| Her Canadian register was closed April 20, 1932. This vessel is said to have operated as a rum runner shore boat by Johnny Schnaar. (Miles, Fraser (1992)). This vessel was discovered during a rebuilding project and the name inicated when old paint was scraped away. James Hendry (Email to Nauticapedia 20/08/2019) stated that "I owned the Kitnayakwa from about 1986 to about 2001. I found her tied at a marina in Kenmore, WA on the north end of Lake Washington. The engines were partially dismantled, her fuses were a mess, her batteries boiling over, throttles non-existent, head roughed in, galley non existent, salon roughed in, decks rough, no railings and constantly taking on water through a miss fitted transom. The purchase price was one dollar. I found out over time that this vessel was built in Victoria in 1927 for Johnny Schnaar. This vessel was originally powered with twin WWI Liberty Bomber engines which were sold as military surplus. The pair of V12 engines produced well in excess of 1,000 horse power. The boat was fast, being a flat bottom boat and nimble being a hard chine surprisingly built on bent ribs. Johnny bragged that he and his partner could run on flat water approaching 36 knots while ferrying 200 cases of premium scotch, rum and gin. The Kitnayakwa was originally equipped with a thick iron cut-water with 8" teeth welded on to break any drift logs they might encounter blindly navigating by mere compass at night and in often in the fog. Johnny sold Kitnayakwa about 1929. The engines were raw water cooled and the hot aluminium heads failed with running salt water. The new owner registered her as an U.S. vessel and re-powered her with Packard straight eights. This vessel continued to service the liquor trade until this vessel was impounded by the federal government with her owner's arrest about 1932. This vessel was auctioned off in the San Juans and became a pleasure boat. I think her present wheel house and salon were fixed about 1950 when the straight eight Packards were replaced with six cylinder Chrysler Crowns. It is rumored that Kitnayakwa was first used as a live-aboard by a pair of retired/widowed women in the '60's who painted the boat orange, pink and powder blue. When I found her this vessel was white with brown trim. The cut-water was long since gone. I had many adventures aboard the Kitnayakwa. I had her hauled out, sistered 17 ribs, replaced 7 yellow cedar planks, rebuilt the transom, applied the 1 1/2 brass cut-water, replaced the rudders and added the "swim step". After I sold the boat many of my works were undone and I'm told this vessel was insufficiently cared for. " |
