The Boatbuilding Bug
by Shirley Kysilko
As I talk to people about boats in general and building in particular, it seems that a lot of people have a long-held dream of building a boat of their own. For one reason or another, that dream gets postponed or abandoned altogether. The most frequently mentioned reasons seem to be lack of time due to work and family commitments, lack of space to build, and lack of woodworking skills. The MCA can help in several ways to overcome these obstacles and help people realize their dream. Lots of people in the cl ub are willing to talk about design selection and building techniques and to give hands-on assistance, and we have a Builders' Book describing the entire boatbuilding process. Ray and Sparky teach building classes in the winter, where boats are built by volunteers and students for the person who provides the materials. Space is provided for the classes by local sporting goods stores, such as EMS in recent years. Classes also give everyone the opportunity to get their hands on each aspect of the building process and boost their confidence. The techniques that have been developed over the years have simplified the process and are much easier for the first time builder. John Quaife operates the MCA forms exchange which enables people to borrow forms and strongbacks and save about 20 hours in building time and about $60 in materials. The MCA has a lot of resources for helping builders, so give us a try if you want some help.
Some would-be builders come to MCA shows and contests and figure they couldn't build something to look as nice as the award winning boats on display. Remember that many of these are not first boats built by inexperienced woodworkers, but most people find that if they take the process step by step, they end up doing a better job than they thought they could. Besides, who ever said that a boat has to be as polished as a coffee table to be fun to build and fun to paddle out on the water?!
Building a boat can also be a fun family project. The first home-built boat I ever saw was made by one of my Girl Scout counselors and her family, who built the boat on the dining room table and rigged a pulley system to hoist the boat to the ceiling at mealtime! Kids can get excited about the project if they are given tasks appropriate to their abilities, if they are designated as the official picture-drawers or storytellers, or if there is planning for their first outing with the new boat.
So, now that we are all ready to dream our boatbuilding dreams and get ready for that winter project, come on out to try out some boats and talk shop at the boat try-out night on Sunday, September 21, 5:30 PM, Lake Nokomis northwest beach in Minneapolis. And all you folks who have built a boat of your own bring your boat to Lake Nokomis and help pass the dream along to someone new.
