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.
"They asked if I knew what I was doing and I told them of course I did," he said. "Then I found a book and learned how."
Bouvier said that throughout his life, he's kept busy outside of work, getting involved in the Boy Scouts and learning crafts that ranged from boat-building to blacksmithing to woodworking.
"I built canoes and small boats for years," he said, "something to keep my hands busy."
Taking part in a Boy Scout encampment one year, during which he put on displays of primitive woodworking, Bouvier came to the attention of officials at Lewis and Clark State Park, who asked if he could build a large-scale model of a keelboat for them.
He delivered the huge display boat not long after, "5.5 inches to the foot."
As he worked, Bouvier said he began research that took him to the first-hand sources of knowledge about the expedition, the explorer's journals and direct works that have provided him important construction details.
"We go to great pains to get the details right," said Bouvier, who noted that he used a painting of a keelboat to help figure out the spacing of the cleats which crew members used to brace their feet while poling the craft.
Bouvier said making his passion for history and boat-building into a successful business is taking hard work and hustle.
In addition to consulting and boat construction, he's used two of his own boats--the Mackinaw boat "Raycliff' and keelboat "Best Friend"--to provide educational programs on the Lewis and Clark era to school groups and tourists.
On one of those trips, Bouvier is proud to note that for the first time in some 180 years, he and his crew used specially outfitted ropes to "cordelle" or pull the boat along the mighty Missouri.
Another point of pride: He's thrilled to be part of a new visitor center being built at Lewis and Clark State Park near Onawa to highlight the history of pre-steam boats in this country.
Though he doesn't have trouble detailing his successes, Bouvier likes to make one thing clear.
"I'm audacious, not arrogant," he said, noting that Webster's defines the former as "bold or daring, fearless."
For details, visit the Bouviers' Web site at keelboat.com.
To reach ROB HEDELT: 540/374-5415 rhedelt@freelancestar.com