Sandavore’s keel was laid in 1963 during the fishing troller/seiner/longliner heydays at the Wahl Boatyard in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. In an interview with Bob Rose, a former employee of the boatyard, it is highly likely that Ernie Wahl worked on her build. Pacific Northwest shipyards could not build these boats fast enough for an industry hungry to fish. In a finely detailed book about the Wahl legacy, grandson Ryan Wahl interviewed his “Papa” Iver and several other family members extensively to gain insight. Although very few records were kept, through three generations of Wahls he estimates 1000 to 1300 wooden boat were made. This one was originally purchased, owned, and operated by Bill and Barb Wallace. I was kindly contacted by their nephew and provided some background and supporting photos. As “Barbara Jean I” she plied the cold waters for decades, having never left Canadian territory unless for short trips to Alaska.
In 2004 Mr. Alan Dickinson purchased Barbara Jean II (refit and name change in 2004) with the purpose of restoring and rebuilding her into a pleasure vessel. Al was blessed with immediate access to the finest marina on Vancouver Island, and therefore had immense talent at his disposal. He began the project appropriately: by gutting her.
Nothing was overlooked.
Complete disassembly of the decks, fish hold, and all systems allowed removal of the engine and transmission to a dedicated machine shop. The keel-cooled Gardner 6LW locomotive engine was rebuilt entirely with all sub-components polished….by a Gardner grandson. The fish hold was converted into a stateroom with Alaskan yellow cedar beams, mahogany, and teak touches. All tankage was replaced with custom-designed tanks, and the overhead deck was shipwright designed and replaced. The bow was redesigned to accommodate new decks, to include timber and picket reinforced gunnels. The rounded corner transom is also stave stern, a quintessential and heavy duty Wahl detail. Completely new exterior deck planks were installed and sealed. And the wood: the fine woodwork alone took over 5 years to complete and every design improvement of the boat was considered, consulted over, and implemented correctly.
She now has a 2000nm range and over 400 gal of freshwater capacity, plus a robust bow thruster, custom-articulating paravane stabilizers, and a discreetly installed suite of electronics. Visitors will note the Ken Douglas, copper riveted lapstrake skiff that sits in her cradle above the fish hold; at the 45th Victoria Classic Boat Show I was able to confirm- from a kind family member who recognized his handiwork- that this was the final hull made by Ken before he crossed the bar. As owners, we are still humbled and open-mouthed by Sandavore, her phoenix name. Sandavore has double meaning: the Isle of Eig in the Outer Hebrides has a small, self-contained community named Sandavore, and sanding- ever more sanding- is the nature of her beautiful existence!
She is dependable, comfortable for us, yet not indulgent. Her handling characteristics are predictably slow & steady, while close quarters maneuvering is surprisingly light, done almost entirely by bowthruster. We don’t consider ourselves owners, but rather caretakers of an increasingly rare example of a traditional fishing design long gone. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Alan, who dedicated a large part of his life’s work bringing Sandavore into brilliant form, and the countless craftsmen and women who put their hands to her hull!
