When I was a sprout, 'bout Junior High School (weren't no 'Middle Schools' in them days) I had a woodshop teacher went by the name of Mr. Hoot - and that was his real name, too - now, ain't that a . . . never mind.
My project of choice was a half-hull model of a boat that I had read about in a book called, "Sailing Alone Around The World", by Joshua Slocum.
For any of you who haven't heard of it, and it don't matter if you're into boats or not, that book is a helluva read. This was back in the day when boys read 'Adventure Stories' and Slocum's book really fit the bill.
She was beamy and she was meant to be sailed flat. This was not one of yer fake clipper ship looking pond sailer things but a real deepwater boat that was made to go 'round the world - the boat was damned near as round as the world itself.
Old Slocum prolly put as much thought into the design of the "Spray" (such was her name and 'twas a good name for such a boat, which became obvious when trying to point too close to the wind) as that Lindberg fella had put into "The Spirit Of Saint Louis", which prolly had better characteristics to windward.
Now, the book had the loftings in it for the boat and I faithfully transcribed them onto graph paper. I asked Mr. Hoot for a fine grained wood to cut out my project and he gave me a wonderful stick of cherry.
I taped up the cut lines to the squared up board and had at it with the bandsaur. I've always liked bandsaurs and feel very comfortable with them. I guess Mr. Hoot was less comfortable with me working the bandsaur than I was and he had me cut way outside my intended lines, so as not to run my adolescent digits too close to the blade.
Well, I had a lot of rasp work to do as a result and our shop did not have proper rasps, but things that were more like metal files.
I got marked down for taking so long to get the final shape on the half-hull model.
I also got marked down for making "a really ugly boat hull, that don't even look like a proper boat hull".
At the end of our time together, Mr. Hoot said to me, " Watson, it's a good thing that you are in the college prep track, because you would never make it working with your hands".
Well, I did go to college. I went to college on my earnings from being a carpenter.
I went on to have my own cabinet shop and make some pretty nice stuff for some pretty nice people.
I still have the half-hull model of the Spray.
It looks exactly like the half-hull model of the real Spray.
Yeah, she's beamier than most boats and prolly looks funny to some folks.
But, you would think that a shop teacher would have understood.
I wonder what ever happened to Mr. Hoot?
Thomas J. Watson-Cabinetmaker (ret) Real Email is: tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet Website: