Pointer boat

Pointer boats were designed by John Cockburn and built by John, his son and grandson, starting in the 1850’s until 1969. This historical boat was used in logging and had a very influential impact on the industry. The boat was the “working horse” of the Canadian river system and was famous for being able to “float on a heavy due.” These boats were used to assist loggers in the operation of pushing and pulling Eastern White Pine timber down the wider sections of the Ottawa River.

Pointer boats were unique because not only were they as sturdy as an east coast fishing dory, they could carry eight men while only having to float on five inches of water. Without men, a pointer with a dead weight of half a ton or more would only draw one and a half inches of water. Furthermore, even though the boat ranged from 22-50 feet, with a special V shaped bottom, it would only take one row of an ore to completely pivot the boat. The boat’s stern was identical to the bow, or vice versa, allowing workers to focus on the task at hand rather than which way the boat was facing.

John Cockburn began his boat building business in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada after being commissioned by John R. Booth to build a sturdy boat for logging. He soon moved his pointer boat building business to Pembroke, Ontario in 1859. This was a logical choice due to the fact that Pembroke is a whole 145 miles away and that’s where the boats were being shipping to by horse and sleigh anyways. The Cockburn’s fashioned their boats to last at least ten seasons; however, some did not last one due to the rough water combined with rocks. At peak production, the Cockburn family would produce two hundred pointers annually.

Over the course of one hundred plus years, the Cockburns used the same building supplies and made relatively few changes to the design. The planking was made out of local red or white pine. White Cedar was brought from a Quebec island called Allumette Island, which had twisted roots suitable for enabling the ribs to bend. Red Pine or White Spruce was fashioned into ores while Yellow Birch, or White Oak, was used for the paddles. Beside Cockburn’s shop in a building, he would let the wood air dry for twelve months before using.

Construction began with a plywood template and laying out the bottom side planks. Then, the stern and bow posts were temporarily attached. The center width of the boat was then blocked in. Binding ropes and stays were applied and tightened into the final shape of the boat. After this, each tongue and groove siding plank would carefully be selected at equal length and nailed in. The process of slackening, tightening the rope and adding siding planks was repeated until the boat was of proper size. Working from the center of the boat to the stern and bow, the cross frames and supporting ribs were installed. Finally, the V-bottom shape was precisely crafted to achieve a shallow draft. The end product was then treated with a preservative made from boiled oil and jewelers rouge, which gave them a red Venetian appearance.

John Cockburn’s business spanned three generations to his son Albert, and then, to grandson Jack. Jack Cockburn continued to produce Pointer Boats in 1969 before he passed away in 1972. Although the boats were designed for logging they have been used in other industries such as mining, power and construction industries for getting to remote terrain. In recognition to the Cockburn family and the historical impact the Pointer Boat had on the logging industry, a 32 foot steel replica of the Pointer boat was built in Pembroke. Today this replica is known as one of the “Large Canadian Roadside Attractions”