Member Projects – Marcel – Traditional Boat Squadron of Australia

Recently I was contacted by Marcel, a member of The Traditional Boat Squadron. He was looking for suppliers of fibreglass mat in Canberra. This triggered a memory that I had some fibreglass stashed in the shed that I was happy to give away. Marcel made the long drive, from Banks to my place (almost the full length of Canberra!) and collected it. I think the roll might be 30 m long, and Marcel only needs a few metres, so there will be quite a bit left over, and so it is now in Marcel's shed if you want some. Marcel's latest boat build is a three-quarter size replica of flat bottom boats used in the shallow waters and canals on Holland a couple of hundred years ago. The name of this traditional design is a zuiderzeese punt. Work on the boat is progressing, and so far it looks pretty good, and so does the shed

Marcel must be our most prolific boatbuilder. He has built 8 boats in 9 years: 2 Macgregor canoes, a strip planked canoe, and a kayak. Several boats have been built and raffled by Marcel with proceeds going to the breast cancer charity Bosom Buddies. He still has Olga and Maggie, both open boats powered by an electric motor, equipped with a fan for his Keeshond (a Dutch barge dog) that goes everywhere with him, but doesn't like the heat, given its wonderful thick coat. That is why Marcel starts his TBSA boating day around 8 am and is pulling out around 10 am, just as we are launching our boats.

Well done, Marcel!