uilding a boat requires logic, 

 precision and three-dimensional visualiza- 

 tion. It requires concentration, commitment 

 and perseverance. It requires sharp 

 instruments, power tools and manual labor. 



hi other words, building a boat is 

 contrary to my character, my experience 

 and my philosophy opposing hard work. 

 Yet I, who have never built so much as a 

 birdhouse before, whose creativity has 

 been confined to the printed page, I will 

 build a boat 



Thanks to the N.C. Maritime 

 Museum's Harvey W. Smith Watercraft 

 Center, I will build a beautiful little 

 wooden boat. I will name it Water Lily. 

 It will be a pleasure to look at and a joy 

 to sail. 



For me to build this boat is a minor 

 miracle. It is an unparalleled adventure in 

 learning. It is a total immersion in a cedar- 

 scented traditional boat shop. And it is an 

 unforgettable experience hard to come by 

 in these high-tech times. 



Foitunately, some people, such as 

 those at the watercraft center, still consider 

 the knowledge worth preserving and 

 wooden boats worth building. 



The watercraft center conducts a 

 range of traditional boatbuilding courses, 

 including the class that results in Water 

 Lily. Wooden boat designs important to 

 North Carolina's maritime history also 

 are built or restored in the cavernous 

 quarters overlooking Front Street and 

 Taylors Creek. 



Roger Allen is my instructor, mentor 

 and cheerleader in building Water Lily. 

 Allen has been curator of boatbuilding 

 technology at the watercraft center since 

 it opened in 1992. He started working 

 with wooden boats in Philadelphia on the 

 1887 ship Gazella Primiero, a 157-foot 

 Portuguese barkentine. He came to 

 Beaufort from the Philadelphia Maritime 

 Museum. 



Although Allen has had a hand in 

 building 250 or so boats, he seems 



delighted as I watch mine emerge from the 

 pile of plywood and puffs of sawdust He 

 is a patient, good-humored and open- 

 minded teacher. The only thing he insists I 

 do his way is to fold a half-sheet of 

 sandpaper into thirds. His unstated 

 requisites: Enjoy your work. Be good to 

 your tools. 



It is Allen who convinces me that I 

 can, in fact should, build this boat. I am 

 enchanted with sailing small boats. I 

 particularly admire the Nutshell Pram 

 design, a cheerful-looking rowing and 

 sailing dinghy often used as a yacht tender. 

 Its lines curve up at both bow and stem, 

 like a lopsided grin. It rocks lightly on the 

 water when idle, as if it can't wait to go 

 sailing. 



The Nutshell is the creation of Joel 

 White, who died in 1997, much to the 

 sorrow of the traditional boat community. 

 White is known for the elegant simplicity 

 of his designs and his advocacy of wooden 

 boats. The Nutshell is among his most 



Continued 



