The S.S. Sicamous Society is looking for volunteers to help restore two of the ship’s original lifeboats.
The two original lifeboats from 1914 were being stored along with two other lifeboats in the city works yard for a number of years.
While he was up at the dog park recently, S.S. Sicamous Society member Mike Bews spotted the boats sitting without the tarps that had been covering them.
“I saw them and I just thought that we had to get them back down here,” said Bews.
Home Hardware helped transport the lifeboats, donating the use of one of their transport trucks, back to their home ship where they are now looking to be repaired and restored.
There is quite a bit of work required to bring them back to their original state, and the S.S. Sicamous Society is looking for volunteers. The society recently had two local woodworkers join who have expressed interest in restoring the lifeboats, but there are plenty more opportunities for volunteers.
The plan is the strip them of their remaining paint, work on the outside, and then put them into a cradle to begin working on the inside.
“We want to do it as good as we can, but leave it as accurate and original, not make it look brand new,” said Bews. “We want to make them look old and match the ship, preserve them instead of redoing the whole thing.”
Volunteers can help with the restoration, including the painting and cleaning of the boats, as well as their general upkeep.
Other volunteers are also invited for many of the other works the society has underway at the park, and whether young or old, all are invited to come and learn a bit of the history and help preserve it for the future.
READ MORE: S.S. Sicamous Society receives $5k for tugboat restoration
Anyone interested in volunteering is invited to come down to the Sicamous between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on weekdays.
Once the boats are restored, they will be displayed in the Penticton park next to the S.S. Sicamous, S.S. Naramata and CN Tug 6.
To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.
<>Don’t miss a single story and get them delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up today for the Penticton Western News Newsletter.
<>@PentictonNews
newstips@pentictonwesternnews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.