Zostera was built in 1927 as the Willmar II at Bidwell Boat Works in Vancouver, B.C for troll fishing off the coast. She carried up to 5000 pounds of iced salmon in her insulated hold and fished all over the Canadian west coast, from Kyuquot Sound, off the Brooks Peninsula, off Langara at the Queen Charlotte Islands, and spent time at Winter Harbour, Comox, and Victoria. Sometime in the 1980’s the boat’s use was changed to taking kayakers out for adventures. The fish hold was converted into the aft cabin living space at that time along with a galley makeover. The front deck and wheelhouse were fiberglassed at that time. She has a great Nissan diesel engine; and her electronics were upgraded in 2024. The boat has provided fishing and recreation to many owners/users throughout the Salish Sea, the Pacific Ocean, and Inland Alaska for 99 years. For a few years she was named Lucky Penny, and I changed her name to Zostera, which is my favorite marine plant. We cruise around the Salish Sea and spend a great deal of time in the Hood Canal. She is very seaworthy giving us comfort if sea conditions get rough. Her tight hull does not leak. We generally cruise around 5 knots, occasionally getting up to 7 knots.
She is living proof that wooden boats well taken care of can last for a century or more.