By: Chris Conte
SMITHVILLE, Tenn. – They packed a tiny marina on the edge of Smithville Saturday afternoon ready to raise money, and more importantly, see who would stay afloat in an attempt to give back to a local charity.
"It took about 20 hours to get the whole thing together," explained 59-year-old Earnie Jones as he stood on a dock looking out over the lake.
Jones and a few dozen other competitors from across Middle Tennessee have spent the last few weeks building boats. But the rules for the boat race they were preparing for on Saturday stipulated they were only allowed to use a piece of plywood, two two-by-fours, a pound of fasteners, and a roll of duct tape.
"Well I'm not gonna be in the boat, so I don't really care if it sinks or not!" said Earnie's building partner Scott Simpson.
The men eventually put together a boat that looked like it belonged in some kind of Boy Scout pinewood derby, but when it came time to put it in the water with a few dozen other boats, their canoe-shaped shark floated.
"I see a victory, I really do," Earnie said before the race.
From the boat race, a silent auction and a t-shirt sale, the charity, Jolly Angels, managed to raise a few thousand dollars on Saturday. All of the money will go to soldier families at Ft. Campbell who are having a tough time financially.
Only one of the boats in Saturday afternoon's race sunk, and Earnie was glad it wasn't his.
"That was fun, it really was."
