Wooden Row Boat by the dock, Venice Canals

Passmoore, Works Of Alexander & I.V.

Among the usual fiberglass canoes, one finds on occasion the rare skiff or dory. We might attribute the popularity of the canoe to the simplicity of its construction. Verne's Mysterious Island mentions one being built in just five days... "Pencroff began his work the next day. He did not mean to build a boat with ribs and planks, but simply a flat bottomed float, which would do admirably in the Mercy, especially in the shallow water and its sources. Strips of bark fastened together would be sufficient for their purpose, and in places where a portage would be necessary the affair would be neither heavy nor cumbersome. The sailor’s idea was to fasten the strips of bark together with clinched nails, and thus to make the craft staunch. The first thing was to select trees furnishing a supple and tough bark. Now, it had happened that the last storm had blown down a number of Douglass pines, which were perfectly adapted to this purpose. Some of these lay prone upon the earth, and all the colonists had to do was to strip them of their bark, though this indeed was somewhat difficult, on account of the awkwardness of their tools." Series Description: Remnants of the marvelous Southern California canal network built by Abbot Kinney. Upscale, modern real estate dominates this affluent socal neighborhood near Santa Monica, in Los Angeles county. Oddly enough, insane vagrants are common passersby due to Venice Beach's close proximity.