Yellowknife (Feb 06/04) - A group of Peace River Flats residents say any waterfront development plans should include an old boat that few know very much about.

Dusty Miller said the double-ended punt has been resting on the shore of Back Bay since he first came to Yellowknife in 1955.

"It seems somebody must have robbed some boards off it, but it looks pretty much the same," said Miller.

Does anyone know anything?

Miller said there used to be a lot of boats parked on the shore there back in the 1950s, but no one seems to know how this particular boat got there or who it used to belong to. The Back Bay Community Association is hoping someone in town might come forward and identify the boat and its original owner.

For now, residents are calling the boat "The Houdini." The name was spray-painted on the boat some time ago, but nobody is certain if that is the boat's actual name.

"The concern is that we don't know what might be the outcome if it isn't declared a heritage site," said Miller.

Back Bay is part of the city's waterfront plan. It calls for a dock and a walking trail to be built along the shore. Grant White, director of community services for the city, said they have no plans to do anything with the boat so far.

"We know it's there, but that's it," said White. "Where it fits into the plans, we know nothing yet."

Don't scrap the boat -- residents group

Aggie Brockman, vice-chair of the Back Bay Community Association, said the city did present a plan last year at an open house, which included removal of the boat from its resting place.

The group held a meeting recently. Some residents said they were opposed to any plans to scrap the boat.

"There was certainly an emotional reaction about the boat because it's been there so long," said Brockman.

She said, however, that some residents with young children might not be happy to leave the boat the way it is because there is a concern they could be injured if they were to play on it.

The wooden boat has a gaping hole on its port (left) side with lots of protruding boards and junk on its bottom.

"It's in pretty bad shape," said Brockman.

Miller figures though, that with a little sprucing up and a protective barrier around it, the boat would be a neat feature on a walking trail. If only they can figure out its history so they can include a plaque to go with it.

"We're just trying to get some answers," said Miller.