MV Skookum (1906)

MV Skookum, also known as Tut Tut, was a ferry that operated on Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada starting on April 2, 1906.[1] She was the first official, government-subsidized ferry on the lake to connect the communities of Kelowna and Westbank.[2]

For other ships with the same name, see MV Skookum.
MV Skookum
History
Canada
Operator
  • Len A. Hayman (1907–1911)
  • Okanagan Lake Boat Company (1911–)
BuilderH. B. D. Lysons
In service2 April 1906
Nickname(s)Tut Tut
General characteristics
TypeFerry
Length30 ft (9.1 m)
Beam6 ft (1.8 m)
Draught2 ft (0.61 m)
Installed powerTurscott one-cylinder, 7 hp (5.2 kW) engine
Speed8–10 mph (13–16 km/h; 7.0–8.7 kn)
Capacity20 passengers

Skookum was built by the H. B. D. Lysons and measured 30 feet (9.1 m) by 6 feet (1.8 m) by 2 feet (0.61 m), with a Turscott one-cylinder, seven horsepower engine that gave her a speed of eight to ten miles per hour.[3] She had a capacity of 20 passengers and would charge 25 cents per passenger or one dollar per horse.[4] In addition, Skookum had a scow that was 40 feet (12 m) by 16 feet (4.9 m) by 4 feet (1.2 m) to handle livestock or one vehicle. If the scow was needed, the customer would build two fires on the West side of the lake as a signal.[5] Skookum was granted a CAD$1000 per year subsidy to run two round trips daily, except Sundays, for three years.[6]

In 1907, the ferry charter was bought by Captain Len A. Hayman, who continued the service until 1911, when the Okanagan Lake Boat Company, owned by Peter Roe, took her over.[7] Roe and his brothers, Fred and Gerald, then operated Skookum and another ship, MV Trepanier, for many years.[8]

References
  1. Fortin, Ayla (1999). "Early Ferry Transportation and the Okanagan Lake Floating Bridge". Okanagan history: Sixty-third report of the Okanagan Historical Society. pp. 122–125. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  2. Hatfield, Harley R. (1992). "Commercial Boats of the Okanagan". Okanagan history. Fifty-sixth report of the Okanagan Historical Society. pp. 20–33. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  3. Upton, Primrose (1 Nov 1973). "Okanagan Lake Bridge". Thirty-seventh annual report of the Okanagan Historical Society. p. 70. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  4. Hayman, L. A. (1971) [1937]. "The Kelowna-Westbank Ferry". Reprint of report numbers 7, 8, 9, 10 of the Okanagan Historical Society. Vol. 10. pp. 39–44. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  5. Pooley, Ian (30 September 2013). "Getting across the Lake: Sinking Scows and Panicked Passengers". Daily Courier.
  6. Clement, J. Percy (1960). "Early Days in Kelowna". The twenty-fourth report of the Okanagan Historical Society. pp. 165–166. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  7. Goett, R. Lakeboats of the Okanagan (PDF). Retrieved 19 August 2015 – via Lake Country Museum.
  8. Andrew, W. F. (1955). "Peachland, Summerland and Naramata". The nineteenth report of the Okanagan Historical Society. pp. 62–72. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
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