Works Of The Masters: I

     Knowledge builds on knowledge; experience bridges the generations and, if dedication prevails, refines the methods of building knowledge and the work that knowledge builds. Cave paintings of the distant past still mesmerize us with the skill of the ancient unknown masters; somehow, we know, the line from those cave artists winds its way through time until Michelangelo adds his own cave paintings to history's caves, a feat impossible without that first, equally brilliant artist. So it is with all masters.

     To lash logs into a useful raft without rope or saws required a series of skills developed over generations, plus a single-minded initiative to try it for the first time. Trial and error lead to the best methods and materials available, but knowledge is only gained if passed along to new generations. And, someone in every group was always more skilled, more naturally gifted with clear vision to guide practiced, inspired hands; the Master. This line winds its' way down streams and rivers and across oceans to the heights of  toolmaking and craftsmanship we will discuss in this posting. And, of materials, as the science of materials and their best use has been and remains at the heart of the Masters' palette.

     Boat building before the advent of modern adhesives and beddings was completely reliant on the skill and knowledge of the boatbuilder. Tight joints were more than a mark of the builders' skill; tight joints are structural, they prevent the twisting and working that leads to leaking, rot, and oblivion. This is another point where right-brain intuition recognizes the quality in tight fitting joints for the logical reason that tight joints equal structural integrity.

     It is worth remarking that when we examine the watercraft of successful waterborne peoples, we invariably find a functional gracefulness present in their vessels. Where life and livelihood depend on successful design, all contrivance is literally washed away by that greatest of teachers, experience. From this functional seed comes the intuitive recognition of good design, which over time has become recognized as beauty.

     Howard Chapelle, the prolific chronicler of America's historic watercraft and ships, noted that vessels of exceptional ability and performance would typically originate from one place for a span of perhaps fifty years; the working life of a rare individual. Before and after the time of these local masters, local watercraft were indistinct from other vessels of that region. Indeed the quality often dropped precipitously even as the lingering reputation kept orders for new vessels flowing in; until too many disappointments soured the reputation. We must take pains not to underestimate the gifts of rare individual ability, even in this age of technological wizardry. 

     There is, I hope, an obvious point to this discourse; that there are throughout history living and dead those rare individuals conceiving and creating exceptional works of beauty and function in this universe of waterborne craft. Next we will look at the process of transferring and translating the product of rare talent to new works, both as direct production and the discerned elements of skill.