Building Tales
Tales of Boats and Paddles
To give you an idea of how and why boats and paddles get built, here are some of their stories. Not every boat is always a complete success nor is any boat ever a complete failure. We build and we learn.
A King Island Replica
This is my first attempt at building what I thought of as slow and bulky cargo kayaks of the Bering Straits region. I built the boat and found that it is indeed roomy and capable of carrying lots of gear, but surprisingly, this boat is also nimble and fast and not at all heavy and sluggish as I had feared. As an extra bonus, this boat is also very comfortable with plenty of room to stretch out inside. Read more.
A short Baidarka
Inspired by Doug Huft's 14 foot aluminum frame baidarka, I built a wood frame version. Read more.
A skin on frame Ojibway canoe
This boat is a skin on frame interpretation of an Ojibway bark canoe. Read more.
A Playboat
This is a skin on frame playboat, suitable for quick turns and fun. It is also a good boat to build if light weight is your main objective. Read more.
Women build Greenland kayaks
Eris Weaver and Doerte Mann completed a pair of Greenland kayaks in October of 2005. They wanted boats that were lightweight and a good custom fit. Full details here.
A trio of Greenland kayaks
Roger Ballelos, Dave Littlejohn and Val Wann build Greenland kayaks in June of 2005. Roger's boat was 21" wide, Dave's was 18" wide and Val's was 23" wide. Read more.
A Bent Shaft Greenland Paddle
Tale of a Greenland paddle with a little more bend than the regular bent shaft paddle. Read more.
Guys Build Stable Greenland Kayaks
Glen Howard and Tony Mullins produce a pair of stable Greenland Kayaks. Read more.
Building Baidarkas in the Aleutians
In May of 2004, Kurt Schmidt, principal of Akutan's school invited me to come visit and help out with the baidarka building project that his high school students had undertaken. See photos of the class and take a picture tour of Akutan.
A Big Baidarka
After 17 years of faithful service, an old baidarka gets an overhaul and looks forward to another 20 years of service. Read more.
Building Weights
If you want to build a boat that you can carry easily, you will want to know what boats and various accessories weigh. Get details here.
