I've heard the old saying that "the more things change, the more they remain the same".
I was remined of that just recently when visiting some family down home on the eastern shore of Maryland. Some of the family is still in the waterman trade, and I spent the day out on my cousins boat. The scent of diesel fuel, smell of the salt air, sound of waves against the hull, all brought back strong childhood memories.
On my grandads boat there was an old tin bucket with some old stained and lightly rusted butcher knives that I would touch up on the way out.
They may have been Old Hickory, I don't recall. I just remember the almost black stained blades and worn wood handles. On my cousins boat theres a plastic bucket with some stainless Russell-Dexter butcher knives with big white plastic handles.
My grandad carried a stag handled carbon steel stockman, the stailess steel back in the 1940's leaving a bit to be desired. Most of his cronies and quail hunting partners all carried carbon steel barlows, and such. Now my cousin carries a Victorinox sak, and in the store by the dock the Queen Big Chief is a big seller. It seems like alot of my kin down there have a Big Chief in the pocket. Its a large single blade jack knife, kind of sized like a daddy barlow, and has a lanyard shakle on it attachet to a one piece aluminum handle.
The boats themselves have changed alot. Gone are alot of the wooden hulled workboats, replaced by fiberglass skiff type workboats. It does'nt have quite the same feel out on the water as the old wood hulls, but I understand the economics of spending less time caulking and painting, and more time working. Not to mention alot longer life span. Theres many a rotting old wood hull back in the shallows where an old boat at the end of her life was stripped of hardware and scutled or just run back in the marsh and abondoned, like an old car in the inner city.
The old shack at the end of the commercial dock used to have a rough crowd, drinking Carling Black Label or Pabst Blue Ribbon and listening to Patsy Cline on a tinny radio. Now theres an upscale yuppy lounge with mixed drinks and some modern rock on a $$$ sound system. In the parking lot was a mix of BMW's and Lexus's. I did'nt see a single 5 window Chevy pick up in the place.
But I did find one place still there. An old hardware store thats been there forever, with creaking wood floors, and the smell of tar and paint in the air. Bins full of nails, bolts, washers, and spools of cordage. There was a counter up front with a revolving stand of Swiss Army Knives, and next to it a small case of Queen pocket knives. A few stockmen, a 2 blades jack, and a couple sizes of the Big Chief with the aluminum handles.
I asked the young man behind the counter if he sells much of the traditional knives. He told me that sales have been picking up a bit compared to the Chinese plastic handle lockblades he also carries.
I guess there's hope yet.
I was remined of that just recently when visiting some family down home on the eastern shore of Maryland. Some of the family is still in the waterman trade, and I spent the day out on my cousins boat. The scent of diesel fuel, smell of the salt air, sound of waves against the hull, all brought back strong childhood memories.
On my grandads boat there was an old tin bucket with some old stained and lightly rusted butcher knives that I would touch up on the way out.
They may have been Old Hickory, I don't recall. I just remember the almost black stained blades and worn wood handles. On my cousins boat theres a plastic bucket with some stainless Russell-Dexter butcher knives with big white plastic handles.
My grandad carried a stag handled carbon steel stockman, the stailess steel back in the 1940's leaving a bit to be desired. Most of his cronies and quail hunting partners all carried carbon steel barlows, and such. Now my cousin carries a Victorinox sak, and in the store by the dock the Queen Big Chief is a big seller. It seems like alot of my kin down there have a Big Chief in the pocket. Its a large single blade jack knife, kind of sized like a daddy barlow, and has a lanyard shakle on it attachet to a one piece aluminum handle.
The boats themselves have changed alot. Gone are alot of the wooden hulled workboats, replaced by fiberglass skiff type workboats. It does'nt have quite the same feel out on the water as the old wood hulls, but I understand the economics of spending less time caulking and painting, and more time working. Not to mention alot longer life span. Theres many a rotting old wood hull back in the shallows where an old boat at the end of her life was stripped of hardware and scutled or just run back in the marsh and abondoned, like an old car in the inner city.
The old shack at the end of the commercial dock used to have a rough crowd, drinking Carling Black Label or Pabst Blue Ribbon and listening to Patsy Cline on a tinny radio. Now theres an upscale yuppy lounge with mixed drinks and some modern rock on a $$$ sound system. In the parking lot was a mix of BMW's and Lexus's. I did'nt see a single 5 window Chevy pick up in the place.
But I did find one place still there. An old hardware store thats been there forever, with creaking wood floors, and the smell of tar and paint in the air. Bins full of nails, bolts, washers, and spools of cordage. There was a counter up front with a revolving stand of Swiss Army Knives, and next to it a small case of Queen pocket knives. A few stockmen, a 2 blades jack, and a couple sizes of the Big Chief with the aluminum handles.
I asked the young man behind the counter if he sells much of the traditional knives. He told me that sales have been picking up a bit compared to the Chinese plastic handle lockblades he also carries.
I guess there's hope yet.
I suppose they get the job done.