The Story Thus Far…
Thain Boatworks was started by Rob Smith in March of 2005. A Reuel Parker 50′ Pilothouse design caught Rob’s eye and he and his nephew, Albert van Rooyen, dove right in. The following slideshow gives a visual history of their hard work and the birth of “Annie”.
In 2009, Thain Boatworks began aiding Earthwise Ventures in building a fleet of 65′ power catamaran passenger ferries for Lake Victoria. The twist is that Thain would build the ferry in “components” here in Everett, WA, load them into five shipping containers, and ship them to Entebbe, Uganda, reassembling them on the north shores of Lake Victoria.
In May 2010, the containers arrived and Thain builders were there to receive them. Reassembly of Thain’s first passenger ferry for Lake Victoria is hoped to be completed by the spring of 2011.