I don't know if I've mentioned this before but the River Runner that I'm currently building is my second boat project not the first.

I started that first boat project just about twenty years ago in Austin Texas. I was a Stevensons Projects Ply Flyer. Check out this link from their website. https://www.stevproj.com/FastSailrs.html

This boat project was hardly what I would call a rousing success nor was it a total failure.

This boat project was hardly what I would call a rousing success nor was it a total failure. In the middle of the build I was transferred from Texas to Santa Fe, New Mexcio. The boat went to storage for six months and wasn't completed till the summer of 1988.

Back then I knew virtually nothing about proper building methods.

Back then I knew virtually nothing about proper building methods. So I used Liquid Nails for glue, common exterior plywood, and Latex paint with no sealant of any kind. The boat did get finished and lauched. And of course it leaked which discouraged further outings till it could be better sealed. During that time the wood became checked and the boat quickly rotted. The last time I saw it, weeds were sprouting right through the decks. It's remains are probably still there at the ex-wife's place.

And of course it leaked which discouraged further outings

So sadly this little ship only had one brief run under oar power. But the memory of it and the satisfaction of building a boat with my own hand and limited skills stayed with me.

This past weekend while sorting through old photos to pass the time while yet another storm piles snow ever deeper outside our windows I was pleasantly surprised to find a few photos of that little boat. I was sure that all traces of it had been lost.

But the memory of it and the satisfaction of building a boat with my own hand and limited skills stayed with me.

I have attached them to this letter as a way of honoring the memory of that project. That boat and the discovery of the Duckworks website about two years ago were enough to get me started building again. With any luck at all I'll get a little more mileage out of my current project.

Cecil