The 16-foot-long sloop called "Grace" sits in the Saxonburg workshop of John Hutchison. Hutchison started building Grace in 2002 using methods and materials that were available in the early 1900s. He is also using plans that were drafted in 1914 by naval architect Nathanael Herreshoff.

John Hutchison cuts wood in his workshop. For his 16-foot-long sloop named "Grace," Hutchison used wood from a white oak tree on his Saxonburg homesite. The tree was sick, he said, so he turned it into a boat.<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>

The inside of John Hutchison's 16-foot-long sloop named "Grace" shows the intricate care and detail put into building the boat. Hutchison cut the planks from a cedar tree on his New York property. The keel and frames were steamed, then bent and clamped over molds - assuming the desired shape as they dried. Hutchison said that there isn't a straight piece of wood in the entire project.<BR><BR><BR><BR>

John Hutchison sails his 16-foot sloop Grace on Lake Arthur.