Whatever floats his boat
by Dan Holland
Following his retirement many years ago, Brecksville resident Alex McMasters decided to take up building and flying radio-controlled model airplanes – that is, until he crashed a number of them.
“I crashed so many [model airplanes], that I decided to take up building boats. That was about 15 years ago,” said McMasters.
McMasters, 93, brought his model shipbuilding hobby with him when he moved into Jennings at Brecksville – an assisted living facility located at 8736 Brecksville Rd. – in March of 2024.
“My kids brought a work bench up for me and put it together, and Jennings has allowed me to do this,” he said. “They love to display the boats downstairs. We’ve had all five of them down there, and the staff carried them down for me to put them on display in the community room.”
McMasters recently began working on his sixth project – a replica tugboat. Each boat can take up to one year to complete, as all of the vessels are seaworthy, having radio-controlled drive systems and ballasts added to keep them upright.
A replica of the historical steam-powered tugboat “Lackawanna,” that was used to tow coal barges up and down the East Coast of the United States, was the first model ship he built.
“Unfortunately, the boat itself sank in the Nantucket area after being crashed into by a coal barge being towed by another boat in 1915,” he said.
His largest model ship – all 3 feet of it – is a replica of the Creole Queen Paddlewheeler, a New Orleans-based paddlewheel ship used for sightseeing excursions.
“That is the most detailed one I’ve built so far,” said McMasters. “There’s a boarding ramp on the end and the paddlewheel is operable. It has been in the water once, but I need to do a modification to the drive system.”
Other ships include The Lord Nelson Victory Tug, a recreational trawler based in Seattle, and a Schaarhorn German Yacht. Other boats, all constructed of mini-plywood, are nearing completion or just getting underway.
In addition to displaying the boats at Jennings, Monica Bibyk, director of life enrichment, is organizing an outing that will involve taking the boats to a pond on the Independence municipal complex in July. A maintenance worker in the building also recently set up an inflatable pool on the building patio to test the balance of McMasters’ most recent craft.
McMasters, a retired polymers researcher formerly employed by Ferro Corporation and The Standard Oil Company, said he appreciates all the support for his hobby he receives from the staff.
“I love Jennings; the people are so good and friendly,” said McMasters. “And the service is just wonderful. Of all the places I’ve heard about, this place was number one. Jennings has been very supportive of my boat building, and I can’t say enough about the staff here and all the help they give me.”
Lisa Brazytis, chief marketing officer for Jennings at Brecksville, said the goal at Jennings is to help people to keep living in the way that they choose to live.
“Sometimes, just by the conveniences, the amenities, and the support for meals and so forth – it gives folks the time back to enjoy the things that they love to do,” she said. “The staff here gets to know each resident personally and what they enjoy doing,” she adds. “It’s really important to us to support whatever every resident feels is their purpose and what they enjoy doing.”
McMasters, who has two daughters, two grandchildren and two great-granddaughters, said his hobby keeps him busy in addition to his participation in daily activities at the facility.“It keeps my mind active, and each part of [the boats] is a bit of a challenge – painting, cutting and sanding,” he said. “I have a lot of time here, but this makes the time go by so fast, and it is really enjoyable.”
Photo caption: McMasters’ largest model ship is a 3-foot-long replica of the Creole Queen Paddlewheeler, a New Orleans-based paddlewheel ship used for sightseeing excursions.