The Big Boat Shed: Home to Storied Ships
In Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, seafaring has been at the heart of culture and industry for more than 200 years. In the 19th century, its shipbuilding and fishing industries made the small port town—now a UNESCO World Heritage Site—one of the richest in the British Empire. Between 1905 and 1967, the famous Smith & Rhuland Shipyard built more than 270 ships, most notably the legendary fishing and racing schooner Bluenose in 1921, which now decorates the Canadian dime.
In the 1930s, Smith & Rhuland built the Big Boat Shed, which became its main facility. With its unique arched tresses, its interior resembled a wooden cathedral and served as a workshop for generations of skilled craftsmen. Over the following decades, dozens of storied ships were built here. But after the yard closed, the Big Boat Shed sat unattended for many years. It was master shipwright David Westergard who finally pushed to return the building to its original purpose in 2014.
Westergard, who owns the classic wooden boat design and construction company Westergard Boat, had been commissioned to build a 60-foot schooner for the Blue Dream Project, an organization raising awareness for ocean health. He was looking for a place to complete the project. In April 2014, he reached an agreement with Lunenburg’s Waterfront Development Corporation to lease the Big Boat Shed. Construction on Mahayana began that July, and the vessel launched two years later, ushering in a new era for the once-defunct facility.
To ensure the shed could continue to be used for wooden shipbuilding, the company Develop Nova Scotia helped secure $1.5 million in government funding to revitalize the building in 2019. The two-phase renovation process involved stabilizing and reinforcing the structure, re-constructing the floor, and installing a full-length concrete slipway. The investment also funded an addition to the building for the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic, which includes a public viewing area into the boat shop.
The shed reopened in 2021 during the Bluenose centennial celebration. Since then, Westergard, his business partner and mentee, Andrew Rhodenizer, and a small team of boat builders and apprentices have continued to keep wooden boatbuilding alive.
“We do what we can to service the local market,” says Rhodenizer. Half of their work consists of traditional restorations, while the other half involves building dories, punts and skiffs from traditional designs. They also design ships for commission. In a typical year, they might launch a half-dozen dories and workboats in addition to a larger commission.
Once a ghost of Lunenburg’s storied past, the Big Boat Shed has not only been restored to its original purpose, it has become a place of community where locals and visitors can witness traditional shipbuilding techniques and pay homage to the town’s seafaring heritage.
January 2025
