There are woodcarvings, and then there are works of art.

Works of art like Kieth Eilertson’s 17-foot long sailboat. Works of art like his wooden, mandolin-like string instrument.

These woodworking marvels earned the 67-year-old master woodworker two champion medals at the Mower County Fair this year.

“It’s amazing,” said Kris Finley, head of the Creative Arts building. Finley said she’s never seen a work as big as the sail boat at the fair.

For Eilertson, it wasn’t so much about winning as it was about testing his skills.

“I hate to do things too many times, but I love doing things once or twice to see how it works,” he said.

The boat is a working model: It seats about three people and only takes about 1 to 1 1/2 feet of water, but should be used on freshwater lakes and rivers.

He didn’t even work on the boat or the instrument for the fair. It was just part of his decades-long passion for building things, whether it be model airplanes or blacksmithing. Eilertson, who is a retired county supervisor for the federal Farmers Home Administration, built a few boats before, but nothing like the sailboat on display.

He started last August after seeing a few boat designs in Viking magazine that were far too expensive for him.

“They wanted a lot of money for them,” Eilertson said. “I thought to myself, ‘Gosh, it’d be interesting (to build one).’”

After searching for dimensions on the Internet, he found plywood — only four sheets — and went to work.

One of the remarkable things about the boat is the materials it was made out of. The plywood body was floor underlayment at one point and the oars were made from waste lumber from a friend in Albert Lea who made raftors. Eilertson made all of the screws and nails himself out of aluminum instead of copper and the boat is painted using leftover Sherwin Williams house paint, which Eilertson is sure will never run. The rudder was made from part of a barn more than 100 years old that Eilertson had burned down and the seats were made out of old shelving from Whittier Elementary School right before it was torn down.

“There isn’t a lot of money in this thing, and yet it worked,” Eilertson said.

When Eilertson tested it on Eastside Lake last Sept., it worked like a charm. He took his wife out and watched for any leaks before finishing the inside of the boat over the winter.

His prized instrument was made over a 10-day period in March, when he said he wanted to test his skills once again. He had made a dulcimer before but wanted to challenge himself.

“It’s something just to try and see if I can do it,” Eilertson said.

It’s a working model, as Eilertson demonstrated Wednesday morning. Strumming the instrument, Eilertson looked happy as the mandolin-like instrument twanged through the Creative Arts building at the fair.

Eilertson’s works are on display through the end of the Mower County Fair. After that, Eilertson will take the boat back — unless someone names a good price.

“If somebody makes me an offer, I’ll sell it,” he said.