Oarlock and Sail Wooden Boat Club

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Oarlock and Sail Wooden Boat Club

The Oarlock and Sail Wooden Boat Club is a club for people who enjoy building, repairing, rowing and

Founded in 1995 by a small group of wooden
boat enthusiasts, the founders’ goal was to make
using and building wooden boats accessible
to as many people as possible. This is being
accomplished by educational and social
activities sponsored by the club.

06/15/2026

Ready for launch!! This past Saturday we got the final coats of paint on the Handliner, in anticipation of launching the boat next week, Saturday June 20, 2026. Come join the celebration at noon!

05/31/2026

Paint is going on, oars are getting shaped - not much longer to go before launch!

05/14/2026

Gorgeous evening for a relaxing sail. Got a visit from Kevin, who has NO time to relax in his chosen mode of transport!! 😅

05/10/2026

A productive day at the shop, with painting, oar-making, floorboards started, and work on Enke.
When the work ended, 3 of our boats got out for a most amazing day on the water - nice wind, if a bit cool, and we got to see the grey whale that’s been hanging around for a while, AND a couple of us saw orcas!!!!! It was truly awesome to see, with a few big breaches! Absolutely breathtaking!!

04/19/2026

Busy day at the shop, on a low-tide day: steam-bending some knees for the handliner, putting in blocking for oarlock pads, working on the oars. Also working on refinishing Enke, finally got the maker’s plate on Sula, and then some sailing - a first-time sail for this sweet little crew member, and welcoming Maple Leaf to the harbour for a short visit.

04/06/2026

Our fleet ready for action on the first really warm spring day!
Caulking is progressing well, with everyone taking a turn. The bottom rub strips are getting fastened, and the oars are taking shape. Sula got a new sail cover, and Button Swan’s got trimmed to size, while Kevin is getting a list of maintenance items ready.
Last Saturday we had a visit from one of our club’s founders!! Alison lives on the Island now, but was in town for the weekend, and spent the day with us - it was so great to finally meet her and hear firsthand about the beginnings of our fine club! She’s in the third photo hammering in some caulking, and got out for a sail with Arnt on Anja, to pick up some tips for rigging her boat which started it all. We hope to see Alison again soon!

03/23/2026

Caulking (corking) has begun! We brushed in some linseed oil, then hammered in some cotton, and finished off the first couple of seams with putty.
Oars are in progress, getting cut and shaped.
And we’re starting some maintenance work on ENKE, to get ready for summer.
We had a great sail with RAGNA and SULA, getting the next generation hooked!

03/15/2026

Today we got a lot of plank fairing done, and shaped the stems. We filled in some holes from rivets that needed to be removed, and then milled and glued up the oar blanks. And then went sailing on a gorgeous late-winter afternoon!

03/08/2026

Big milestone today - we flipped the boat! We got the last of the seat risers installed, then cleaned out the boat, removed parts of the strongback, and turned it over and braced it in place, ready to fair and cork/caulk the seams. A very gratifying step in the process!

03/01/2026

Every piece of wood we add makes it feel more like a boat! We’re making good progress. Coamings and main thwart were fastened today, and filler blocks for the oarlocks were fitted. We had a lot of visitors stopping by, on a beautiful sunny day!

Address

Heritage Harbour, Vancouver Maritime Museum, 1905 Ogden Avenue
Vancouver, BC

Opening Hours

10am - 1pm

Website

http://www.oarlockandsail.com/

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