The Seattle Times has this story by Kris Sherman from The News Tribune:

GIG HARBOR — You can almost hear the ring of history in the cavernous loft, where mariners’ dreams once were laid out on the floor before builders rendered them into working watercraft.

A 38-foot spar, or mast, is laid out across wood supports, ready for documentation and restoration.

Downstairs, the hull of Thunderbird No. 2, a 26-foot plywood sailboat, awaits refurbishment, too. It sits high and dry, but you can imagine it yearning to slide into Gig Harbor Bay, just outside.

The city’s maritime history is being preserved here, in a wooden building along Harborview Drive.

The community came together, in spirit and with bonded debt, to save the Eddon Boatyard five years ago.

Now, through a fledgling nonprofit enterprise, the Gig Harbor BoatShop is open for Saturday tours, and volunteers are working on a list of programs to draw visitors in. They hope to teach the craft of boatbuilding and the art of sailing, preserving history by passing it along and by restoring aging vessels.

The full story is available here.