Why didn't they take Hooper's boat to hunt the shark in JAWS?

Hello, Islanders!

Our own Ross Williams posed this question to me, and it’s actually a very good one.  Why didn’t our heroes take Hooper’s boat out to hunt for the shark?  Some thoughts…

1.      While Hooper’s boat was sleek and fancy, with its radar and television monitors, it was truly unsuitable for the mission at hand.  It was a boat meant to sit and monitor, not pursue and capture.

2.      Where would you put everything?  Right before the ORCA sails in JAWS, you can see the dock strewn with all of the equipment Hooper had snipped to him from the Oceanographic Institute, including, but not limited to, an anti-shark cage.  My guess is that the lower part of the boat is more for comfort, so I have no idea where you would store all of that stuff.  Of course, I’ve also always wondered what happened to the fighting chair that Quint sits in?  Once the line on the rod and reel snaps and Brody begins chumming, we never see it again.  It’s not below where the group have their dinner and sing songs.  Did they toss it overboard?  

3. The most important reason – QUINT!  Do you really think that this weathered and seasoned fisherman would even set foot on Hooper’s fancy boat?  He’s getting $10,000 – plus $200 a day – to find the shark.  And as he reminds Brody, he’s the captain.  Somehow I can’t imagine Quint playing mate to anyone.  Especially not to someone with City hands!  

4. Finally, like Brody, Quint and Hooper, the ORCA is a major character in the film, one that deserved it’s time on the big screen. 

Words by Michael A Smith. Michael is co-author of Jaws 2: The Making Of The Hollywood Sequel. You can order the book by contacting Michael at OsFanMike@aol.com.

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