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HAY RIVER
When he was 12 years old, Ray Benoit helped his late father build a traditional fishing boat in the Acadian region of New Brunswick.

Ray Benoit stands in front of the boat he is constructing at Sandy Lake, east of Hay River. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

This past spring at his year-round cabin home at Sandy Late, about 90 km east of Hay River, Benoit began building his own version of the boat.

The vessel – distinguished by an extremely high bow – is a general purpose boat traditionally used for harvesting lobster and cod.

"It is an Acadian style," Benoit said, although he added they can be found throughout Atlantic Canada.

His boat is being built from memories from a long time past, since he helped his father more than 50 years ago.

Back then, the now 65-year-old Benoit mostly swept the floor, picked up wood and helped drive nails

"But I was watching," he said of helping his father, Francis Benoit. "I watched everything that he was doing."

Ray Benoit noted there is no blueprint for this kind of boat.

The vessel already has a name – Mon Reve, which is French for 'my dream'.

"It's been my dream to build a boat for so long," Benoit said. "The biggest part was I was scared of starting it because I didn't know if I could finish it. I didn't know if I had enough knowledge left and if I remembered all of the things that I need to do. It turned out that, as I was building, things kept coming back."

Benoit is building in the traditional way using narrow strips of wood so they can be shaped to fit the hull.

That was the way his father and grandfather built such boats for part-time fishing. Today, the vessels are built from fiberglass molds.

"You don't see them made out of wood anymore," Benoit said.

His boat – made mostly out of spruce, but also with some fir and red oak – is 30 feet long, compared to the normal length of 50-60 feet on the East Coast.

Benoit expects to complete construction next summer, and still has to put an engine in the vessel and coat it with fibreglass in Hay River.

The boat will not be launched onto Sandy Lake, but into Great Slave Lake, and Benoit plans to visit all the communities around the shore.

Plus, he will also test out the boat in some rough weather on Great Slave Lake, noting the distinctive high bow is designed for high waves.

"Definitely, the first wind I'm going to be out there," he said.

Benoit, who moved to the NWT in 1968, hopes to eventually put the boat on a truck and bring it to his family in New Brunswick.

Before starting to build the boat, the former owner of Eagle 88 Enterprises in Hay River took a year to construct three pieces of equipment – a steamer to soften wood so it could be bent, a mechanical bender and a small sawmill.

Two years ago, Benoit also spent about two months building an Acadian dory.

"That was my practice run," he said. "I said, if I could build that one, I could build this one."

Benoit said he is building the vessel for a number of reasons, in addition to the fact he finds the work very enjoyable.

"It's just a dream and I'm retired, so I figured I've got to keep going and do something," he said.

Plus, it is recognition of his Acadian heritage and brings back memories of growing up in the Maritimes.

"This is New Brunswick at Sandy Lake," he said of the boat.

The boat is also a tribute to his father, Benoit said. "I wish he could be here to see this."

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