It was a painstaking process to restore the SS Minnow to its former glory.
“The interior is completely new. The hull and the sides, things like that have been repaired,” said Jim Clark, caretaker of the ship.
“Right from the ground up, to build a pretty impressive iconic machine that so many people know,” added owner Ken Schely.
The ship is one of four boats used in the Gilligan’s Island Television series broadcast in the 1960s.
“That’s where this boat came in and told the story.” It was used in all the dream scenes when they were going back in time,” Clark said.
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This Minnow has changed hands several times over the years. Ken Schely bought it from a Parksville man in 2006.
“At the very beginning, when it was on display for sale, I was very interested and thought we could use it and help our business,” Schely said.
Quality Foods on Vancouver Island used it for promotional purposes, but lending it to charity turned out to be the better idea.
“People would raise $10,000, not only in British Columbia, but also in Alberta and other places,” Schely said. “It actually raised $25,000 for Save The Whales in Seattle.”
Several years ago, the late Dawn Wells – who played Mary Ann on the show – went for a ride on this SS Minnow.
“Obviously she was impressed,” Clark said.
Docked in Nanaimo, it remains a floating tribute to a part of television history, which Schely plans to continue sharing across B.C.
“We always do charity. I always do galas and stuff like that,” Schely said.
“We’re going to do our best to continue and do what we can for the Vancouver Island communities where we operate.”
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