Funny looking drift boat

Of my five grandkids, I have one granddaughter. She’s our youngest and is a high school senior. She asked me earlier this Fall, “Grandpa, would you build a Hope Chest for me?” I responded that I helped her two brothers design and build their own riverboats. How about a drift boat, I asked? “Grandpa, she said, “I want something into which I can place my hopes and dreams for the future, and I really like the idea of a Hope Chest.” I said, Okay, but on the condition that I can seal it in a way that it will float should you ever encounter high water. She laughed and said, “That’s fine.”

I immediately realized that I bit off more than I can chew. A level or a square has little use in a boat shop. Just ask Jerry Briggs. He’ll tell you. Compound angles and fair runs are best judged by a well developed eye and sense of touch. Precision of rectangles was foreign to me. In a nervous sweat, I turned to my cabinet-maker-former-guide-boat-builder friend, Sonny Montgomery for guidance. He said, “Look, I have all the equipment. Do the project in my shop. I can give you proper compass headings and redirect you when the piece begins to reflect the vagaries of a boat.” Wink. I took him up on the offer.

Following are a few pictures of the project. The box and lid is Alder and the piece is lined with aromatic red cedar. The trays are also red cedar but are framed with Port Orford cedar. The wood rope is cherry. I also included a drift boat model to serve as her jewelry/nic-nac tray. I knew I could get a boat into the project somehow! The lid and base of the box is trimmed in Sepale and muffin feet are a Purple Heart sandwich. Hey. I can’t help myself. I’m a boatman. The only thing left to do is to install the lid lifters. That will happen Friday.

Oh. It will float, albeit she is a bit top heavy.

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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Clarke on December 21, 2011 at 5:56am

Nice work, Roger!  I have a soft spot for any woodworking project that incorporates multiple species of wood.  Your granddaughter chose her lineage well.

Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on December 21, 2011 at 1:37pm

Roger, you have a lucky granddaughter! Wonderful work.

Rick Newman

Permalink Reply by lhedrick on December 21, 2011 at 3:06pm

Looks like your wood working skills go way beyond boats.  I'm sure your granddaughter will never forget and will pass it to her daughter one day if she has one.   Craftsmanship given as gifts are worth far more the anything else we can receive.

It's a beautiful chest.

You should still build her a drift boat.

Permalink Reply by Dave Z on December 22, 2011 at 4:18am

Great work Roger, as always.  Good choice of woods.  I bet she could get you to build whatever she wanted.

Dave

Permalink Reply by Dan Williams on December 22, 2011 at 7:38am

Nice looking chest!  Great Job!

Permalink Reply by Randy Dersham on December 22, 2011 at 8:20pm

Very nice Roger.  Fine work and great memories.

Permalink Reply by Tom Martin on December 23, 2011 at 9:06am

What an incredible gift Roger! This is a gift that can move through the generations! Be sure to carve your name, date, and who you made the chest for on the bottom of one of the drawers. By the time this chest makes it to the seventh generation, you'll still want them to know the particulars. Here's wishing you and yours a very warm and joyous Christmas and a wonderful 2012!

Permalink Reply by Greg Hatten on December 23, 2011 at 2:54pm

Well done Roger - you are a craftsman !!!  Beautiful work. 

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