It began as a model.

But when South Kitsap High School senior Clint Fretz finished crafting his handheld boat in 2008, he looked for another project: a life-sized version.

So, in early 2009, Fretz travelled with his father to Livingston, Mont., to purchase a kit to construct a 13-foot drift boat. He found it by doing research on the Internet and said he paid a discounted price of $1,200 because it was a school project.

The project was much more intense than screwing in some bolts and applying varnish, though. Fretz is an avid fisherman and he wanted a boat that was more than just a display.

Sixteen months and more than 1,000 hours of estimated work later, Fretz’s boat is on display at the school. That will not last long as he plans to take it home after graduation Thursday and then head out fishing next week.

Fretz’s project might not have begun had the recession had not started in December 2007. Tim Shaffer taught a class every year that focused on building a house. But with the housing market slowing down, Shaffer decided to adjust the program.

After discussing possibilities with the counselors at the school, Shaffer said students wanted more wood-working options. He settled on boat building.

“It’s a lot more fun and I think I’ve learned a lot more building this boat than I would have with cabinets,” Fretz said. “You’re working with water designs — keeping water out can be a big task.”

He estimates that part of the project required two months. While his boat is wooden, Fretz said there are three to seven layers of fiberglass around the craft, which makes it waterproof. Fretz tested the boat by placing it in the school’s pool with a half-dozen students. He said the combined weight was between 950-1,000 pounds, and Fretz believes it could have held 500 more.

The boat includes other amenities such as a spray-in bedliner and a seat. Designing each characteristic throughout the craft, including the boat’s natural curves, required as much geometry skill as it did handiwork.

“I’ve learned quite a bit about patience and a lot about math with all of the angles on the boat,” Fretz said.

In addition, Shaffer feels his pupil’s confidence has increased since undertaking the project. He said Fretz now is more comfortable with public speaking and has no problems with computers, which Shaffer said is not always the case among his students.

“It doesn’t scare him off like it may have a couple of years ago,” he said.

Fretz might even consider building another boat eventually, but he has other plans for now. After a year at Olympic College, he hopes to transfer to the California Maritime Academey in Vallejo to prepare for his goal of becoming a tugboat captain.

“I think just being on the water my whole life made me aspire toward that,” Fretz said. “Seeing the moving ships pulling barges on Puget Sound was inspiring for me.”