Pointer boats were designed by John Cockburn and built by John, his son and grandson, from the 1850s to 1969Sexsmith, Eileen (1992). Ottawa Valley Historical Society. http://www.pembrokeontario.com/content/visiting_here/attractions/the_cockburn_pointer_boat.html .Retrieved on 07-09-24. at their boatworks in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

and later at

Pembroke, Ontario Pembroke ( ) is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario at the confluence of the Muskrat River (Ontario), Muskrat River and the Ottawa River in the Ottawa Valley, northwest of Ottawa. Though containing the administrative headquarters of Renfre ...

, Canada. They were wooden, oared boats used for transportation along rivers such as the

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (, ) is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word "to trade", as it was the major trade route of Eastern Canada at the time. For most of its length, it defines the border betw ...

Utility

This historical boat was used in logging and had a very influential impact on the industry. The boat was the "workhorse" of the Canadian river system and was famous for being able to "float on a heavy dew". They assisted

loggers Lumberjack is a mostly North American term for workers in the logging industry who perform the initial harvesting and transport of trees. The term usually refers to loggers in the era before 1945 in the United States, when trees were felled us ...

to move

Eastern White Pine ''Pinus strobus'', commonly called the eastern white pine, northern white pine, white pine, Weymouth pine (British), and soft pine is a large pine native to eastern North America. It occurs from Newfoundland, Canada, west through the Great Lake ...

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

down the wider sections of the

Design

Pointer boats were unique. Not only were they as sturdy as the East Coast fishing dory, but they could carry eight men while floating in only five inches of water. Empty, a pointer with a dead weight of half a ton or more drew only one and a half inches of water.MacKay, W. Donald (1978). The Lumber Jacks. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. . Even though the boats ranged in length from 22–50 feet, to turn one end-for-end needed only one pull on an oar.(1963). The Pointer Boat. Ontario Department of Lands and Forests. Because the boat was double-ended (identical bow and stern), workers could focus on the task at hand rather than on which way the boat was facing.

History

John Cockburn began his boat-building business in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, after being commissioned by John R. Booth to build a sturdy boat for logging. In 1859 he moved his business to

. Up to then, the finished boats were being shipped the 145 miles to Pembroke by horse and sleigh. The Cockburns fashioned their boats to last at least ten seasons in normal use. However, due to rough water and rocks some did not last a single season. In peak years, the Cockburn family produced two hundred pointers. For more than one hundred years the Cockburns used the same materials and made relatively few changes to the design. The boats were planked in local red or white pine. White Cedar from Allumette Island in the upper Ottawa River had bent roots suitable for making into ribs. Red Pine or White Spruce was fashioned into oars while the paddles were made from

Yellow Birch ''Betula alleghaniensis'', the yellow birch, golden birch, or swamp birch, is a large tree and an important lumber species of birch native to northeastern North America. Its vernacular names refer to the golden color of the tree's bark. In the p ...

, or

White Oak ''Quercus'' subgenus ''Quercus'' is one of the two subgenera into which the genus ''Quercus'' was divided in a 2017 classification (the other being subgenus ''Cerris''). It contains about 190 species divided among five sections. It may be calle ...

. Beside Cockburn's shop was a building in which wood was air-dried for twelve months before use. Construction began with a plywood template and laying out the bottom side planks. Then, the stern and bow posts were temporarily attached. The centre width of the boat was then blocked in. Binding ropes and stays were applied and tightened into the final shape of the boat. After this, each tongue and groove siding plank would carefully be selected at equal length and nailed in. The process of slackening, tightening the rope and adding siding planks was repeated until the boat was of proper size. Working from the center of the boat to the stern and bow, the cross frames and supporting ribs were installed. Finally, the V-bottom shape was precisely crafted to achieve a shallow draft. The end product was then treated with a preservative made from boiled (linseed?) oil and jewelers rouge, which gave them a red Venetian appearance. John Cockburn's business spanned three generations to his son Albert, and then, to grandson Jack. Jack Cockburn continued to produce Pointer Boats in 1969 before he died in 1972. Although the boats were designed for logging they have been used in other industries such as mining, power and construction industries for getting to remote terrain. In recognition to the Cockburn family and the historical impact the Pointer Boat had on the logging industry, a 32-foot steel replica of the Pointer boat was built in Pembroke. Today this replica is known as one of the "Large Canadian Roadside Attractions"Solonyka, ED (2007). Large Canadian Roadside Attractions. http://www.roadsideattractions.ca/pembroke.htm . Retrieved on 07-09-24.

References

{{Authority control Boat types Water transport in Ontario Log transport