Waterline: Of Fathers, Sons, and Boats

by Joe Soucheray

Anyone who has spent any time messing around with boats ― wooden boats in particular ― knows that those cunning curves, endless seams, and rotting wood hold more than practical challenges. All boats have histories, some more poignant than others, and few narratives of the past few decades have captured the mystique of a boat’s provenance (in this case Chris Craft) or more touchingly depicted the ties that boats often create between father and son than this classic by Joe Soucheray.

205 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Dorothy Caswell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the story of a retired newspaper reporter who has always loved boats. especially Chris Craft. He and his father have kind of drifted apart and his father is failing health wise. He decides that he will restore the boat that his father had. There is a lot about finding the boat, bringing it home, getting people to help him, etc. Eventually, he restores the boat and then the man who was supposed to do the engine did a lousy job and the boat won't run. Between the lines, he and his father talk of nothing else and their relationship grows, even as his father weakens.

[Godine Publisher & Black Sparrow Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Soucheray has met, in this book , the most demanding standard for any writer — the goal Joseph Conrad set for himself: 'to make you feel.' Soucheray sees extraordinarily revealing details, and he makes us see them in words that are vivid yet restrained."
— Minneapolis Star-Tribune

"Waterline is the perfect winter escape for the weather-bound boater and a memorable story."
— Detroit News and Free Press

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A must read for anyone who loves old boats. A lovingly recounted story of how a young man reconnected with his past through restoring an antique boat in Minnesota. I must admit I failed to connect with the story because it focused a little too much on the art of boat restoration, a theme that really did not resonate with me. But I did take away a deep sense of the importance of boating and the water in Minnesota.

[Xdw · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting boat story. a little too sentimental on the father side.