophy toward wooden boats ... restoring them as close to the original as possible," he said, pointing out the reworked mahogany doors that open into the main cabin.
"Maine and Nova Scotia both have traditions of wooden boats, but Lunenburg is a little closer to the past than Maine.… The focus in Lunenburg is its history and its association with the past," said Theobalds.
Pricing lower in N.S. for retrofits
A widening circle of boat owners are also noticing pricing in Nova Scotia is lower for retrofits than in the U.S., while quality is comparable, said Michael Moreland, the owner of Ironbound Rigging Co., one of the subcontractors who often helps repair yachts tied to the Old Town Boatworks wharf.
"It's the busiest June over the past six years. It's been on a steady climb … our dollar is good value compared to the U.S. or the euro," he said.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the harbour, Colin Ross, the research director of ABCO Industries — which had built vessels for the coast guard and the Royal Canadian Navy — said he's aiming to marry the yard's historic knowledge of boats to modern manufacturing techniques.
In one of the fabrication buildings, the 38-year-old physicist stands before a gleaming, all-aluminum, uncrewed service vessel, explaining how it will carry out hydrographic surveys of the ocean bottom.
"Instead of sending out a large harvest vessel with a full crew and the fuel bill associated with it, you can send this and … provide the harvest vessel all the information needed to target the species they're looking at," he said last week.
"We are ramping up into a lot of new products," said Ross, gesturing to a nearby all-electric vessel.
Optimism amid challenges
But returning boatbuilding to its heyday of the past century — when Nova Scotia designers were world-famous and marine construction was a mainstay in rural towns — is still a long way off.
Baskett said Lunenburg must build more, lower-priced housing for workers on a lower middle-class salary, while ensuring that a gentrified town is more accepting of the noise and dust that a modern boatbuilding shop generates.
"Some aspects of our community are still obsessed with the 1800s and I'm more interested in the 2030s and the 2040s because there are really skilled people here and they are skilled people who want to live and work here," said Baskett.
Brad Boutilier, owner of the Lunenburg Shipyard, said in a recent interview he's struggled to take the yard toward profitability even as it provides the marine railways and lifts that allow the local industry to remove boats from the water.
Still, Boutilier is optimistic prosperity is on the horizon for his industry. "My long-term goal is we're going to make a modern, innovative shipyard," he said, adding he may partner with other firms to build an indoor facility.
Amid the diverse approaches to survival, Baskett said the key for the town will be nurturing and growing a network of specialists and experts, ready to take on a variety of jobs.
"Boatbuilding here is very niche … it's like guitars. Some want a new instrument and some want an antique Stratocaster," he said.