Our boathouse was taken down today. It had been partly under water at a crazy angle after the ice mangled it this spring, and it took time to figure out if it was worth saving. The decision was finally made that, no matter how carefully it was repaired, it would never be or look the same again, and it would be best to chop it up and remove it to build anew.

Fred and I went down early this morning and Larry Rossi's crew had already begun work with their chain saws and sledge hammers. They had previously reinforced it when we thought it might be salvageable, so it held together well when they began dismantling it, and nothing collapsed into the water or endangered any of the workers. Here is a slide show of the first part of the process - cutting it into manageable pieces and loading it into the dumpster.
Demolition of the Boathouse, Part 1

Here is a short video with sights and sounds of the process:



Bringing it down took about two hours. We were all sorry to see the old relic go, but now we'll be anxious to get the new building up and be able to enjoy the rest of the summer. It was pretty depressing seeing our old boathouse that had been through innumerable wind storms, tons of snow, high water, ice, parties on the roof and Sportyak launchings, and had always stood up to the task at hand - until this spring when the ice went out and dealt it a mortal blow. It served us well and withstood more than what would normally be expected of a simple boat house, resting securely on the big I-beams imbedded in cement blocks, protecting our old wooden boats from harm for at least half a century, and others before us for probably an additional 25 years.

Here's the end of the old building: Part 2 - RIP