AMHERST, N.Y. — David Harris' latest project in retirement is turning a lot of heads along the Erie Canal.
"A friend took me on a trip up the canal on his power boat, and I thought it was beautiful and restful and relaxing. It wasn't so weather dependent, so I thought I'd like to have a canal boat," Harris said.
Harris spent nine years in the Coast Guard, so he has plenty of experience sailing in rough waters on big boats. These days his vessel is much smaller and is better suited for a more tranquil journey.
Harris combined his passion for boating with his knowledge of woodworking to build his own boat.
"The hardest part was starting because when you start it's just a pile of wood, and you build the frames," he said. "It doesn't look like much and every step you get closer to realizing what it's actually going to look like when it's finished."
Harris started building his boat on July 4, 2017, but he just finished it this year. It took longer than expected because of some health setbacks.
Eight months after he started building the boat, he was diagnosed with cancer for a second time.
"I had lymphoma 22 years ago, and I was told it would never come back," Harris said. "Well surprise, it came back. I had to go through some intense chemotherapy for about 18 months."
But even that couldn't stop him from tinkering away in his garage.
Then came a global pandemic last year and a total hip replacement this year — still not enough to sink his plans to build a boat.
Davis got plenty of help from family, friends, and his neighbors in Glenwood. They turned out for a boat-flipping party because you build it upside down, and it took a team of people to turn it right side up. At that point, the boat was partially finished and weighed about 800 pounds.
Harris said building the boat cost thousands of dollars. He admits it's not cost effective and that he didn't keep all of his receipts, so he's not sure of the exact cost — but for him, it's not about the price. It's about the journey.
Harris has been cancer-free for a year, and he and his wife, Donna, are now enjoying the fruits of his years of labor.
They plan to travel down the Erie Canal this summer.
"Building it I think was more fun than actually having the boat so far," Harris said. "Once I start traveling, that might change. It's the old cliché, I hate to repeat it, but the journey is more important than the destination."
