Above: Derrick Jackson, owner of Jackson’s Shipyard, in front of his facility in Whiteway, N.L.
Derrick Jackson has been involved in building fishing boats for most of his life.
The Whiteway, N.L. native started in the 1980s working for his father and as of 2006 has gone on his own to run Jackson’s Shipyard as a Master Shipbuilder.
The legacy of Jackson’s Shipyard began with its predecessor, Jackson’s Boatyard, which was started in 1976 by Fred Jackson after he had sold a couple of boats he had made for himself during his fishing career.
Given the interest people had in the vessels he built, he decided to get into boat building full-time. Over the years, Jackson’s Boatyard grew in scope — at one time boasting 42 employees, turning out hundreds of boats.
It’s here that Derrick Jackson got his start learning the tricks of the trade from his father, beginning at the age of 17.
“I started off at the very bottom and worked my way up — painting, carpentry, that kind of thing,” said Jackson. “I went from knowing very little, to now I’m classed as a Master Builder. That’s all through work experience, no formal boat building education.”
Jackson’s Shipyard is in the same location as its predecessor in Whiteway, Newfoundland and Labrador on the shores of Trinity Bay.
In 2005, when he took the reins from his father, the industry was at what Jackson would describe as a “low point.” Over time, however, Jackson was able to build a clientele and continue the reputation that Jackson’s Boatyard had garnered since its inception in the 1970s.
“In the years working with Jackson’s Boatyard, I met a lot of good fellas — a lot of good men,” said Jackson. “When I started off on my own, I had a good relationship with a lot of old customers and that really helped get me through.”
Over the years, Jackson has seen a change in the fisheries and boatbuilding from when he got his start. He’s noticed an increased prevalence of corporate ownership and large conglomerations in the industry, increased demand for the quality of boats, some of which he says are “better than homes” these days.
Jackson says that being the owner of a shipyard, or any small business, is an around-the-clock job, but he wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“If you’re an employee, you go home and you leave your work at work. When you run the company, you’re there 24/7. A lot of sleepless nights come with it,” said Jackson. “But on the other side, I wouldn’t change what I’m doing… I’d rather be where I am.”
For Jackson, the most rewarding part of the job is the workmanship that goes into each of his projects.
“The design of the boat, that’s up to the fishermen. The quality of the work that goes into it, I pretty much have the say in that,” said Jackson. “You’re pretty proud of it at the end of the day when it goes in the water.”
After over 40 years in the shipbuilding business, Jackson has no plans for retirement yet. While he does have grandsons that are interested in what he does, they’re too young yet for any kind of succession plan. For now, the industry is and always has been what he lives and breathes.
“I would definitely stay there forever,” said Jackson. “I’ve got no intentions of going anywhere permanently. I’d never want to be away from it.”
