Floating on boats of confidence

Marisa O’Neil

Hunter Carr had definite plans for his boat before it was even a

boat.

His parents brought him and his friend to the Family Boatbuilding

Weekend at the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum on Saturday as a

belated birthday present -- Hunter turned 10 on Wednesday. As he

watched his father, Ron, glue the first few small pieces of what will

today become a basic 8-foot-long, three-seat dinghy, he discussed his

vision for the boat.

“I want to add a mast and see if we can sail it,” Hunter said.

“I’m planning to add a rudder and have some other changes.”

This is the second year for the seminar, which supplies the

pre-cut plywood, plans, epoxy and tools needed to construct the boat

in two days. It’s the biggest event of its kind in the country,

museum President Glenn Zagoren said, adding that 30 families are

participating this year from as far away as Reno and San Francisco.

“People, in some cases, want more access to the water,” Zagoren

said. “They’ve dreamt of having a boat. Here they can construct

something as a team over the weekend and get to see and share the

fruits of their labors.”

Museum workers and volunteers cut and labeled the pieces, helping

to keep the entry fees at $150, for what would be a $500 boat,

Zagoren said.

Ray Clark, who writes boat-designing software, came up with the

plans for the basic boat. His challenge, he said, was making sure it

was simple enough for people with no experience at all to build.

Today, they’ll finish up their boats and launch them. All

participants will receive a trophy with special awards for the top

boat and categories such as “Most Enthusiastic.”

Last year’s winner, Laguna Beach resident Paul Brinkman Jr.,

registered his boat with the state, added an antique 1.5-horsepower

engine and takes it out for a spin in Newport Harbor from time to

time. This year, he’s working as a volunteer, offering

troubleshooting and advice to people like Lido Island residents Lisa

Grundy Johnson and Bill Johnson, participating with their parents

and their 7-year-old son, Wills.

“We’re going to see if our boat will make it home [across the

harbor],” Lisa Grundy Johnson said with a laugh.

Ron and Kim Yount and their friends, Frank and Yvonne Ojeda, came

with their children to build two boats. But since both land-locked

families live in Phelan -- near Victorville, in the high desert --

they weren’t too sure how much use the watercraft will get.

“We’re going to name ours ‘Yard Art,’” Kim Yount said.

Frank Ojeda had different plans for his family’s boat.

“We’ll sit and wait for the big flood,” he said with a laugh.