cowichan bay maritime centre
Building in Cowichan Bay

The Cowichan Bay Wooden Boat Society was originally conceived in the 1970's and started off as a boat building school. Unfortunately, simultaneous restorations are often restricted by the limited amount of outdoor covered space. Boats are often up to 40 feet in length. The Society is committed to the restoration and repair of wooden craft, along with preserving the history and heritage of BC's maritime past. It is well patronized especially during the summer months. There is a marine ways which caters to the hauling and cleaning of wooden boats. In addition to the historic displays, the Center conducts several wooden boat building classes annually which are available to the public for a fee. These classes are conducted in a large workshop which includes many fine woodworking tools and equipment. The end Gallery is a two level enclosed unit which contains many of the more environmentally sensitive artifacts such as model boats, pictures and a marine library. The first three Galleries are open at each end which allows the public to walk through and view the displays. These buildings are called Galleries and now house many maritime artifacts which reflect the history of the Cowichan Valley. The present buildings were built on site and designed by Tim Richardson, a member of the Society, and were placed along an old Chevron Oil facility extending approx 82 meters into Cowichan Bay This is probably the longest dock in the area. The first location was a small building at the Bluenose Marina. We organize and participate in many community events such as the Celebration of BC's 150th Birthday, Fast and Furious Boat Building Festival, the Christmas Sail Past and a Pirates Festival, to name just a few. We also travel to many local communities to support their events-Tall Ships Victoria in 2005 and 2008, Ladysmith coming events, Maple Bay Boat Show, Duncan Home Show are all examples of our involvement in other communities.