99-year-old Mandalay B. owned by Paul White, North Shuswap.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Paul White

A 99-year-old wooden boat that sunk in the North Shuswap last month is finally being pulled up and set afloat again.

The boat, called the Mandalay B. has been moored on a buoy in McKay Bay, Lee Creek for the past decade and is a bit of a local treasure.

“The boat is the first thing people see when they drive in from the highway to the lake,” owner Paul White said. “It is distinctive looking, like something from a Shackleton adventure.”

The Mandalay B. is a pleasure craft built in Vancouver in Hoffar Brothers shipyard and registered in 1923. White bought the boat in 1993 and used it extensively on the coast. When he moved to the North Shuswap, he brought the boat with him. The relic is dear to White’s heart. He and community volunteers made progress to refloat it, Feb. 7.

“We were trying to get floatation equipment under it,” he said. “We got the first steps done and no one got hurt and no one got wet. We had three people out there, each in their own boat, and a safety person on the shore. Everyone was being careful.”

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With enough floatation, the team can pull the boat ashore with chains, and then pump the remaining water out. White said the progress is slow, but safety is key, and any progress made is satisfactory. 

“The boat was built to withstand sinking,” he said. “It is not going to be damaged significantly, if any damage is incurred it will be by the process of refloating it.”

The Mandalay B., a boat that sunk in Shuswap Lake in January, 2022.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Ann Steenhuysen

White said in the old days it was common for boat owners, particularly fishing boats, to take the engines out and sink their boats intentionally. The boats would lie under the ice and the salt water would keep the wood from rotting. In early spring the boats would be brought to surface, cleaned out and the engines put back in.

“I leave my boat in the lake over the winter so the planks don’t dry out,” White said. “The nature of the wood is it can tolerate drying out a few times, but do it too many times the planks stop contracting and expanding, leaving cracks. Cracks need to be re-caulked by people who can take into allowance the water will swell the planks up and can cause them to pop out if not done correctly.”

Every fall White takes all the pollutant liquids out of the tanks on the Mandalay B. The empty tanks created enough flotation so the boat didn’t sink all the way during its drowning incident in a week-long cold spell around Jan. 9.

The Mandalay B., a boat that sunk in Shuswap Lake in January, 2022.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Ann Steenhuysen

“The lake water went down to -6 Celsius, the wind was -15C, then add in the wind chill factor,” White said. “Every little wave that splashed against my boat was freezing on contact, the ice was getting heavier and heavier. Because it was such a hot summer the planks on the upper part of the boat were dried out causing gaps between the planks. Water started getting into the cracks, until the boat went down.”

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It took about three days for the Mandalay B. to sink. White said as soon as the ice cleared up he and friends attached a line to the boat and pulled in towards the beach to shallow water on the soft sandy lake bottom.

The Mandalay B. has a handling mast on the front for picking up the dingy and lifting it onto the front deck. It has a stovepipe that sticks out prominently, with a fireplace in the salon below the deck. Around the fireplace are bunkbeds and settees in a cozy, gathering spot for White’s family and friends.

“One time we had 17 teenagers squeezed into that little salon,” White said. “It was heartwarming and we all enjoyed it.”

White said people in the community enjoy taking pictures of his boat during sunsets and sunrises, some compiling them into books and calendars.

“I have put an unreasonable amount of money into refitting and updating my boat,” he said. “But when I am out on my boat spending time with friends and family it is all worth it.”

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