Glen-L.com

I have finally started to build! Well, at least the building form, but I have a monument to remind me that I have to keep going.

Over the weekend I noticed a re-occuring incident though, and I find it very amusing. For the most part, when telling the neighbors and others that I was going to build a boat the top 2 reactions were

1. Just kind of standing there and looking at me like I was totally insane

2. "Why don't you just buy a boat?"

The first one I think is a little more accurate, but thats not the point.

About 2 hours into building the form, the first neighbor comes up and begins to input 2 cents, then 3, and thirty minutes later I'm about ten dollars richer. All of a sudden everyone in the neighborhood is an expert on boat building drawing from their vast experiance (none) to tell me what I'm doing wrong, what I'm doing right, and what I should do. I need to record these conversations because some are just great. I don't know if its harder to fight the heat and mosquitos, or holding in the laughter.

There really isn't a point to this, just one of my first boat building experiances.

Oh yea. I like to listen and listen and listen, then say with a BIG smile, THANKS, you would know. The BIG smile will really confuse them. About 10 minutes later they will really wonder what you meant. That's the fun part.

There is only ONE person that needs to like what they are building or have built and that is, YOU THE OWNER...... Smile and move on, they will realize how little they know sooner or later, and your SMILE will make them wonder, WAS HE SERIOUS, OR WAS HE TELLING ME I'M A KNOW-IT-ALL. They won't know for sure, but will probably tame down on their next visit.

I have found that most WISH THEY HAD THE KNOWLEDGE TO BUILD ONE THEMSELVES. Be proud, and stay positive.

I wish you well.

Dale
Indy

Just listen to what they have to say, then in as pleasant and serious a voice as you can manage say "Oh, I didn't realise you were a boatbuilder too, what did you build?"

Now that you started the build and told everyone what you're building - and everyone made it their business to tell you everything - now you CANNOT QUIT! if you quit - you'll NEVER hear the end of it from the neighbors. If you quit, it'll go something like this: "hey - remember when noah decided to build another ark? I guess god told him 'nevermind - it aint gonna rain no more! LOL!"

Oh, and your your wife will make you move to a new neighborhood, and she'll NEVER let you start building a boat again! LOL!

Don't look down, it's one he11 of a fall!


JB

The best one I had was one of my neighbors stopped by when I had the Sheerwood Queen framed and said "Oh! You bought a kit and put it together" I replied NO I bought some plans and some lumber and cut it out and built it. She just kinda nodded her head and walked off.

When asked why I didn't just go out and buy a boat (not easy on a student budget) I tell that I did but, some assembly required.


Some Assembly Required - sounds like a great boat name

I describe this as: "....looking at me like I had 2 heads." LOL

FDMSIV, don't sweat this. Join the club. This is a weird phenomenon that everyone of us has experienced. Take a look at my signature line and you'll start getting an idea of where I was when I thought of it.

Building a boat from something that grows in the backyard is totally foreign in this day of prefabbed everything. People really are sheep and simply spend their entire lives playing follow the leader. But you, sir, as a boat builder, have joined the ranks of the elite few. WE ARE THE 1 PERCENTERS.