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April 12, 2018

Boatbuilding 101: Ancient crafts sail into the modern age

Dragon boat racing has its roots in ancient Chinese myths and legends. Its ceremonies and rituals go back 2,000 years to southern China where dragon boats were constructed out of teak.

Today, these streamlined wooden crafts weigh up to 320 kg (700 lb), and are carved in homage to ancient rituals, ceremonies and traditions. The boats hold 20 paddlers and a drummer in the bow. It takes six craftspeople up to four months to build a dragon boat and an experienced carver is needed to sculpt the head and tail of the boat’s dragon.

 Similarly, C15 war canoe racing has a long and cherished history in Canada. Canada is the only country in the world to race war canoes, making it a uniquely Canadian experience.

In 2017, the Canada 150 project tied traditional boatbuilding of human-paddled C15 racing canoes to the annual Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival. In 2017, a group of adults, ranging in age from 20s to 50s, who were unemployed for a variety of reasons, worked in teams to build three C15 war canoes.

Canada 150 project leads to job opportunities for newly skilled participants

Under the guidance of skilled mentors, the adults were taught carpentry, joinery, painting using composite materials, time management, life skills, and communications. They took first aid and WHMIS training and worked under WorkSafeBC regulations. They built skills and confidence with potential to boost their resumes and lead to job options.

A group of Vancouver School Board high-risk youth, supported by a grant from the Province of British Columbia’s Proceeds of Crime Fund, participated in a second project and were tutored in the craft of paddle-making with a First Nations carver. The youth also learned paddling skills from student members of the Foundation Alternative Program’s dragon boat team.

Now in 2018, nine out of 12 participants in the boatbuilding program are employed using their newfound skills. One female in the youth group currently has a job repairing dragon boats for the festival.

See these dynamic crafts at the 2018 Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival

The three C15 war canoes will be on display during the 2018 Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival, June 22-24, along with three of the original six teak dragon boats brought from Hong Kong to launch the festival 30 years ago. These intricately carved and painted crafts have been newly refurbished to restore their original beauty and are now considered cultural artifacts.

Boat building project at Britannia Heritage Shipyards in Steveston Harbour, Richmond, BC. (Dragon Boat BC)

C-15 canoe created by Dragon Boat BC Job Creation Project participants undergoing final finishing at Byrne Creek Secondary School in Burnaby, BC. (Dragon Boat BC)

C-15 boat undergoing fibreglassing in Britannia Heritage Shipyards in Steveston Harbour, Richmond, BC. (Dragon Boat BC)