When we were looking to purchase Katie-Lew cottage, Clayton Bird was the first person that I met on Parsons Point. He was tending a few root vegetables up on the Point across from his house. We had a good chat about something that I don't recall off hand, but we found common ground. He had stories about Rose Blanche, Parsons Point, fishing, working at the fish plant, building boats and more, and I had an interest in all that and more.
Since that day, Marlene and I have spent many summer months here on the Point, and Clayton and I have spent our share of hours together, most of it with him telling stories, and me listening. He's a great story teller, and he reminds me of my Dad who passed away a few years ago.
One day last year while sitting in his shed, he was telling me about building boats. I was overwhelmed with his knowledge, and knew my friend Joe, who has a love for boat building stories, should have been there as well. I told Clayton, Joe needs to hear his stories, and I told Joe he needs to hear Clayton's stories, so the other day it all came together.
Joe brought his wife Cathy, and we sat with Clayton in his boat building shed, with boat building tools, diagrams, pictures and more. All of which led to questions, and the answers led to more detail and explanation, which of course led to more questions. And, so it went.
Clayton learned fishing from his father, some boat building from his brother, but was mostly self taught to build the best boats he could using his sharp mind to guide his skilled hands.
He started by designing the shape of the hull. The keel, which is the backbone of the boat, was made of hardwood. The bow stem and stern post were cut from where the tree trunk met the root, and the grain was close to the correct shape. The bulk heads were cut and fastened temporarily into place before the planks were steamed, scribed to fit, and clamped then nailed onto the frame of the boat ...
In a clam shell, Clayton built 22 motorboats in his lifetime, the longest was 22 feet, and they were sold to fishermen from Port aux Basques to Grey River.
Clayton Bird has led an interesting life. His wife, Alice passed away a few years ago, and he misses her dearly. He still has his three sons and one daughter with an assortment of in-laws and grandchildren that he loves as much as his memories of boat building; all of which led to more wonderful stories.
Clayton's health isn't what it used to be when he was hauling lobster pots at sunrise, working full shifts at the fish plant, and building boats after dinner, but he's coping well. On a good day, we still see him out cleaning fish, working on his house, or helping his son, Stewart haul in his lobster traps. So even though he's not building boats anymore, he's still a wonder to see and a wonder to listen to.
Thank you Clayton for sharing your boat building knowledge and experiences.