The
Model Builder’s Models
These
are the chronicles of my father’s model building hobbies as experienced
through my eyes and recalled from my memory. As I grew up I would sit in his workshop
from time to time and watch him build his boats and airplanes. He always answered my questions. I would tag along when he went out to
sail his boats or fly his airplanes. During the model yacht racing years, I
went with him to the different races.
It was often my job to wade out into the water to launch and retrieve
his boats at those parks that didn’t have a dock. We established a tradition of stopping
for ice cream after every race. I
began racing with him when I turned 15 and we developed a bit of a
rivalry. After I graduated high
school, my weekend interests turned more towards sports and I didn’t race
or tag along much. When he retired
and moved to Florida, I only visited about twice per year so the details of
that time period are a little thin.
Most
of the time that I spent with him was during his boat building years so most of
this is about boats. I only have one short section dedicated to airplanes but
that in no way reflects the amount of involvement he had with that hobby. Most of the pictures here were found in
his workshop. While most of the
stories and facts are based on the recollection of my personal observations,
it’s been backed up with a fair amount of research which consisted of
looking at pictures, trophies, records, a variety of Internet web pages, and
his folders packed with model building momentos, plans and notes. It was among these folders that I found
something to remind me that while he was an avid model builder, he was first
and foremost, a Dad.