38 



FORESTRY BRANCH BULLETIN No. 63 



The boat-building industry, in the order of amount of wood used, comes 

 twelfth in the list, with a total wood consumption of 2,482,000 feet board 

 measure, forming 0-4 per cent of the total. 



The manufacturers included in this class build steamboats, scows, tugs, 

 sailing vessels, launches, sail-boats, skiffs, row-boats, canoes, and oars. 



It is very likely that the total wood consumption is far from being fully 

 represented. The boat-building industry is one which is very widespread. It is 

 often conducted privately and for personal use, especially in fishing localities, 

 as on the north shore of the St. Lawrence and around the Gaspe* peninsula. 



The manufacture of large wooden vessels was at one time a very important 

 industry in the province of Quebec. This industry has been abandoned, owing 

 largely to the introduction of steel in boat construction and also to a certain 

 extent to the scarcity of suitable timber. 



Boat-builders used seventeen kinds of wood for which they paid an average 

 price of $38.96 per thousand feet board measure, the second highest price paid 

 by any of the industries. The prices of all the woods used rank very high, as 

 boats require first-class material. 



With the exception of redwood, cypress, mahogany, hard pine, and teak, 

 which form 5 per cent of the total, all the species used are native to Canada. 

 The province of Quebec furnished 91 per cent of the material used in this indus- 

 try. Spruce leads and pine figures a good second. These two species form 

 over 76 per cent of the total consumption. 



It is not considered necessary to go into a detailed description of the use 

 of each species. The boat-building industry and its requirements are well 

 known. However, it is interesting to note the comparatively prominent rank 

 occupied by redwood. This wood material is used almost entirely for planking 

 launches and small boats. Launches require a very high grade material. In 

 the past white pine and cedar were used, but owing to the scarcity of and diffi- 

 culty in obtaining wood of these species of superior quality imported wood is 

 now being used. 



Apart from oak, birch, and teak, which are used almost exclusively for 

 framework such as keels, stems, ribs and gunwales, most of the hardwoods 

 mentioned are used for inside finishing and decorative purposes. 



The manufacture of oars requires a very good material. Oars are made 

 of oak, ash, elm, birch, and basswood. Birch and basswood oars are used for 

 light and small craft. In softwoods oars are made of spruce, pine, and hard 

 pine. Clear spruce makes a fairly strong and light oar. It is used almost exclu- 

 sively in the fishing centres. 



TABLE 3 BOOT AND SHOE FINDINGS 



