Field of dreams
- chet kamat
- Feb 19, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 19
Although I was excited about using salvaged ship timber for decking at our home, it proved challenging to get in touch with the scrap lumber dealer in Beypore (check out this post for the back story). After six months of unsuccessful attempts and almost giving up hope, I was thrilled to learn that my friend in Wayanad had managed to contact him.
The scrap dealer, Isshak, had purchased a 30-year-old teak boat owned by the Fisheries department of the government of Lakshwadeep. He had it dismantled and was now offering all the salvaged wood for sale. To ensure that he wouldn't sell it to someone else, I had to confirm my intention to buy it at the stated price.
Making a decision based solely on an image was challenging, but I took a leap of faith and expressed my interest in buying it at the quoted price. I even offered to provide an advance deposit. This occurred during the middle of the week, and a couple of days later, over the weekend, I flew down to Kozhikode, drove to Beypore, and met with the scrap dealer. Since I didn't understand Malayalam, my friend from Wayanad kindly accompanied me and served as a translator.
Isshak shared images of the ship before and during the salvage process.
The dealer then took us to a nearby field where the salvaged boat parts were stacked. My architect confirmed that the wood was indeed teak, making the lot valuable. However, visually inspecting the quantity of wood proved difficult. As an added bonus, the dealer included the ship's anchor, steering mechanism, nameplate, and a marine light to sweeten the deal. After careful consideration, I decided that this was a risk worth taking and we sealed the deal with a handshake.
Now the proud owner of this pile of scrap, I was eager to load it onto a truck and transport it to Bangalore. This scattered collection of lumber in the field would soon transform into the sustainable, weathered outdoor decking of my dreams.
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