Cape Islander to Cruiser

he complete saturation of the market for inshore fishing boats by fibreglass boats has taken place. Perhaps this success gave rise to some of the beginnings of the decline of the boatbuilding industry. Fibreglass boats are generally well-built and have a much longer life expectancy than their former wooden counterparts. Thus, they need replacement less often, and, as their design does not change radically, they do not become obsolete. These factors, and the serious effect of the reduction in various fish species, leading to reductions in quotas and/or fishing licences, have meant a greatly reduced demand for fishing boats.

Some builders have reversed the process that had its beginnings when motor fishing boats first came into use. If a Cape Island fishing boat could be developed from a motor yacht in 1905, a power yacht could be developed from a Cape Islander. Bruce Atkinson of Clark's Harbour built a fibreglass hull and erected upon it an elegant deckhouse and flying bridge. He then outfitted the vessel throughout as a handsome power cruiser. The result was no inexpensive makeover, but an attractive well-finished vessel which rivalled similar-sized craft from around the world. Other builders began producing similar vessels, while others built sports-fishing vessels based on other designs.

The Cape Island boats, and their cousins, whether built of wood or fibreglass, were the backbone of the Nova Scotian inshore fishing fleet throughout the twentieth century. They could be found in every harbour and in every type of inshore fishery. Beginning as lobster boats, by mid-century they were found sports fishing for tuna, scallop dragging, longlining and catching every type of commercial fish species that ventured close to the coast. As many of these fisheries declined, so too did the demand for boats and with it the boatbuilding industry. Enterprising builders, however, found new markets for their products as they created the "Cape Islander Cruiser".