Email This Page to a FriendIntroducing Kids to Boats, Part 2 – The Blink of an Eye
December 18, 2012
With one’s kids, things happen quickly. With grandkids, as the slope of years angles ever more sharply downward, things go even quicker. When you’re introducing kids to boats, and a grandson asks you to help him build a boat, grab the chance or — in the blink of an eye — it will be gone.
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American Boys Handy Book by Daniel Beard, at Amazon.com and Google.
Daniel Beard also wrote a book called Boat-Building and Boats ( (at Amazon.com and Scribd). This book is devoted exclusively to boat and raft designs for kids.
Music: Walt Wilkins
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31 Responses So Far to “Introducing Kids to Boats, Part 2 – The Blink of an Eye”:
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Brings a huge smile to my face
I love this. Will send it to my great-grand daughter and GG son. A beautiful story of love and bonding and building trust
Don Marshall. Vancouver BC
What a gift you gave those kids–a sense of accomplishment, skills they could use, and most importantly, a belief in themselves… and an adult who knows how to guide and offers not only the opportunity but permission to try new things, a safe way to work hands-on with all sorts of tools, and understanding the hard work it takes… but what a great result (for everyone!). Such joy for all to celebrate!
Sweet!
What a beautiful video.
during these unstable times, this brought peace to my soul.
Thank you so much~R
Still as good as it gets!
Happy Father’s Day Bill, Steve, Eric, Maynard and the rest of the OCH team
My dad and I built a boat with much the same shape out of Boys Life magazine maybe 60 years ago. We tried a 5 horse Evinrude on it and I promptly swamped it.
Still remember it like it was yesterday and already have plans to build one with my grandson.
Keep up the good work.
Awesome video….Great boat…..and the young builders have learned a skill of a lifetime!!!!
Awesome sauce!!!
Priceless !
What a fabulous video! All the videos are great but this one really touched me. As a father and grandfather maybe it’s just Father Day sentimentality but Bravo!
Every now and then you come across something that lets you say, “There’s still something right in the world.” This is one of those. So thank you!
Happy to say there’s lots of those on this site. So thank you again!
b
Bill I’ve said it before and still feel the same way.This is best OCH has ever put together, thanks again Tom
He seized a great opportunity and followed through. It doesn’t matter if the boat leaked or wasn’t perfict, the time spent is important. The best memories with one of my grandsons was teaching him how to use and care for tools during a recent project I was working on. I could have completed it in less time by myself, instead I siezed the moment.
Several have asked how to caulk the boat. Remembering my joy at building similar boats caulking was a detail for a later day. The most important thing was to get it in water as soon as possible and see it if floats above the water. Waiting to caulk, paint and detail are best left for one more obsessive later years as we are bogged down by the details of adult life. The clear joy, pride and wonder of their creation, with the water in the boat, is the magic of the process. It was many years ago and in a previous century that as a kid I built my first boat like this, and the memory of that is like a favorite old book that one can re-read, in paper and ones mind, over and over again.
I heartily agree with Jack, ‘You’ve created just the best there is!’
Even at eighty, I totally can feel in those kids (and myself), the youthful fascination and exuberance in making something out of wood. If that something is a boat, – – – well that takes the dream beyond the horizon.
Very nice video. How was the boat calked, or wasn’t it?
Greg
In the blink of an eye indeed.
Add my hearty approval to all the nice comments above. Teaching a kid to build a boat is one of the finest experiences life offers.
I do have one question though: How did you keep that planked boat from leaking on first launch?
Regards
Rick Pratt
Farley Boat Works
Port Aransas Texas.
Bill, you guide your grandchildren here much as you lead us through American History way-back-when. Thanks.
A great job. I remember when I was young, helping my dad get our boat ready for the season the Delaware River. My job was to paint the bottom. It was great to see her all spruced up, as she was launched.
Wonderful!! I look forward to doing this with my grandkids, of which I have 6, but the oldest is only 9. Several years ago, I built a cedar strip canoe which the two oldest, Luke and Lily, have gone fishing in with me. That has been great. Your video showed so well the joy of kids in learning and accomplishing this new and fun task. And what a reward for them to paddle the boat they made! A joy for the kids and grandpa!
again, you did it! and I loved.
So encouraging!
Thanks so much!
Roland
Well done OCH. A Christmas message of Hope and Love. Thanks for the perfect gift.
A sweet video with a wonderful message.
Woaa! Nice.
Just the best there is to be!!
Congratulations, OCH team, you have brought home the magic of a dream . . . Merry Christmas and best wishes for another successful year ahead.
Jack and Karol
What’s not to like about that? Excellent!
Sweet!
;D marvelous!
Perfect!