Joe wrote:
Due to the shipyards in the area?
Due to the number of classic tugs that have survived. The Pacific
Northwest has had a very healthy coastal and deepsea towing industry for
generations and the wood boats have always been well built of local
timber and cared for by a large number of wood boat craftsmen. During
WW2 there were hundreds of wooden boats built in the region and many of
them are still working today in towing and the fishing industry.

They make magnificent conversions and are very comfortable in the kind
of weather we get. There are a number of small yards which have been
doing woodboat work for generations so, yes, the availability of yards
contributes to the success of the conversions and long life of the boats
but is not by any means the reason there are so many. There just seems
to be a lot of people with the money and sentimentality to keep the
beautiful old boats alive.

Rick