If not for his ball cap and Teva sandals, John Hutchison would be hard to position in time and place.

In a traditional wooden boat on Lake Arthur, the Saxonburg craftsman uses wind and sail to navigate the county's scenic waters.

Buildings and cars near the shore excluded, the breezy August backdrop could also reflect an age gone by, when boats like Hutchison's were crafted by hand.

"I just love this kind of work and love maintaining these historical relics," said Hutchison, who began building his 16-foot sloop "Grace" in 2002.

Working from plans that originated in 1914 with naval architect Nathanael Herreshoff, Hutchison built the vessel from wood, using the same methods and materials as those employed by shipwrights of yore.

Lumber, chosen for its tight grain that would endure the pounding of turbulent seas, was traditionally dried with precision.

Accounting for moisture content would minimize shrinkage and swelling, Hutchison noted, explaining how a boat's hull might otherwise leak or expand to compromise its structural integrity.

In Hutchison's case, the boat's wood keel, stem and ribs were fashioned from a white oak tree on his Saxonburg homesite.

"We had a sick white oak tree, so it became a boat," he said, explaining how he cut the tree, then sawed rough planks on a relative's portable sawmill.

After then milling the pieces to size in his workshop, the keel and frames were steamed, then bent and clamped over molds - assuming the desired shape as they dried.

The planks were cut from a stand of dead cedar from property he owns in upstate New York. Each one was individually patterned using a process called spiling, which requires the use of a compass or protractor.

"There's something about a project like this -all those curves" Hutchison said when describing his regard for traditional construction.

"There's not a straight board in it," he laughed.

Although straight boards are desirable in some types of construction, the curves that distinguish wooden boats are harder to achieve.

Because of the commitment required, Hutchison is among a minority of craftsmen who see such projects to completion.

"There aren't a lot of people who go to that extent, who have that kind of follow-through. That's what makes it unusual," said Geoff McKonly, executive director of the Philadelphia Wooden Boat Factory, which hosts adult classes on boat building and programs for schools and adjudicated youths.

"I guess a lot of people own the plans for that boat and dream of building that boat, but would probably be pretty afraid to start the project, knowing what it does take. We see a lot of projects like that get started and not finished - or just never get started, because it is a pretty substantial undertaking."In addition to accomplishing the detailed woodworking, McKonly said finding suitable timber is another aspect that dissuades builders."If you go to a lumber yard that would stock those similar timbers, what they would most likely be for is furniture or some kind of indoor use for a house."So in order to do that, what they do is kiln dry the wood to get a lot of the moisture out so it's cheaper to ship. So that situation, which is fine for inside the house, is not fine for something that's going to live on the water."McKonly also estimated it takes a year per inch of a board's thickness to dry naturally instead of with the use of a kiln."The economics of that don't work for most lumberyards, because that's a lot of storage space they have to tie up," he said.While the cedar Hutchison used for planks was dead and consequently air-dried, the oak he used for the ribs was green, lending itself to the steam-bending process - one of many tasks that requires ingenuity to complete."It was remarkable how creative he was even with bending the wood," said Hutchison's wife, Mary Jo."He used a Coleman stove to boil water to steam the planks. … He was very (resourceful) with the equipment he had available to accomplish this. And he did a lot of the work by hand. The mast was done by hand. That was all planed by hand. It wasn't planed by machine. And that's remarkable to me also."In addition to lack of systems and lumber needed for wooden boats, McKonly said hardware and other supplies are also difficult to locate."You wouldn't be able to buy one piece for that boat at your Home Depot," he commented. "We're constantly keeping an ear out for these sources and products, because it's sort of a world where all the major principles of commercial economics don't apply."Even things like the screws," he added. "There's only one American company that manufactures the screws that you would use."The screws to which McKonly refers are made from silicon bronze to thwart corrosion from salt and the elements. To further protect the screws, they are countersunk and covered with precisely cut plugs, whose grain often matches that of surrounding wood.Hutchison said the type of canvas traditionally applied to decks for traction was also absent from retail stores.

With a degree in structural design and building construction from Penn State University, Hutchison admits he is no stranger to using tools or piecing together shapes of wood.After a 27-year stint working in the steel industry, Hutchison and Mary Jo purchased a rental/real estate business in the Adirondack Mountains near Lake Placid.Gaining free time in the winter months, Hutchison said he initially planned to build a canoe to be used on the lakes in upstate New York."I just decided to set my goals higher," he said of the sailboat project, noting he chose the Herreshoff design after building a scale model as a wedding gift for friends.The original design, the Nathanael Herreshoff 12½, so named for its waterline length, was created as a training boat for youths whose wealthy fathers had yachts. The craft was seaworthy and easy to maneuver - both desirable for novice sailors."It turned out to be such a popular boat, such a great design, they built maybe 400 in the 1900s," Hutchison said.Many of the originals are still afloat and several other Herreshoff yachts have won the America's Cup sailing race, he added.The design was modified in 1985 by Joel White, son of author E.B. White, who wrote classic books including "Charlotte's Web" and "Stuart Little," in which Stuart the mouse also pilots a model sailboat in a race.

The modified design replaces the original fixed keel, which adds stability to a boat by providing depth and weight under the water, with a centerboard, or type of retractable keel.The new centerboard design, called the Haven 12½, allows the boat to sit squarely on a trailer so it can be stored out of the water and be easily transported to day-sailing sites.Since Grace's maiden voyage on Father's Day in Lake Arthur, Hutchison has begun to do just that.During the subsequent summer months, Hutchison has taken the boat to New York, where he did some sailing in between property management tasks.He also plans to exhibit the boat in October at the United States Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Md., the largest show of its kind in the country, and at the Pittsburgh Boat Show in January.Estimating he spent about 600 hours of spare time building the boat since 2002, Hutchison said the vessel probably could have been complete in six to eight months of full-time work."I'd work for three, four hours - then break off. I never got bored with it. I got tired sometimes."My wife should take a lot of credit for the completion," he noted. "This was a major project, and a lot of things didn't get finished around the house."

"I think (my family members) were upset because it took up a garage stall," he added."I have to say when I go out and look at this boat in my garage now, I can't believe he built it," Mary Jo said."Also other people's reaction to the boat makes me appreciate his craft so much more. Because we have not taken the boat out that someone has not stopped to admire it."We've had people drive from the highway to meet us at the launches of various lakes we've sailed in just to see this boat. So I'm very proud of his accomplishment and his determination," she said.With all the tools and a system for building in place, Hutchison said he might just take his determination a step further - possibly building a second boat for resale.With his love of sailing evolving, Hutchison also said he could someday see himself with a larger cruising boat for use in his retirement years. That boat, he added, would probably be fiberglass."By today's standards, classic wooden boats are a novelty: like owning a functional art from the gilded era. The durability and low maintenance of fiberglass has made wooden boats nearly extinct."