"I love the smell and feel of fresh-cut wood," says Fred Apstein. "Bending
the frames, and the look of a boat in frame are also favorites. But by far,
my most favorite is launching a boat I had a hand in making."
Apstein is a custom boatbuilder. He loves his work, but there are still
things about it that he doesn't enjoy.
"But I have to say, my least favorite part of boat-building would have
to be grinding bottom paint, or dealing with inexperienced customers. I started
working on boats when I was 19, so my career has been my life."
Apstein says that all the time he has been working in the industry has
not been wasted. "I don't think anyone will ever get rich in this business,"
he says, "but custom boatbuilders will always have work, and I think they
will always be well respected in their communities. I became a boatbuilder
because it felt right."
He learned the trade many years ago by doing the work that needed to be
done. "Working experience is a good way to learn. But to be a real professional,
a traditional apprenticeship of four years is the minimum education needed."
There have also been many exciting and frightening moments in Apstein's
career. Some of the most exciting came when he was sailing rather than building
boats. "Once I was in Lake Washington in Seattle, and I was on a Blanchard
26, when we were hit by lightning," he remembers.
 |
| This is a picture of a deck after being stripped and sanded. One
of the secrets to a beautiful varnished finish is the preparation that takes
place before the first coat is laid. |
| Courtesy of Marshall Duhaime |
"Of course, there are exciting aspects to building boats too, and one of
the most exciting is the renewed interest in wood boats. I think we'll see
some growth in the field as more and more people become interested in wooden
boats."
Sheila Howard sees the increase in interest, too. "A lot of people are
interested in wooden boats now. A lot are also interested in restoring older
boats, and that's more of what I do," she says.
"Restoring an older boat is unlike anything else I have ever done. I have
a bachelor's degree in communications, but I prefer to take these older vessels
and make them new again. I get to restore their personalities and give them
life again. It's a great feeling to look at a restored boat and know I did
the work to bring it back."
Howard says she learned to build and restore boats accidentally. "I was
in Maine, and I responded to an advertisement for someone with woodworking
experience," she says.
"I had grown up helping my dad make cabinets and shelves in his business,
so I thought I would be a natural for the job. I applied and was hired. I
learned about the craft along the way and found I really enjoyed working on
boats. When I graduated from college, I decided to continue with this career.
Now I restore and occasionally build boats for a living."
Howard loves seeing the old boats come back to life in her care. "It's
the greatest feeling to launch a boat that has been restored," says Howard.
"I'm so proud of my work, and to see the delight that my customers get from
my work. I could never do any other kind of work again."
However, there are some aspects of the craft Howard doesn't care for. "I
really dislike all of the sales I have to do. They are necessary for me to
have business, but I'm not a salesperson by nature, and I have had to learn
how to be one. I take classes and go to seminars to learn better techniques."
But she says it's all worth it in the end. "I recently finished a custom
boat for some customers, and they invited me out to sail with them. We enjoyed
ourselves, and I made some new friends in the course of my work. I love my
work!" she says.
"Boat-building is an age old occupation. It's honorable, and people are
respectful and interested when I tell them I build boats," says Howard. "There
are a lot of occupations that don't have that distinction. So, I think I could
be doing a lot worse for myself."