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

At a wharf wherever oceangoing yachts necktie up for repairs, Paul Baskett — a boatbuilder and proprietor of Lunenburg's Old Town Boatworks — says his trade is showing signs of renewal amid challenging times.

"Lunenburg successful the boatbuilding repair satellite is bustling," helium said, lasting alongside a varnished woody mast from a vintage sloop he's cautiously restoring.

Baskett, 53, came to the assemblage to beryllium portion of what helium called "the moving waterfront" astir 20 years ago, aft becoming an avid sailor successful his teenage years, and apprenticing arsenic a shipwright successful England.

But endurance successful this manufacture hasn't been casual successful caller years, arsenic boatyards person had to displacement to a originative premix of filling niche markets — ranging from rebuilding classical sailing yachts to fabricating uncrewed vessels with laser-cut sheets of aluminum.

Twenty-three years ago, a 2002 survey for the Nova Scotia Boatbuilders Association noted, "this assemblage has the imaginable to make important benefits for agrarian Nova Scotia. From a strategical readying position … the assemblage is simply a prima performer."

Rising costs, labour shortages

However, Transport Canada information compiled by the relation shows caller vas registration successful the state peaked astir 2003 astatine astir 200 boats and declined to little than 50 boats successful 2023. Boatbuilders person moved progressively to repairs and refits arsenic caller operation lagged.

Jan Fullerton, enforcement manager of the association, said successful a caller email the hurdles person included rising costs during the pandemic, persistent labour shortages and expanding regulatory requirements.

Lately, there's besides been the emergence of tariffs and commercialized barriers, which "impacts manufacturing costs (and) … affects the affordability of customized and semi-custom boats," she added.

But portion of the reply appears to prevarication successful combining the town's favourable geography with its estimation arsenic a hub for marine manufacture expertise.

"Lunenburg is connected the mode to everyplace if you're connected a boat," said Baskett. "This is wherever radical halt in."

Last week astatine his dock, the accomplishment of a seagoing yacht from the confederate Caribbean drew a web of boatbuilding tradespeople, including riggers, sailmakers, diesel mechanics, marine electricians and shipwrights.

The specialists volition walk months refinishing teak wood decks, adjusting stays and upgrading sails. Baskett said each occupation varies successful scope and revenues, with immoderate bringing successful $80,000 implicit a fewer months, portion larger jobs whitethorn supply up to $2 cardinal to the section tradespeople implicit 2 years.

"The wealth each stays successful (Lunenburg) county. It's rather astonishing actually."

Lunenburg's agelong past successful industry

As helium speaks, Doug Theobalds, a retiree who spent astir 30 years successful the marine overgarment and varnish manufacture successful Maine, strolls into the gait wherever helium has respective woody boats being meticulously restored.

Theobalds said helium expects repairs to his William Fife III double-ended sloop — named for the Scottish vessel decorator who conceived its elegant proportions successful 1938 — volition beryllium existent to the archetypal mentation of the yacht.

"I get it done present due to the fact that of Paul (Baskett's) doctrine toward woody boats ... restoring them arsenic adjacent to the archetypal arsenic possible," helium said, pointing retired the reworked mahogany doors that unfastened into the main cabin.

"Maine and Nova Scotia some person traditions of woody boats, but Lunenburg is simply a small person to the past than Maine.… The absorption successful Lunenburg is its past and its relation with the past," said Theobalds.

Pricing little successful N.S. for retrofits

A widening ellipse of vessel owners are besides noticing pricing successful Nova Scotia is little for retrofits than successful the U.S., portion prime is comparable, said Michael Moreland, the proprietor 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 implicit the past six years. It's been connected a dependable ascent … our dollar is bully worth compared to the U.S. oregon the euro," helium said.

Meanwhile, connected the other broadside of the harbour, Colin Ross, the probe manager of ABCO Industries — which had built vessels for the seashore defender and the Royal Canadian Navy — said he's aiming to wed the yard's historical cognition of boats to modern manufacturing techniques.

In 1 of the fabrication buildings, the 38-year-old physicist stands earlier a gleaming, all-aluminum, uncrewed work vessel, explaining however it volition transportation retired hydrographic surveys of the water bottom.

"Instead of sending retired a ample harvest vas with a afloat unit and the substance measure associated with it, you tin nonstop this and … supply the harvest vas each the accusation needed to people the taxon they're looking at," helium said past week.

"We are ramping up into a batch of caller products," said Ross, gesturing to a adjacent all-electric vessel.

Optimism amid challenges

But returning boatbuilding to its heyday of the past period — erstwhile Nova Scotia designers were world-famous and marine operation was a mainstay successful agrarian towns — is inactive a agelong mode off.

Baskett said Lunenburg indispensable physique more, lower-priced lodging for workers connected a little middle-class salary, portion ensuring that a gentrified municipality is much accepting of the sound and particulate that a modern boatbuilding store generates.

"Some aspects of our assemblage are inactive obsessed with the 1800s and I'm much funny successful the 2030s and the 2040s due to the fact that determination are truly skilled radical present and they are skilled radical who privation to unrecorded and enactment here," said Baskett.

Brad Boutilier, proprietor of the Lunenburg Shipyard, said successful a caller interrogation he's struggled to instrumentality the gait toward profitability adjacent arsenic it provides the marine railways and lifts that let the section manufacture to region boats from the water.

Still, Boutilier is optimistic prosperity is connected the skyline for his industry. "My semipermanent extremity is we're going to marque a modern, innovative shipyard," helium said, adding helium whitethorn spouse with different firms to physique an indoor facility.

Amid the divers approaches to survival, Baskett said the cardinal for the municipality volition beryllium nurturing and increasing a web of specialists and experts, acceptable to instrumentality connected a assortment of jobs.

"Boatbuilding present is precise niche … it's similar guitars. Some privation a caller instrumentality and immoderate privation an antique Stratocaster," helium said.