28 WESTERNMARINER.COM AUGUST 2019 CANADA’S COMMERCIAL MARINE MAGAZINE
The atlaS zephyr has been an ongoing background project
at All Keeler Metals for a couple of years now, and recently
moved into the shop building for finishing off. The steel-hulled
former RCAF crash boat was built in 1948 in Wilmington,
Delaware to the same “40-foot Utility Boat Mk.1” design as
the original black duck (M 872). After spending time as the
capricorn with the Bunce family (who later became famous as
the stars of Discovery Channel’s Jade Fever), it was purchased
in the 1990s by Rio Sandover’s Prince Rupert-based North
Coast Marine for use as a towboat and workboat. When the
business shut down Sandover put the vessel into storage
for 20 years, and is now having it converted into a cruising
yacht, with Gregory C. Marshall Naval Architect designing the
conversion.
In the past few months the atlaS zephyr’s rebuilt twin Detroit
6-71 turbo diesel engines have been installed, the interior
framing nearly completed, and a new aft deck built, with
the original towpost retained in a nod to the vessel’s work-
boat heritage (middle photo). Once the cockpit coamings are
complete the vessel will be painted by Sidney-based BMT Painting (Bus Motorhome Truck)
and the interior will be installed by Pronautic in North Saanich, with completion scheduled
for mid-August. Standing in front of the atlaS zephyr in the top photo are (l to r) fabricator
William Ianson, welder/fabricator Alex Cowden, All Keeler co-owner Mark Keeler, fabricator
Tim Penhallow and welder/fabricator Ken Allen. The crew has been busy with a variety
of other projects lately including refabricating a steel workboat radar arch in aluminum,
building a fuel tank for one of Eagle Wing’s whale watching vessels and building a new pod
for a 22-foot runabout. They’ve also finally gotten a sign made for the shop (inset photo). “It
should help the delivery drivers find us a little easier, at any rate,” remarks Mark Keeler.
atlaS ZePhyr “background project”