What is it with Boat Builders?

Why are they all such charming people? It doesn’t seem to matter whether they are professional or amateur, or young or old, or from up North or down South or across the water, they are all really pleasant people.

If there has been a delay with a bronze fairlead or a length of chain, instead of flying off their winch handle they just cheerily say “Oh dear, not to worry, send it on as soon as it arrives”. We even received a bottle of 10 year old Bushmills from a boat builder in Northern Ireland to thank us for supplying his bits and bobs. I always thought we were meant to send out the whiskey!

We get people coming into the shop and showing us pictures of their wonderful constructions on their phones and we chat away for ages.

The strangest thing is, why are they all so happy? It can’t be location based. We have a boat builder who works just off the Old Kent Road which is not generally noted for being the most picturesque place in the country and he is as cheerful as they come. It can’t be the money they earn as I don’t think boat building is the quickest way to riches, and some just do it for fun. It can’t be a relaxing lifestyle as they all seem to work really hard. It’s not their age either nor their sex. There must be something else that makes them so convivial.

Do you think it could be the smell of tarred marline? I think we should be told.