We got the chance to spend some time in downtown Seattle a couple of weeks back. It was for my brother's graduation ceremony — he graduated from the University of Washington with a biology degree and they held the commencement on Lake Union. The facility is part of the Center for Wooden Boats. Dozens of privately owned sail boats and large "project" boats are moored next to the building. This photo is of the side panels of the largest boat being restored there: the Wawona. The ship was finished on September 12th 1897 by master shipbuilder Hans Bendixen and was the largest three-masted schooner ever built on the West coast of North America, according to seanet.com. Built for the Dolbeer & Carson Lumber Company of Eureka California, Wawona is 165 feet long with a 36 foot beam and a depth of 12 feet 3 inches.

Below is the porthole of a private boat that is for sale for $140,000. The hull and floor are made of teak.


The Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival, put on by the Center for Wooden Boats, runs this weekend, July 4-6 in Seattle from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.