Re: [Paddlewise] old school building

On Sat, Jan 2, 2010 at 8:46 AM, Dave Kruger <kdruger_at_pacifier.com> wrote:

>
> If you need fasteners or similar gear for your kayak, smaller outlets often
> have stuff West Marine does not, and sometimes at a better price.
>

West Marine would not be my first choice but it's ubiquitous. The store
where we finally did find suitable fasteners (not for the kayaks, btw) was
about a mile away on hwy 101. What amazed me was that even West Marine -
which had a store in the marina - did not carry anything really useful at
that store. The West Marine store with any useful stuff was also about a
mile away.


> My town has a stellar example in the form of the 40,000 SF home
> office/outlet of Englund Marine and Industrial, a seven-outlet operation
> spread from Westport, WA to Eureka, CA.  EM is a family-owned business with
> a large dependence on the commecial fishing industry, which probably
> contributes 70-80% of its gross receipts.  I suspect this is typical for
> most chandleries in smaller coastal ports in OR, WA, BC, and northern CA.
>

When we built our sailboat in the late 1970s it was in Everett, WA and we
had our choices of several chandleries within walking distance of the slip
as well as of three shipwrights who could do everything from hull repair to
interior cabinetry. I don't know what remains but it doesn't look like much
when I drive through it. Of course, fishing ports are not what they used to
be, either. The Ballard, WA fishermen's terminal used to be exclusively
trollers, gill netters, trawlers, crabbers, seiners and the odd antique
halibut schooner with not a yacht in sight. That's changed considerably.
Although, in fairness, much of the fishing fleet today consists of boats far
too large to fit into a 75-foot slip.

I suspect many boaters in Everett would kill for an Englund Marine outlet.

Anacortes has a couple of places but you have to have local knowledge (handy
everywhere, no doubt).

It was a treat to watch someone use a brace-and-bit to install decking in
that vid. The contractor rebuilding my burned shop couldn't work for two
weeks and when I asked him why he told me that the air compressor that
powers their nail guns wouldn't work in the cold weather. I thought to
myself - but didn't say it - "too bad your hammer arm is broken, too."

The shop, by the way, is now two full stories high with an apartment (with
windows) on the main floor (the City now requires that a "garage" can only
be built if there is living quarters on the lot unless it's commercial
property - long story), full standing headroom storage above (used to be
only a half loft with standing room only under the peak of the roof), one
14-foot door vehicle door, one 10-foot vehicle door and 18 feet of clearance
in the main shop area. We should have a roof over the building in two weeks.

As long as their air compresor keeps working.


Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
www.nwkayaking.net
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