Documenting Western Washington Watercraft

The Center for Wooden Boats

From introduction: "During the fall of 2010 The Center for Wooden Boats brought together museum professionals, boatwrights, and cultural resource managers to learn the basics of historic vessel documentation and the standards of the Secretary of the Interior and how to apply these techniques and standards to their home institutions collections of historic watercraft. Participants learned different techniques for collecting measurements of the shape of various boats including hand measuring, laser scanning, and laser survey. Instructors also provided training and resources in the large format film photography, as required by the Library of Congress, and the collection of historical information and the composition of historical narratives. These three components represent the necessary portions of records for inclusion in the Library of Congress' Prints and Photograph Collection of Historic American Engineering Records (HAER). As part of the training nine participants helped document twelve historic watercraft from six communities. Most of the watercraft documented represent the most significant small recreational watercraft types built and used in Western Washington of the early and mid-twentieth century. With the creation of these detailed records and their submittal generations to come will enjoy the form of these unique watercraft. To go one step beyond, the records possess all the necessary information for one to build a reconstruction of these significant vessels. In fact, as an off shoot of the this program two reconstructions were built of the subject vessels; one by students and instructors at The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding Alderbrook and the other at CWB's Gama Beach campus, Gama Beach 20 Series. The Documenting Western Washington Watercraft project succeed in not just creating detailed records of 12 historic vessels, but also helped build a network of maritime heritage professionals and cultural resource managers that will enhance the preservation and documentation of our region's unique maritime history." Funding was provided in part by a 2010 Preserve America grant to the State of Washington, Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (grant number 53-10-AP-5027) for the project Inventory, Evaluation and Documentation of Maritime Heritage Sites in WA. The grant was administered by the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Preserve America is a federal initiative that encourages and supports community efforts to preserve and enjoy our priceless cultural and natural heritage. The goals of the program include a greater shared knowledge about the nation's past, strengthened regional identities and local pride, increased local participation in preserving the country's cultural and natural heritage assets, and support for the economic vitality of our communities.

Documenting Western Washington Watercraft

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