Curtis Clymer's boat models

As a kid growing up in South Cape, I spent my summers helping my parents in the garden, mostly growing tomatoes, and working on models of sailing ships. The more complicated the rigging, the better.

But, alas, none of my ships has survived. A house cat who enjoyed jumping onto high places knocked them to the floor with devastating results.

At eight to 10 pounds each, I doubt Curtis Clymer had to worry about errant cats destroying his handiwork.

Published June 2, 1974, in the Southeast Missourian:

Curtis Clymer, 2801 Bevin, poses with two of his riverboat creations, the Gale C, left, and the Cape Girardeau, right. The Gale C is still under construction as a gift to an oiler on the actual boat, presently in operation on the river. (Rick Morein ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

CAPE MAN’S HOBBY: HIS OWN FLEET OF BOATS

By JANE ARLYN HODGES
Missourian Staff Writer

Take one electric fuse and and attach a U-shaped plastic twist-tie from a bread wrapper to the sides. Imbed center section of twist-tie into the top of a sawed-off clothespin and paint white. The result: a makeshift searchlight, perfect for model riverboats created by Curtis Clymer, 2801 Bevin.

The searchlight is only one of several small items Mr. Clymer has invented to supplement his imaginative pastime — the construction of riverboats identical to full-sized models plying the Mississippi River.

He’s original

His boats are completely original in design. His special building technique evolved through one method only — experience. “I’ve never had any lessons and I’ve never seen anyone make them,” Mr. Clymer said. “I just started in, and this is what I ended up with.”

The model riverboats are a culmination of a lifetime interest in boats Mr. Clymer said.

Born and raised tin Commerce, Mr. Clymer developed what may be termed a natural interest in riverboats and river life.

“In Commerce, everybody works on the river,” he said, “and I’ve been interested in it since I’ve been a kid.”

At the age of 17, Mr. Clymer was employed on the Charles W. Snider, a 1,000-horsepower motor vessel owned by Pure Oil Co.

He worked on the boat for five years, before joining the army in 1957. Although his interest in the Mississippi was high, he never returned to employment on the river.

“It’s not much of a life for a married man,” he said, in reference to the amount of time one spends away from home while working on a boat.

Area names

Instead of active river employment, Mr. Clymer has found that building his special models satisfies at least a portion of his curiosity and fascination with boats. In the six years he has invested win his hobby, he has constructed seven boats with names such as the Scott City, the Cape Girardeau, the Commerce and, most recently, the Gale C.

Mr. Clymer estimates that it takes is to eight weeks and 70 to 80 hours to complete each miniature vessel, with exception of the Gale C, a model built on a much bigger scale. Each boat weighs eight to 10 pounds and costs $18 to $20 in materials.

Major materials used in the construction of each individual boat are balsa wood, also used in the making of model airplanes, glue and straight pins.

The shape of the boat is determined in one of two ways. Mr. Clymer either designs his own special model, or he uses boats presently in use on the river as a basis for his construction, with minor adjustments in appearance.

The balsa wood is cut with a razor into the desired hull, complete with windows and doors. Sides are glued together, and after they are allowed to dry, decks are glued on top of each other.

Tedious work

The construction procedure is often tedious with minute fragments handled by tweezers to be set in place correctly.

“The work gets pretty tedious, especially when you have to use the tweezers,” Mr. Clymer related. “If you’re not in the mood to apply your concentration, you can hardly do it.”

Besides balsa wood, glue and straight pins, Mr. Clymer employs many household items to provide necessary accents for the boats. Among these are roles up sandpaper and cut-off dishwashing liquid bottles which once painted and shaped, double as stacks. Plastic tubing serves as air intake pipes, and of course, the searchlights are a variety of left-overs which Mr. Clymer incorporated to serve his needs.

Longest on river

His present project, the Gale C, constitutes Mr. Clymer’s first real attempt at actual duplication.

The Gale C in real life is the longest boat presently operating on the Mississippi, measuring 200 feet.

When completed, Mr. Clymeer’s model will measure 43 inches and weigh considerably more than his other boats. Material costs will be near $25, and the boat will take nearly three months to complete. Two months of construction already have passed.

The boat is being built at the ashes of friend who is the captain of the Steve T. The captain’s son is an oiler on the Gale C, named after Gale H. Chapman, vice president of Upper Mississippi Towing Corp., for which the boat was built.

Uses photographs

Designs for the model are determined through an extensive number of photographs of the actual boat taken from the construction stage to the point of its launching. Even the gray paint used to paint the decks is identical. It was “smuggled” from the boat itself.

Mr. Clymer’s innovative building talents have also been recognized by Waterway’s Journal, trade paper of the river industry.

“I have seen a good many boat models in the past 20 years, and these are among the best,” state Dan Owen, Waterway’s assistant editor, in a recent letter to Mr. Clymer. “Manu modelers could up the painting and lettering, but yours are perfect” he concluded.

And finally, to answer the questions of all those who doubt, Mr. Clymer said the boats will definitely float.

“But I’ve never tried it,” he added.

Curtis Clymer makes an adjustment to the spotlight on one of his model river boats. (Rick Morein ~ Southeast Missourian archive)