Alicia Doyle, Special to The Star Published 4:28 p.m. PT June 12, 2017 | Updated 9 hours ago

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Scott Harrison steps aboard the Cheerio ll, a 1931 Fellows & Stewart yawl owned by Dick McNish that will be on display at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum for this year's wooden boat show.(Photo: CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR)Buy Photo

Like classic cars, wooden boats have a style, craftsmanship and romance unique to their time period. Their aficionados say that's what makes them far-distant cousins to today's mass-produced boats made of metal or plastic.

They have a certain feel thats quite different from aluminum or fiberglass boats, said Scott Harrison, who is organizing Sunday's vintage wooden boat show at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum in Oxnard's Channel Islands Harbor.

Now in its second year on Father's Day, Sunday's display, called "From the Tree to the Sea," will featureearly- to mid-20th-century wooden boats that belong to members of the Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club.

Among them will be Cheerio II, a California Historical Vessel owned by Dick McNish. Built by Fellows & Stewart of San Pedro in 1931, Cheerio II is a yawl, 56 feet long and 12 feet wide, with a draft of six feet.

It gives me a lot of pride to own Cheerio, McNish said.

Wooden boats are popular in places like Port Townsend, Washington, which is considered the wooden boat capital of the West Coast, he said.

But in our area of Ventura and Santa Barbara, there are primarily fiberglass or plastic boats, McNish said.

He describes boats made of wood as living, breathing vessels.

Their history should be kept alive because they are a living thing, McNish said.

Wooden boats are more distinctive than modern-day boats, agreed Sugar Flanagan, McNishs son-in-law. The Port Townsend residenthas sailed Cheerio several times to Australia and New Zealand.

Fiberglass boats look like theyre made of frozen snot because when you look at them, its this really hard plastic substance that was man-made, Flanagan said. If this was chopped up on the beach, youd consider it pollution.

Flanagan praised his father-in-law for giving Cheerio constant TLC.

He does the restoration of keeping her alive for future generations, Flanagan said. If people like Dick werent around to restore them, their history would be gone because there are fewer of them. Wooden boats are like an animal going extinct. There are people out there to protect them.

Other wooden vessels that will be on display include Muggs, a powerboat built in 1930 thats 37 feet long and nine feet wide with a two-foot draft; and Elusive II, a 40-foot Kettenberg sailboat built in 1961.

Those who visit the museum Sundaywill also have the opportunity to view Allura II, a powerboat built in 1929 thats also a California Historic Vesseland a restored 19-foot Chris-Craft Holiday boat built in 1952.

Well also have a floating tiki hut and bar, Harrison said. Its this fun round thing that this couple owns with a bar and seats.

In addition to the wooden boat display at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum, a classic car show will take place the same day right next door, and nautical treasures will be for sale on the patio in front of the museum. There also will be activities for children, including making paper whale hats and competing in miniature boat races.

They are little Styrofoam sailing boats, and thewind is provided by the contestant through an environmentally-friendly straw, said Peter Crabbe, executive director of the Channel Islands Maritime Museum. In addition, we will possibly have a ship in a bottle demonstration by one of our resident model makers.

Continuing the wooden boat theme, the documentary The Boatmaker will be screened 7 p.m. on June 22at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. The film is about Santa Barbara architect Ken Minor, who spent 25 years hand-building a 30-foot Bristol Channel Cutter wooden sailboat in a barn with the dream of sailing around the world.

Not to be forgotten or overlooked is our museum, where we have an amazing collection of world-class original maritime paintings and models of ships from the Golden Age of Sail, Crabbe said. The museum will be open, and visitors may browse at their leisure or enjoy a guided tour led by one of the museum's knowledgeable volunteer docents.

What:"From the Tree to the Sea," the second annual Father's Day Wooden Boat Show When:10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday Where: Channel Islands Maritime Museum, 3900 Bluefin Circle, Oxnard Admission: $7 for adults, $5 seniors and active military with ID, $3 children ages 6-17, free for members and children younger than 6 Information:cimmvc.org; 984-6260

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Wooden boats at Channel Islands Harbor for Father's Day - Ventura County Star