boats into water would be unthinkable When Michael Hooper grew serious about making model Bermuda boats, little did he imagine that in just a few short years they would become collectors' items.

In fact, such is the demand for his work that, before most models are even one-third finished, they have been snapped up -- a reality which leaves their creator more than somewhat bemused.

"It is a little overwhelming,'' Mr. Hooper admits. "I keep trying to build more and have a few on hand, but I can't manage to do that. It is very humbling, to be quite honest, but at the same time it's just so neat because I am doing something I love to do.'' While Mr. Hooper's interest in making model boats was kindled in childhood, and further fostered by real-life sailing, it was not until recent years that he began to seriously harness his talent.

Focusing on Bermuda boats, Mr. Hooper began with the humble punt before moving on to the fitted dinghy, the pilot boat, and finally the racing sloop.

"I made just one Bermuda racing sloop simply because it is such a pretty boat,'' he says.

So pretty, in fact, that it caught the eye of Tallships 2000 -- Bermuda, who promptly commissioned one as a special trophy for a winner in the Cadiz-Bermuda race.

Thus, when one of the tall ships sails out of Bermuda on June 12, it will take with it a permanent example of local craftsmanship at its best.

While clearly proud of the honour that has been accorded him, Mr. Hooper is also a bit wistful.

"I am still trying to make one for me,'' he laughs, "but every time I get it almost finished someone else claims it!'' Impressive though his models are at first glance, it is only when Mr. Hooper gives a "guided tour'' of just what goes into making them that the full realisation of just how special they are emerges.

The process begins with a jig -- a hand-made form over which the hull is built to deck level.

"They are all built upside down on the jig,'' Mr. Hooper explains. "Once the keel, transom, and stem are laid, they are planked in exactly the same way as their real counterparts. The fitted dinghies, for example, have precisely the same number of planks as the real thing.

"In fact, all of my models are so authentic that they could be used to teach someone about the different parts of a boat.'' Mr. Hooper hand crafts the details of his boats in Bermuda cedar, including masts and bowsprits, and the only thing he buys are the brass turnbuckles.

Such is the intricacy of his work -- some of his drill bits are as small as .5 of a millimetre -- that it requires countless hours to complete one project.

"A big, custom yacht can take up to 200 hours, while a little dinghy takes about 40,'' Mr. Hooper says.

All models are built to scale -- a half inch to the foot is the norm -- and he either works from original drawings of full-sized boats, or creates his own by taking the lines from an actual boat via a complicated process using string, plumb bobs and dowels through a pre-drilled piece of wood.

"It is very simple technology but to use it is as accurate as can be,'' Mr.

Hooper explains. "It is how they did it 100 years ago, and it is still the most cost-effective way to go.'' It is such meticulous attention to detail, plus years of experience and research, which have brought Mr. Hooper to the level of expertise he enjoys today. Through the undertaking of so many custom orders for various types of vessels that he has also acquired a broad range of knowledge.

"You become almost an historian with what you discover as you are looking for something else. There is a lot of history about the Bermuda sloops and pilot boats that isn't taught in schools which is very interesting.

"Did you know, for example, that we had pirates and privateers here who were nuts?'' he asks. "There was pirate Jones who had his arm cut off and his boat stolen, so he built another boat, went down to the islands, found his original boat and brought it back.

"At one time they were building probably 60 boats a year here, and also Bermuda was the first place to have a real cedar conservation programme put in place in the 1870s.'' When asked about his future plans, Mr. Hooper says: "I have been trying for about two years to build an International One Design (IOD). I have the plans, I have everything, but I just can't find the time.'' Not that he is unhappy with what has just become an almost full-time career (he also has another business).

"If you want to do something badly enough you will find the time to get it done,'' he says of the approximately 70 percent of his life the new career occupies.

While model boats are Mr. Hooper's specialty, he also creates miniature "anything'' including musical instruments, grandfather clocks, lawn furniture and more -- again with the same fine attention to detail.

"I am not doing this to get rich,'' he says, "I am doing it because it is in me and I pretty much have to do it. It is just great that it is working out.'' To scale: Sailing dinghies, clocks and rockers are part of model marker Michael Hooper's portfolio.

Trophy art: Model master Michael Hooper puts the finishing touches to a replica of a Bermuda racing sloop, which was commissioned by Tall Ships 2000 Bermuda. The detailed scale model will be presented as a trophy to a winning vessel in the Cadiz to Bermuda leg of the tall ships race.