Stonington – Off the docks of the Mystic Seaport Museum on Sunday, a row of masts swayed on the nearby river like wooden porcupine quills cob-webbed with rigging and flapping nautical pennants.

A fleet of vessels from across New England and beyond bobbed gently under overcast skies as owners polished decks and checked mooring ties for the final day of the 31st Annual WoodenBoat Show.

And every one of the docked boats, from the humble out-boards not much larger than a rowboat to the multi-tiered models with elevated captain’s chairs, came with a story.

Over the course of the morning, a steady stream of passerbys paused in front of the “NISCA,” a 40-foot, Piute-class express cruiser yacht whose owner, Old Lyme resident Frederick “Ted” Crosby, spent years — and a not insignificant amount of money — refurbishing.

Crosby, a 79-year-old former pilot who ended his career flying charters out of the Groton-New London Airport a decade ago, bought the “NISCA,” a moniker that translates to “goose” in the original Ojibwe language, for $12,000 in 1989.

“The owner’s asking price was $39,700 – I didn’t pay that,” he said. “It was described to me as ‘sea-worthy,’ but came with a permanent leak in the teak keel and oil in the bilge, along with the first General Motors turbo-certified engine rated for a yacht.”

Over the next five years, Crosby spent roughly $400,000 ripping out and replacing the boat’s frame and planking, installing new sections of mahogany, holly and oak inside and out. A new six-cylinder, 235-horsepower diesel engine powers the award-winning vessel.

He dismantled and reconstructed the “house” section, which leads to sets of fore and aft berths decked-out with a shower, cooking area, modern electrical system and heads (bathrooms to landlubbers).

“It was all done piece-meal, mostly in a boat shed,” said Crosby, noting he married his wife of 30 years, Rebecca, after embarking on the time-consuming rehab project.

He and his wife consider themselves weekend sailors, frequently cruising the local waters of Rhode Island and Block Island sounds. The boat, built in 1924 at the Portland Yacht Yard on the Connecticut River, also makes the rounds to various exhibition events, like the Mystic show, where like-minded enthusiasts can compare notes.

“When I first came here, we got a radio transmission telling us to go to our ‘usual spot,’ ” he said. “I previously happened to see a picture from the 1950s of this boat berthed in this area, so that’s where I went. The boat knows its way here once we come into the river.”

Crosby, a member of the Classic Yacht Association’s USA branch who got a taste for sailing by piloting wind boats in his younger days, said whenever a group of boat restorers gather, the conversation inevitably turns introspective.

“We sometimes wonder why we do this,” he said, his bare feet slapping the decks. “And the answer comes down to ‘Do you want to sit on a couch and pay for a therapist?’ ”

Out on the docks, Ashley Smith, of Lenox, Mass., snapped a few pictures of the “NISCA” before bantering with Crosby.

“The effort, the details – it's just gorgeous,” Smith said.

j.penney@theday.com