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Keelboat holds back at its maiden launch
Iowa boat-builder uses skills from building, researching Lewis and Clark keelboats to create a new life
Date published: 10/26/2004
BUTCH BOUVIER had predicted that the keelboat Discovery Virginia wouldn't get wet easily.
And that's just the way things went Saturday as sightseers, dignitaries, supporters and the volunteers of the Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center gathered at the banks of the Rivanna River just outside of Charlottesville.
The 55-foot, 6-ton replica of the keelboat used by Lewis and Clark proved tough to launch.
But after some tense moments, the boat built by Bouvier and a group of committed Charlottesville volunteers finally slid down wooden tracks into the river at Darden Towe Park.
The day was a big success for the volunteers, who are well on their way to establishing a Lewis and Clark park on the property, complete with a boat-building shop, a visitor center and perhaps a replica of an exploratory fort.
For Bouvier, an Iowa resident who hopes to one day teach boat-building on the site, the launch was the latest chapter in what's becoming a unique career.
The 57-year-old, with his wife Catherine, owns and operates L&C (Lewis and Clark) Replicas.
Having built seven different keelboats, many of which are now on display in museums around the country, Bouvier has carved out a niche for himself.
After earlier careers in small business or running a construction operation, the Onawa, Iowa, resident has made a passion for keelboats and other early American craft into a new history-based business.
Bouvier's resume lists more than 20 years researching and building the boats that Lewis and Clark used in the early 1800s.
He notes that some of those craft have been used by Ken Burns, and that he and his wife recently took part in a special for The History Channel, "The Technology of the Lewis and Clark Expedition."
He's been a consultant on many Lewis and Clark projects around the country, including the Sioux City Lewis and Clark Visitors Center, a National Geographic IMAX film and a new museum in Illinois.
Bouvier is a throwback of sorts, a guy who started a car shop in Iowa years ago with $500 worth of tools and a how-to manual.
Date published: 10/26/2004
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