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APRIL TOOLS WOODEN BOAT CHALLENGE 2018

See you on ​April 28, 2018!
Team registration form​

April Tools 2018

The committee has met and the new twist for the 2018 April Tools Wooden Boat Challenge had been officially determined! You won’t find out about it here, of course, but all will be revealed at 10AM April 28 at Millennium Park in Madeira Park. It should be a fun one and quite entertaining for spectators. 

The builders’ planning hour begins at 10AM, the hammering and sawing runs from 11AM until 2 PM. The adult race at 2:45PM will be preceded by the high school ones (2PM), wet as they usually are. The ever popular mini boatbuilding tables will be freshly stocked with materials and there will be a bunch of other free activities for the kids throughout the day.

To get your team registered, print the entry form and mail it with your entry fee to PO Box 6, Madeira Park V0N2H0. The entry fee is $160, but early birds who manage to get it in the mail by April 1 will only pay $140.

Don’t forget the prizes make it worth it! (Well, the fun actually makes it worth it):
1st is $750
2nd is $400
3rd $250!

Whether as a racer or as a spectator, we hope to see you at April Tools—it’s our 17th year. Think good thoughts about the weather!!

Location

Situated on the shore of spectacular Pender Harbour, Madeira Park is a jewel of the Sunshine Coast.  With only a ferry ride and a scenic one hour drive north, it is easily accessible from both Vancouver and the lower mainland. View our location on Google Maps.
EVENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
We need a few people to help with selling refreshments and with the kids activities on the day of the event. If you're available for 2-4 hours on April 28, please contact Jackie!

APRIL TOOLS WOODEN BOAT CHALLENGE 2017
​

A floating Picnic in the Rain

They say that into every life a little rain must fall, but for April Tools 2017 it was a ridiculous! Didn’t keep the tough Pender Harbour crowd away though! Everyone seemed to enjoy this year’s ‘twist’--to build a picnic table from a set of provided plans, then float it any way they could using the remaining materials.

So from 1x2s, some plastic sheeting, some doorskin and some screws came every kind of hull imaginable, from canoes to scows to pontoons to shapes that have no name! Some tables were upright and others upside down, but all bore a table cloth and place settings (plate, cup and cutlery) for 4, and all but one boat managed to keep them on board throughout the race. That unfortunate crew, the Submarines, had a pontoon-dislodging collision with a rock in the shallows beyond Chain Alley, but they turned their misfortune into a Broken Paddle Trophy-winning effort by swimming to the finish!

The Spiffy Skiffy Trophy was won by RCMSAR 61 for their fine looking boat, but the big money prizes went to some familiar names:

  • The Fireflies took first place
  • The Gunboat Bay Challengers were a close second
  • And Ace-It Carpentry came in a solid third.

In the Youth Races, the aptly named Kingslayers (Alex Phillips and Julian Chaisson) will have their names on the Youth Trophy this year, and Lit Boiz (Joe Wilson and Dani Garcia) crossed the finish first in the Fun Race. Of course that is not always the point of that race as pretty much everyone was in the water by the end. (Dani Garcia, our Rotary Exchange student from Spain, avoided a chilly dip in the ocean claiming he didn't know about the tradition until afterward!)

The little kids were heard hammering boats throughout all the building and racing, under big tents along with other arts and crafts and face-painting. No one’s appetite was dampened by the weather and many hamburgers and hot dogs were chased down with fresh cookies.

‘Til next year…rain or shine!
Official Race Results
Adult Race Results
File Size: 112 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Youth Race Results
File Size: 104 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
 And the winner is:
The Fireflies! 
(With Gunboat Bay Challengers a close second!)
​Boatbuilding and Kids Activities
Youth Races
Adult Races
Awards
Thank you to our ​2017 sponsors!
Pender Harbour Developments and

What happens on Event Day:

The day begins at 10AM with the reveal of the 'twist' and the first view of the building materials.  

Building from the materials provided (only hand tools and cordless screw guns allowed!) begins at 11AM and continues until 2PM.  

At 2pm, the high school teams have their trophy race and free-for-all, while the tired builders take a much-needed break.  

Adult races follow and who knows how it will all turn out? Sink or swim?  Will they even get all the way around the course?  Can anyone beat the Garden Bay Firefighters??  Upsets (of all kinds...) can happen! 

Family Fun 
  • Boats are available to row or paddle around the Harbour for free.  In other words, you're in store for another great April Tools. 
  • Meanwhile there are burgers and baked goods to keep everyone energized, and lots of fun activities for the little kids.  After all, what would April Tools be without free mini-boatbuilding!     
  • Don't forget to check our photo galleries from past event years! 
Additional support provided by Sunshine Coast Resort.

To sponsor April Tools 2018,
​please contact Jackie at 604-883-0539.

Past April Tools Event Highlights

April Tools 2014 Event Recap Video
April Tools 2013 Recap Video: Multi-Hull Mayhem!

April Tools 2012 Recap: "What, no screws?"