John Cheevers
I may be a professional shipbuilder, but it was actually ship modeling that sparked my lifelong interest in ships and things nautical. I grew up in a rural spot in Kentucky; one close enough to the Ohio River to enjoy hearing and seeing the river-boats. And, I’ve always been fascinated with making things and working with wood. So modeling of nautical things seems like a logical progression. I guess I’ve been modeling ships for about 50 years. I started assembling plastic kits as a kid but quickly learned to scratch build in wood and brass. I would not say that my initial efforts were a success. It wasn’t until I moved to Southeast Virginia to begin an Apprenticeship in shipbuilding that I learned some things to make scratch building a success. I learned the rest after I joined the Hampton Roads Ship Model Society in 1980. There, some of the professional model makers took me under their wing. Since that time, I built ship models mostly on commission. My interest lies in steam and engine powered vessels from about 1880 to 1930.