Meet Sam Feltham, boat builder from Glovertown

Here is a story I wrote about Sam Feltham, boat builder from Glovertown, for Wooden Boat News, fall 2009. The photo (below) shows Feltham standing next to the 14-foot rodney he built for his son.















Samuel (Sam) Feltham knows a thing or two about boats. He built his first boat in 1942 at the age of 14. Since then he has built over 100 boats including rodneys, trap boats, speed boats, dories, cabin cruisers, and a few models.

Feltham was born on Deer Island in Bonavista Bay so boats were naturally an important element in his life. Boats were used for fishing, getting from community to community, and hauling logs. “Everyone on Deer Island made their own boats,” explained Feltham.

There were 17 families on Deer Island when Feltham was born on March 3, 1928. He has fond memories of growing up on the island. “On Deer Island, you fetched for yourself. You raised your own cattle and grew your own vegetables. You bought everything you needed in the fall of the year, after the men returned from their fishing season.” Feltham’s father fished in Labrador.

When he was a boy, Feltham learned carpentry and boat building from Noah Feltham, a handyman on Deer Island who made everything from boats to leg casts.

Feltham was a quick study; when he was 10 years old, he built furniture for his mother’s living room. Pieces of this furniture still exist in the family today. By the time he was 14, he was already building boats from stem to stern. His first was a six-footer built in his mother’s kitchen.

“The boat floated, but turned over, so it was put away!” laughed Feltham.

Feltham didn’t give up on boat building. A year later, he built a 16-foot fishing rodney. His father caulked it on his 16th birthday. They used it for fishing and for hauling logs from Indian Bay.

In his late teens, Feltham spent three seasons on coastal boats in Labrador. In the winter, he continued to build boats. Feltham made 15-foot rodneys that he sold to the Newfoundland government for 50 dollars each. They were used at Labrador posts.

In 1954, Feltham moved to Glovertown and often travelled to Gander and St. John’s to work as a carpenter. He helped build Gander’s airport in the 1950s and also worked at the air force base in that town. In the early 1980s, he was shop foreman overseeing construction of the Arctic Vessel and Marine Research Institute at the National Research Council in St. John’s.

Today, Feltham lives in Glovertown with his wife Bernice. Together, they have raised four boys and have eight grandchildren and one great granddaughter.

Feltham recently completed a 14-foot rodney for his son Paul, who will use it for recreation. He is also passing on a few tips to other boat enthusiasts in the family. “My son Jerry bought a fibreglass boat,” said Feltham. “I’m helping him – showing him – to do things like put in a steering wheel.” Through Feltham’s guidance, a new generation within his family is ready for the water.

Bring life to publications

Life stories add spirit to publications, such as newsletters. We all like to read and listen to stories about other people's dreams and everyday activities. These stories gives us a chance to pause, be entertained, and reflect on our own lives.

Over the past year, I have been writing life stories about local boat builders for Wooden Boat News, a publication of the Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador. For the next couple of days, I'm going to highlight the boat builders' stories on my blog. The first story is called: Building a motor boat in southern Labrador - from the keel up! It's about Melvin Curl from St. Lewis (shown in the photo below). It appeared in Wooden Boat News, summer 2009. Enjoy!

Building a motor boat in southern Labrador – from the keel up!

When the temperature hits 25 degrees below zero, many of us retreat to the comforts of home and yearn for milder days. Not Melvin Curl of St. Lewis, southern Labrador. This past winter, he was in his shed building a motor boat. He began in the fall by cutting wood for the keel, planks and timbers of the boat.

“The cold weather came and I put the timber in the shed,” explained Curl. “I have to season it for five months until the sap is out. You need good, dry timber to make boats. I took the stove out of the shed, because the warmth isn’t good for the timber while it’s drying. I worked with nylon gloves on. It was too cold to go in the woods.”

Curl built his first boat in 1962, when he was 18 years old. He learned about the craft from his father and brothers while growing up in St. Lewis. Over the years, Curl has built around 25 boats: dories, motor boats, and speed boats.

“If I’m cutting firewood and I find some good timber, I bring it back for boat building. I mainly use spruce and fir,” said Curl. “I make my own molds. I work with the wood until I get the shape I need.”

Curl is well-known in his community for boat building. “He has the gift of turning a few old twisted tree limbs into a ‘she’ on the ocean,” observed Keith Hardy, manager of Coastal Labrador Fisheries Ltd. “He has the touch of a master with his keen eye for the twists and turns that make up a vessel from a number of vines.”

Hardy has spent the past 26 fishing seasons in St. Lewis. He knows a bit about the history of the Curl family. “Melvin stems from a large family that fished from here and Petty Harbour - a few heads north of St. Lewis,” explained Hardy. “Originally they fished from the creek - a rough and ragged excuse for a cove on the back of this headland. They built their own skiff to get them to the fishing grounds - a boat that brought them home safely with pounds full of cod!”

Fishing cod and salmon was Curl’s livelihood until 1992; he retired as skipper at the time of the moratorium. Since then he has been working seasonally in crab processing.

Curl intends to finish his motor boat before Christmas, and sell it to Coastal Labrador Fisheries Ltd.

“I don’t see anyone else on this coast - from Lodge Bay, Mary's Harbour, Port Hope, Charlottetown or Cartwright - ever building another boat of this stature,” remarked Hardy. “In my opinion it will be the final motor boat cut, dried, framed and fastened in southern Labrador.”

After Curl completes this boat, he’s planning to make one more speed boat. “For the first time, I’ll use fiberglass to finish it,” said Curl. “This boat will be for me.”

DNTO looks at what makes a great story

While you're buzzing around town today, turn on CBC Radio One at 2:30 p.m. (NT). Definately Not the Opera is focusing on the real power of storytelling: what makes a great story, and why we love hearing (as well as telling) tales.

One in 8 Million

Next week, my husband and I will be visiting New York City. This is very exciting for me, since we haven't been alone together on a trip in over a decade. Plus, I've always wanted to visit NYC. So, of course, I've been a bit over-zealous in my planning...so many places to see...so little time! I've spent many hours talking to friends who have already been to NYC and I've explored every nook and cranny of NYC online.

Through my online travels, I've found a very cool project on the New York Times website. It's called One in 8 Million. The project consists of a series of vignettes of everyday New Yorkers who are telling their stories. The black and white photos of the people are striking, the accents are thick, and the stories are touching. Can you imagine if something similar was prepared for St. John's? Hmmm...anyone out there want to partner with me on this one?

Girl Guides seek stories

The Girl Guides of Canada are looking for stories and drawings from members to publish in a book called You're My Hero. When preparing submissions, Girl Guides should answer the question, "who would you consider to be one of your heroes?"

The books will help the Girl Guides of Canada celebrate their 100th anniversary and will be used as a fundraiser for the organization. They will cost $20 (plus shipping). Girl Guides of Canada will receive $8.00 for every book sold. In addition, You're My Hero Media will donate $0.50 from every book pre-ordered by May 30 to a new You're my Hero/GGC Scholarship. Click here for more information.

Time is running out! Submit your hero story by April 15th.

Stories help us connect with real people in a personal way.

Well, at least one person is reading my new blog...my sister! Valerie Francis is currently writing the first of a series of children's novels: Nature Knights. She replied to my blog post last week with some excellent points about storytelling:

Storytelling is an art, and when done well can become a powerful communications tool. In Newfoundland, storytelling is part of our culture, but people all over the world have always been fascinated with stories. That's why we have such a booming publishing industry. Whether stories are crafted for entertainment (as with fiction) or educational purposes (non-fiction), the bottom line is that we love them! They give us characters, or real people, that we can connect with in a personal way; and from a marketing/awareness perspective that is where their true value lies I think. I completely agree that they are a far more effective means of communicating a message than bombarding an audience with statistics.

Stories help promote wellness program

A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to work with the health and safety department of Nalcor Energy. I was asked to promote the launch of a new wellness program for employees. I encouraged my client to use the stories of employees within the organization who had success with improving their fitness regime. We prepared posters, brochures, Intranet postings, and newsletter articles highlighting these stories. Since the launch in January 2010, close to 400 employees have expressed an interest in joining the wellness program. The campaign is working!