This boatworks was built in the 1930s by the Kishi family and was originally called Richmond Boat Builders. The Kishis and other Japanese boat builders crafted 24 and 26 foot wooden gillnetter fishing boats in this shop – sometimes up to four at a time. The original steambox, boiler and boat ways are still intact. Gillnetters and trollers were still being repaired in this facility until the late 1960s, but mostly by boat builders of European decent that occupied the shop during and after the Second World War.
Today, exhibits in the building explore the history and experience of the Kishi family, one of many Japanese Canadian boat building families in Steveston. Exhibits and interactive displays throughout the building examine themes of immigration, entrepreneurship, discrimination, Internment and resilience. Unique boat building tools and hands on activities guide visitors through the process of boat design and construction and instill an appreciation for Japanese boat building and west coast maritime heritage.
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Silver Ann – Britannia’s Last Wooden Gillnetter
Watch this video about the Silver Ann – the last wooden gillnetter built in the Richmond Boatbuilders building at Britannia in 1969.
