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Log inMuseum honors a man of grand designs
Museum honors a man of grand designs
by Outspoken on Thu Aug 21, 2008 4:27 am
Museum honors a man of grand designs
Bruce King, creator of boats for kings and common men, will be the third to receive a Mariner's Award.
By BOB KEYES
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
BATH — Bruce King has designed yachts for millionaires, outfitting them with the finest interiors and the most sophisticated sailing gear imaginable.
But when it came time to build a boat for himself to take into retirement, the East Boothbay resident opted for something small and simple. He built the Frog Princess, a green-sided, 20-foot classic sailing yacht with a raised cuddy cabin and cutter rig with bowsprit.
King, 69, is as proud of his sleek sailing yacht, which he launched in 2005, as he is of the Scheherazade, a 154-foot luxury yacht launched in 2003 as one of the grandest private yachts ever built. For that matter, he's as happy with the Frog Princess as with any boat he's ever designed -- and there have been hundreds over a long career.
The reason? Because he's the one who gets to sail it.
"I can do as I please. I can go anytime the sailing is good. If the weather is good on Monday, then I can go sailing on Monday," he said.
On Saturday, the Maine Maritime Museum will honor King during its Mariner's Day celebration with its 2008 Mariner's Award, given for his lifetime achievements in boat design.
King is the third person to receive the award, following the maritime historian Roger Duncan and the author and sea captain Linda Greenlaw.
Also on Saturday, the museum will announce plans for a $197,582 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the largest federal grant the museum has received in many years, said the museum's executive director, Amy Lent.
Maine Maritime will use the money to assess its collection of small boats, which numbers more than 100, and develop a plan for visitors to enjoy them.
"The grant will allow us to make what is one of the most significant collections of small boats in the country accessible to visitors," Lent said.
As part of Mariner's Day, King has replicated a small portion of his office in the museum's mould loft. The display includes a half-dozen models of boats that King designed, as well as a drafting table with tools, drawings of previous boats, paintings and other items.
The idea is to offer visitors a small glimpse into the life of a man who designed boats for both kings and common men.
Born in Torrance, Calif., King began his career as an apprentice to a traditional boat builder. That's where he developed his visual aesthetic and pushed himself to design boats that looked great and performed well.
He got his big break when Ericson Yachts picked up his design for a 30-foot fiberglass sailing boat. That began a 30-year association with Ericson that produced 24 models and thousands of production-line boats.
King also designed for other companies, and counts among his prize designs the 36-foot Hinckley picnic boat. "I always tried to make them as attractive as I could, and with sailing characteristics that were the best they could possibly be," he said.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=205888&ac=PHnws
Doug Jones/Staff Photographer
Bruce King, creator of boats for kings and common men, will be the third to receive a Mariner's Award.
By BOB KEYES
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
BATH — Bruce King has designed yachts for millionaires, outfitting them with the finest interiors and the most sophisticated sailing gear imaginable.
But when it came time to build a boat for himself to take into retirement, the East Boothbay resident opted for something small and simple. He built the Frog Princess, a green-sided, 20-foot classic sailing yacht with a raised cuddy cabin and cutter rig with bowsprit.
King, 69, is as proud of his sleek sailing yacht, which he launched in 2005, as he is of the Scheherazade, a 154-foot luxury yacht launched in 2003 as one of the grandest private yachts ever built. For that matter, he's as happy with the Frog Princess as with any boat he's ever designed -- and there have been hundreds over a long career.
The reason? Because he's the one who gets to sail it.
"I can do as I please. I can go anytime the sailing is good. If the weather is good on Monday, then I can go sailing on Monday," he said.
On Saturday, the Maine Maritime Museum will honor King during its Mariner's Day celebration with its 2008 Mariner's Award, given for his lifetime achievements in boat design.
King is the third person to receive the award, following the maritime historian Roger Duncan and the author and sea captain Linda Greenlaw.
Also on Saturday, the museum will announce plans for a $197,582 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the largest federal grant the museum has received in many years, said the museum's executive director, Amy Lent.
Maine Maritime will use the money to assess its collection of small boats, which numbers more than 100, and develop a plan for visitors to enjoy them.
"The grant will allow us to make what is one of the most significant collections of small boats in the country accessible to visitors," Lent said.
As part of Mariner's Day, King has replicated a small portion of his office in the museum's mould loft. The display includes a half-dozen models of boats that King designed, as well as a drafting table with tools, drawings of previous boats, paintings and other items.
The idea is to offer visitors a small glimpse into the life of a man who designed boats for both kings and common men.
Born in Torrance, Calif., King began his career as an apprentice to a traditional boat builder. That's where he developed his visual aesthetic and pushed himself to design boats that looked great and performed well.
He got his big break when Ericson Yachts picked up his design for a 30-foot fiberglass sailing boat. That began a 30-year association with Ericson that produced 24 models and thousands of production-line boats.
King also designed for other companies, and counts among his prize designs the 36-foot Hinckley picnic boat. "I always tried to make them as attractive as I could, and with sailing characteristics that were the best they could possibly be," he said.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=205888&ac=PHnws
Doug Jones/Staff Photographer
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Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
