Doctor of Arts in Leadership
Student Research Projects
W. Albert Hickman - His Influence on the Boating Industry
Amanda L. Eason
Contemporary recreational boating owes a lot to the design innovations of W. Albert Hickman, and specifically his Sea Sled design, yet he remains relatively obscure. This study brings together artifacts and analysis to exploere his identity and influences on boating.
Today, principles in boat design across many categories of ship building are the result of Hickman's practical application of revolutionary ideas. The popular Boston Whaler, the surface piercing propeller, and even basic notions about propeller design owe to Hickman's practical engineering. Through personal narrative, literary analysis, primary artifacts, and secondary source analysis this study brings dimension to the man and the design that contributed to the development of recreational boating as we know it today.
The dissertation was defended and accepted on March 24, 2010.
