Churchill, S. June 29, 2018. Crystal Braye interviewing Sylvester Churchill, Little St. Lawrence.

• Main Author: Braye, Crystal
• Other Authors: Churchill, Sylvester Joseph (1957-), Sylvester Churchill was born September 7, 1957 to James and Sarah (nee Baker). His father was from Castle Hyde and later moved to Corbin where he fished with the Grants. Sylvester grew up in Little St. Lawrence and fished for cod, herring and salmon.
• Format: Audio
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Objects; Boats; Wooden boats; Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/boatmuseum/id/334

Interview focused on swamp boats (or swamp bottom boats) common on the west side of Placentia Bay. Sylvester Churchill fished from a swamp boat from 1979-1986. "0:00:00 Sylvester describes what a swamp boat looks like. “The stern of her is like a dory. A punt is more wider.” Flat bottom with keel. The bottom is about two feet wide on a twenty-five foot boat. It’s built like a dory but a keel bolts on to the bottom of it. The keel is probably about six inches deep and runs about sixteen to eighteen feet - started about forehook and went back. Clinker planks, like a dory. 0:01:45 Sylvester goes to get a dory model. Describes similarity in planking to swamp boat. 0:03:00 Syvester never built boats but did repairs. The swamp boat he once owned was built by Albert Rennie. It had four horsepower Atlantic but was replaced with a diesel. Sylvester used the boat for fishing from 1979-1986. 0:03:40 Crystal asked when swamp boats started to fade out. Sylvester said it was about the same time he got rid of his swamp boat. There was a move towards fiberglass at that time, which required less maintenance than wooden boat. Wooden boat would last about ten to twelve years and required repairs. 0:04:34 In the early days, there was a hole in the forward thwart for the driver to be used for sailing. Also a hole for a sculling oar at stern which would be used as a rudder to steer. Eventually they had a rudder that was steered with rope and pulleys (called tiller reins), which allowed the boat to be steered from midship. 0:06:30 Used his swamp boat to fish for salmon, herring, cod, flounder. He used nets and trawl. The boat had a roller forward for hailing trawl. Usually fished with two people, sometimes three. 0:07:25 Boats were usually about twenty-five feet and seven feet wide and about three and a half deep at midship. The bottom was about two feet wide on a twenty-five foot boat. A dory would have a wider bottom, but a swamp was smaller. 0:08:50 Boards were shipped in from Burin. Sylvester talks about harvesting curved wood ...