Tobago boatbuilder Joel Hart, 28, has had a passion for the sea since he was a boy.

Describing himself as a more "hands-on person," Hart told Newsday academics was a struggle for him during his schooldays. He did not complete his secondary school education, instead pursuing his love for the sea and boats.

Today, he is one of the more recognised boatbuilders in Tobago.

Hart's first taste of marine adventure started at 11, at Mt Irvine beach, where he and his friends would go surfing.

He later worked as a dive master assistant, during the holidays, at the Scuba Adventure Safari dive shop at Pigeon Point.

At 14, in search of a new experience, Hart joined the Island Girl sail boat crew, which did tours in the southwest end of Tobago, as a deckhand.

After a year with Island Girl, Hart said he was advised to explore other options.

"My father told me that he did not see a future in the sailboat industry for me, and I also felt the job was monotonous, so I agreed with him and decided to try a more viable option.

“My father subsequently told me that there was a gentleman building boats in Buccoo and that we could check him to see if he would hire an apprentice.

“So we went to Buccoo and asked for the bossman, who turned out to be Gerald Nicholas, and he agreed to try me.”

[caption id="attachment_923247" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Tobago boatbuilder Joel Hart works on a new pirogue at Belle Garden Bay Road recently. - David Reid[/caption]

Hart said his father was not comfortable with his decision to drop out of Scarborough Secondary School, "but he always supported whatever I wanted to do and he recognised that I could do well in a marine career."

While working as an apprentice under Nicholas, Hart said he learnt the intricacies of the industry.

One of the key components of boatbuilding is fibreglass, which can be dangerous to one's health.

"There is a taboo in Tobago about fibreglass,” Hart said, adding that a number of young men who worked with Nicholas left after a short time.

“Their parents or grandparents told them fibreglass is dangerous, because inhaling the fumes and dust is a health hazard and that the material is known for itching and causing skin irritation.”

But Hart said, “Working with fibreglass is no more dangerous than the welding or construction sector, because while the material can be irritating to the bare skin, there is protective gear available.”

Hart said as a young man he wanted to show he belonged and had previously ignored the health protocols.

"I was very naive, I wanted to prove to the other guys that I was a tough Tobagonian just as them, and not soft, as the average white boy, like they were thinking.

“So I would often work bareback in the fibreglass, and that made me get accustomed to the scratching, so it does not affect me as much now. But I do wear protective gear.”

After working with Nicholas for two years, Hart went to Canada and attende