What Happened to Hagoth?

Sometimes one has to laugh at the lack of understanding, or just plain ignorance, of Mesoamerican Theorists who write about matters in the Book of Mormon with such flagrant disregard for actual scripture statements. Here is one by John L. Soenson, considered the guru of Mesoamerican BOM geography, when he writes in his work, “An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon,” on page 269:

“Hagoth, the Nephite ship builder, who failed to return home...the Book of Mormon , of course, says only that the man and his mates disappeared from the knowledge of the people in Zarahemla. For all they knew he might have died at a ripe old age on the west Mexican coast without a suitable vessel in which to make the return voyage.”

Even the most cursory reading of Alma 63 shows that there is no mention of Hagoth going anywhere in his ships. He built them and others emigrated in them (Alma 63:4-6). The scripture clearly tells us while the first ship sailed northward, Hagoth was busy making other ships (Alma 63: 7) and when the first ship returned, it took another load of emigrants northward.

Many have interpreted the comment that Hagoth was a "curious man" as meaning he was an explorer, but the word curious is used here, as in the case of the Liahona being of curious workmanship (1 Nephi 16:10), to indicate his building ability for he was a shipwright. The scriptures tell us he built ships and there is no indication whatever that he was an explorer, discoverer, or adventurer. Nor is there any mention that he disappeared from the knowledge of the people in Zarahemla, or from the knowledge of anyone else in the land of promise.
Simply, the scrptures tell us that he built ships and those ships took people northward, and at least one went somewhere else (no doubt westward). While his ships were sailing, we are told that he was still in the shipyard, building more ships. A person has to be a pretty lazy reader to misunderstand this simple fact, let alone someone who has written several books to tell us what Book of Mormon scripture means.

In addition, why would anyone think that a shipwright who has built several ships, would be shipwrecked in a land of forests and jungle and not be able to build some kind of vessel to take him home?