PORT TOWNSEND — A temporary structure intended to protect a boat from the elements during its repair has drawn comparisons to a church.
“People around here worship their boats,” said Diana Talley, a self-employed marine tradesperson. “It’s either a religion or a sickness.”
As a joke, Talley posted a picture of the structure on her Facebook page, saying there was “a new chapel in town” with services held Monday through Friday, depending on “the weather, my mood and the level of pain.”
Despite jokes about the structure, Talley said it has a serious purpose.
Talley built the 16-foot-high structure to accommodate the repair of a Thunderbird sailboat owned by Scott Walker.
“It’s been really hard to do exterior work these days because of the weather,” she said. “It’s been brutal.”
The design is a combination of Walker’s suggested design and a project she worked on 35 years ago.
It includes seven bows connected by cross planks and covered with the tarp, custom-made for the dimensions of Walker’s boat.
Talley said the structure used $600 in materials before the tarp and labor are added into the total.
That compares with the cost of permanent metal shelters which can cost several thousand dollars, she said.
“This is cheap, easy to build and strong,” she said.
The structure is high enough to accommodate the height of the boat and its trailer. The boat was backed into the work area and will stay on the trailer throughout the repair.
Walker expects to take the structure with him when the repair is complete.
It can be moved because the bows are screwed into the cross planks.
The structure is 12 feet wide and 30 feet long.
The Thunderbird line is 25-feet, 11 ¾-inches long. Walker chose that size because the Shilshole Marina in Seattle imposed a higher fee for boats 26 feet or longer, he said.
Talley, who unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Port of Port Townsend Commissioner Steve Tucker in the 2015 election, is surprised by the attention lavished on this “church,” as both maritime tradespeople and visitors often stop by and offer a comment.
“I’ve gotten more questions about this than any other boat I’ve worked on,” she said. “It’s embarrassing.”
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
