Michigan Heritage 2006 awardee, St. Clair Shores, Michigan
Model Boat Builder
Herman Chapman has been "scratch building" exquisite replica models of Great Lakes boats since the 1980s. While his knowledge, dedication to, and artistry of model boat building is recognized throughout the Great Lakes region, he is perhaps best known for his models of Great Lakes lightships on display at the Huron Lightship Museum in Port Huron and other models at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum in Detroit.
A third-generation wood worker and former industrial electrician, Chapman learned his skills in woodworking from his father, who worked on a Great Lakes ore carrier. Chapman works in his St. Clair Shores basement workshop where he also keeps a wide assortment of materials, tools, a collection of models he's made - including the PALMER, DETROIT EDISON, SOUTH AMERICAN, and the fireboat JOHN KENDALL - and plans for his next project. "The research is fun," says Chapman, who talks with people who served aboard the vessel, takes and collects numerous photographs of every angle of the boat, and does historical research before he begins making a model.
His first foray into modeling was a kit boat, operated by radio control, that he made with his son. Every boat since he has made from scratch. Starting with a block of basswood, Chapman carves out the hull to exact specifications from blueprints he scales down to a 1/8th inch-to-one-foot scale. Other parts are meticulously created from wood, wire, metal, plastic, string, and other materials. With a goal of making the boat as true to what it looked like at a particular point in time, Chapman attends to the smallest details. What makes it all worthwhile, according to Chapman, is the reaction the models draw from people who know ships. When they view his models they remember their time spent working aboard the vessel, and discover distinctive features Chapman carefully included in his models.
Herman Chapman is honored with the Michigan Heritage Award for his mastery of the traditional art of model boat building, his excellent craftsmanship, and his dedication to Great Lakes maritime heritage.
-LuAnne Kozma, fieldworker
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