Current Projects:
January 30, 2012
The bike I ride most of the time is built up around an older steel Trek
frame. I’ve converted the bike so it’s suitable for Randonneuring stlle
riding. The front bag is made by Acorn Bags and it’s one of my favorite
pieces of kit.
In many ways this has not been a typical winter. First the weather is off, that’s just the only word for it and the unusually warm temperatures have a somewhat foreboding feel to them. To be sure, warm is a relative term and January has been cold, it’s just over all we’ve had an above average warm winter with a below average snowfall. New Years Day I bundled up and rode my bike 25 miles. Most years I celebrated the New Year with a day in the woods snowshoeing or skiing. Work with what you have.
The other change is that I’m busier then is typical for mid winter. Not a worry of course. It’s nice to have great projects to work on! This past month I’ve been finishing up the banister in our house and working on the new pram design. Sort of catching my breath after the pace of the summer and before the push that’s coming. I’ll make it a point to keep the current projects page updated as new boats come to life in the shop. Looking ahead to next summer, I’ve added 2 new Fox classes to the roster. That brings the total class offerings to 12. That’s plenty.
First blush on the new pram design
December 28, 2011
I love the work I do, I’m proud of it. I even think some of it’s important. Teaching and the Chewonki Boat Builders spring to mind here. I know the furniture and boats I build for my clients is important to them.
Promoting myself, i.e. finding work has always been a balancing act. I suspect it is for all small business and one-person operations. The Internet while opening up a vast network of far reaching communication has made connecting with potential clients easier - and harder. The web sometimes seems to require endless accolades piled one on top of one another. Braggadocio over information. Not my style at all. So several months back while reading Tom Bodett’s blog I stumbled upon this,
“What I need is somebody who is more interested in me and the stuff I do than I am. I don't say that in some sad sack Eeyore way. I just no longer have the vanity it takes to drive a self-promotion vehicle responsibly. Modesty is to the Internet what fuel economy is to NASCAR: The losers circle.” (Quoted here with the author’s kind permission).
Needless to say I laughed out loud, I roared. Here was my dilemma perfectly summed up. Thanks Tom. So what does all this have to do with current projects?
Well hang in here with me a bit. OffCenterHarbor.com has launched their website and it's pretty cool. This is a membership based website focusing on boats and boating with the goal of making both simpler, more fun and most importantly, more accessible. In a small way I’m going to be part of the site and their offerings. For starters we are creating two detailed how to build videos, one for Fox and one for Willow. Members will have full access and anyone who orders plans or kits from me will receive a one-year membership. Here's a link to the first of the Fox videos. So; I get to be part of something pretty big without actually having to become big. I get to ply my craft, teach, design and build and someone else is going to do most of the pesky promotion. Ok here’s the link again. Go.
December 11, 2011
While this is not exactly a current project, it’s more of an on going project; I thought I’d post these photos of our living room space. The relevance to my work is that this is the type of design and build I typically do
for my clients. The 
space was challenging both in it’s shape and the location of 2 base board heaters. I started the project by stripping the room down to the plywood floors and bare drywall. After the drywalll was patched and painted I installed and finished white pine floors. Instead of nails I used screws and bungs for fasteners. The flooring is from a local mill and some of the boards are 16” wide. For heat there’s a Yodel stove on a slate hearth. The cabinets are cherry with an oil finish. There is storage for old fashion CDs and even more old fashion albums. There is also a tv monitor behind the sliding doors. The front door and storm door are both made from Douglas fir. I still have a few details to take care of but for the most part the space is finished. The room is comfortable, warm and bright and the cabinets fit like they where custom designed for the space. After all…….
December 5, 2011
WoodenBoat’s annual addition of ‘Small Boats’ is out and it’s a fine offering this year. I look forward to getting my copy each December. Per usual this year’s edition features a diverse collection of interesting small boats. My Fox canoe is one of the designs covered in this issue - and it’s on the issue cover. Mike O’Brien wrote a particularly flattering review. You can order a copy from The WoodenBoat Store or grab one at your local news stand.
Also, the WoodenBoat School's 2012 catalog has been mailed. I'll be teaching 8 classes at the school next summer and 3 at other locations. I have updated the teaching and class page on my website. Check it out.
November 23, 2011
It’s a cold day; raw would a good word to use here. Perfect for quiet shop work. The woodstove’s chortling away and I’ve got two Fox canoes going together. Over all it’s a nice scene.
In my office I’m finishing up the final details on the QuickBeam plans. I’ll be ready to ship the first kits in early December. I’ll get more information regarding the boat up on this site soon. Just behind the QuickBeam project lurks the new pram design I’m working on. The first draft of the design is done, I just need to knock together a model to double check the shape before I start on the prototype. I also need to think of a name for the pram. Usually these things reveal themselves as the project evolves. I’ll keep you posted.
November 6, 2011
The Appalachian Mountain Club has a lovely little cabin located on Knubble Bay near Bath Maine. It’s a wonderful piece of property tucked in between Robinhood Cove and Beal Island, and it's right on the water. The cabin has a small off-the-grid footprint and is available for anyone to rent. It's the perfect model of a shared low impact facility in a near wilderness setting. The cabin is a VMF, a Volunteer Managed Facility. This means that there is no staff employed to maintain the cabin; instead all of the upkeep and administration of the facility is done by a committee of very hardworking and talented volunteers. The committee also host and leads a number of great trips from the cabin each season. It is important work and I count myself lucky enough to be on that committee. We just finished our fall work weekend and I am amazed at how much we accomplished. I’m even more amazed by the committee meetings and how easily 15 people can discuss and implement some pretty big decisions. I’ve spent most of my life working alone and I’ve always heard stories of the inefficiencies of committees, but that’s not the case with the AMC Knubble Bay Committee. The weekend was very rewarding. As if that was not enough, we finished out Saturday with a rainbow. Good deeds are rewarded!
Here is a link to their website if you are interested in learning more.
October 14, 2011
All summer the pace and the pleasure of my work keep me on the move. As a result, lots of projects, task and office-work get shoved to the preverbal back burner. Working alone, I have to do a constant balancing act focusing on the tasks that most need my attention. Or, sometimes the tasks that most catch my interest. Well it’s time now to dig in and clear a space in my shop and in my head for winter work. This week one of my jobs has been to clear out the barn to make room to store the two new boats I’ll be building this winter (more on that soon). I’ve amassed a surprising number of small boats six of which I need to find new homes for. It’s an eclectic mix of old designs, prototypes and boats I simply don’t need anymore. Prices and more information can be found here.
On other fronts, I’m finally finishing our front door and bath vanity. And, I took some time off to explore the North Woods of Maine.
September 14, 2011
Summer lingers but while walking in the deep green woods or along the shore, I feel an almost tangible softness that speaks of change. The long shadows in the evening forest and the final dazzling burst of wild flowers in the meadows are sure signs of the change that is coming.
While teaching over the last four months I’ve been fortunate enough to reconnect with many old friends and former students as well as to meet wonderful new students from all over the world. The experience of teaching, sharing, and learning from my students is nothing short of a blessing.
With only two classes left and my summer shop projects wrapping up my thoughts are starting to turn to fall and winter projects – but not just yet, summer lingers.
August 18, 2011
I’ve been at the WoodenBoat School for the last two weeks. Now I’m back in the shop for about 10 days. Projects while I’m home include Willow kits for my next building class, finishing up a Bay Skiff 15 and the final touches on a Douglas Fir storm and entry door set. I’ll install the doors in early September.
While I was at WoodenBoat I taught a one-week Beach Cruising class with Ross Beane. We went island camping in the school’s small sailboats. I also taught a one-week Elements of Kayaking class. Below are a few photos from the trips. I seem to be more interested in sharing photos these day then words. Towards that end, when I find the time, I’m going to set up a photo sharing site. Until then……
July 27, 2011
Kayaking class
Summer is moving at, well…. summer’s pace. Flying. I’ve taught four classes and have five left this season. I leave in a few days for two more weeks of on water classes. Last week was the hottest so far this summer and I spent it teaching an on water kayaking class. And swimming. Not bad work, if you can get it.
Chewonki BoatBuilders
Nine Willow Sea Kayaks
June 14, 2011
One of my favorite joints for doors is a haunched tenon.
Fun to make and very strong.
June 9, 2011
This time of year I’m pretty much constantly on the move. Looking back, I wonder if maybe I took it just a little too easy last winter. Right now, out in the shop, I’m finishing up a boat for a client, building a set of entry doors for another client, building a forepeak hatch for one of my favorite Bolger designs and pulling together 14 kits for my next two classes. Last week I taught my first class of the season at The WoodenBoat School. I also paddled QuickBeam for the first time. I’m extremely pleased with the kayak. I paddled less than 10 miles but that’s enough to know the boat is just what I had in mind when I first laid down the lines. I also ended the week with my first overnight paddling trip of the season. I didn’t get away for long, just a quick overnighter in Fox. It’s amazing how a quiet night on an island will set you up for a productive week in the shop. It also helps if your week is spent working on boats.
Scarfing Willow and Fox kits
Island camping with Fox (ok sometimes I stop moving)
QuickBeam, a new kayak design
May 8, 2011
A friend once told me, in Maine, in the winter the work day is pretty short. It’s too cold and dark to get much done. Then one morning you wake up and over night spring arrived. The days are longer and the weather warmer and 12 hours is not enough time to power through the days task. Well it’s spring. I’m wrapping up my winter projects and have taken on a few new client jobs as well. I'm also getting ready for my first class. I’ll be teaching 9 weeks this summer. Come September a 12-hour work day might look pretty short.
Bathroom Vanity with QuickBeam in the back ground.
Cherry Sideboard
April 19, 2011
I’m in the middle of a short southern tour, doing some of the prep for my fall Fox building class in Asheville North Carolina. While I’m in the southern mountains I’m also exploring my old stomping grounds. I stopped in a small town for breakfast this morning and rediscovered these doors. More then 25 years ago I build 10 custom doors for this old building. They still look pretty good.
April 15, 2011
A former student brought his Willow kayak and spent a few days in the shop getting the boat ready for finish. I enjoyed the company and the opportunity to compare an unfinished Willow to QuickBeam. QuickBeam, the boat in the foreground is just about ready for paint and varnish. I hope to splash her in mid May.
April 1, 2011
Spring is slow to arrive this year. Here’s the shop on April fool’s Day.
Personally, I think this bodes well for a fine and long summer.
February 13, 2011
I'm making a scale model of my Fox Double Paddle Canoe to send down to Asheville Hardware in North Carolina. I'll be teaching a Fox building class there the first week of April. It’ll be really great to enjoy an early spring in the mountains of western NC.
The kayak in the background of the photo is QuickBeam, a new sea kayak design I’ve been working on this winter. I’ll put up more information about the boat in the next few weeks. Oh, and Chewonki posted a video on their boat builders program. Here's a link.
January 30, 2011
Sea Smoke
Sea Smoke is a low fog that forms as cold air passes over warm water. Both are relative terms in this case as the night I took this photo the air temp was below zero. In any event it’s not a common occurrence and the full moon just added to the ethereal feel. For those that care about such things: Lumix G1, f/3.5, 30’s, ISO 100, shot with a 28mm lens.
January 6, 2011
This time of year I seem to find
myself between big shop projects.
This is often intentional and always short-lived. It’s also an
important part in the cycle of the
sessions, a quiet and necessary
time. This is good time to tackle the small jobs and new designs that seem to get shoved to the back burner during the more intense parts of the year. The
days are short and cold which just makes the shop that much more inviting and cozy. It’s a wonderful place to spend a winter day.
I did a run up to CNC Routing & Designs in Camden
Maine to pick up kit parts.
I love the drive up to Camden. I follow US 1 up the coast and never have the time
to stop at all the places I’d like to. Here's a view of the Androscoggin River in
Brunswick Maine.
Maybe the best part of the winter is getting out of
the shop and into the woods!
November 22, 2010
Winter preparations are wrapped up and I’m settling in to the shop. There are still outdoor projects that I’ll work on but the ‘must do’ list is taken care of.
I’ve just finished a mahogany table and restored a set of 4 hand-made chairs. The chairs where made in North Carolina and originally had cane seats. I chose to replace the worn out bottoms with cotton shaker tape. The chairs and table worked together perfectly and created a really sweet dinning set.
My friend Steve Stone is working on a series of videos on small boating and boats. Here is a link to a short on the Fox Canoe.
October 1, 2010
Last class of the year.
I finished up the 2010 teaching season helping eleven students build a fleet of Willow Sea Kayaks at the WoodenBoat School. Great folks and nearly perfect weather help make the last week of the teaching season one of the best. I’ll have the 2011 teaching schedule up on the site some time in late November.
September 18, 2010
I'm loading up for my last class of the
season.I’ll be building 8 Willows with
students at the WoodenBoat School.
It takes a lot of parts and tools to build
that many kayaks. Admittedly though,
some of the things in this pile are toys.
I hope to do some bike riding and
perhaps an overnight camping trip or
cruise while I’m away.
September 16, 2010
Summer’s winding down.
Over the last eight weeks I’ve taught six classes at the WoodBoat School.
Four were waterfront classes and two were building classes in the shop.
The photos below were taken during these classes.
Small Boat Voyaging.
Class on an island.
Family Week.
Elements of Kayaking II.
Fox building class.
A Fox canoe came in on the waterfront.
July 6, 2010
I’m just back from Chewonki where I spent 7 days helping a group of 9 fourteen year olds and their 2 trip leaders build 10 Willow Sea Kayaks. The boats will get finished up this week then they’ll head out for a 3 week, 160 mile plus, self supported paddle up the Maine coast. I hope to join them for a night or two. We’ll see what I get done in the shop this week. I finished up the kitchen I was working on back in May and I’ve delivered the last of my furniture jobs till the fall. It’s time to focus on teaching. With 2 classes down and 8 to go I’ll not have much time for other projects until late September.
Introudction To Boat Building at The WoodenBoat school in June
April 20, 2010
This year, spring is very early, both outside with new green and flowers blooming everywhere and inside the shop with a near riot of work to be done. I’m already full out getting kits ready for classes, refinishing boats for the summer and building a set of cherry kitchen cabinets. I’m glad to be busy and looking forward to fine warm weather pursuits like biking, paddling, sailing and backpacking.
Hang on here comes summer!
March 22, 2010
I've just finished building ten Douglas Fir doors. Eight are full sized interior doors, no two are the same size, and there is a matching set of saloon doors. The joinery is mortise-and-tenon and the finish is a sprayed conversion varnish. I’ve packed then up carefully because they are about to start a long ocean voyage. They are on their way to Aruba. Bon voyage.
February 12, 2010
My sessions aren’t defined by holidays or calendars. Instead, each is marked by the work I do, the weather out side my shop door and how I play. This is my quiet time of the year and I treasure it. The kayaks are tucked away in the barn, I was out there today, thinking about paddling and spring and time out on the water. Right now though it’s still deep winter. Time for backcountry skiing and winter camping when I can and quiet days at my bench in the shop when I work.
January 16, 2010
Mid-Winter Projects
These days I’m balancing work on our house, customer projects and time outside. Well, actually, I’ve been pretty focused on the house, and the outside stuff. We have torn into 3 rooms of the house and I’m wrapping up the big work on the dinning room, living room and bath. So far there are new bath cabinets, less doors and drawers, a soaking tub, a new floor in the bath, new stairs, a new hearth and new white pine floors. We have also repaired drywall, reworked a dormer replaced a window and painted. Gallons of paint. I still need to trim the spaces, finish the bath cabinets and build new furniture and book shelves for the living room. That work will need to wait though. It’s time to focus on the back-log of customer projects. I’m building 8 custom interior doors and a 7’ Bolger designed tender. I’m also finding time for back-country skiing and I’m just back from a class at Chewonki where I earned my Wilderness First Responder certification. That’s been a goal of mine for nearly 20 years. Got it!
November 9, 2009
Tuned Up Shop Space
We are still enjoying a cool crisp fall. I’m whittling down my winter prep. list but I have been lulled into a leisurely pace by the weather’s siren song. The fire wood for next winter is in and I’ll wrap up the last small jobs in the next few days.
I went all out in the shop. The bench rebuild is finished but seeing as all things are connected I also reworked the whole bench/hand tool corner of the shop. And added a much needed window!
Winter work looks pretty good with 8 custom doors to build, several built-in furniture commissions and 2 new boat designs to bring to life.
October 7, 2009
I’ve wrapped up my 2009 classes. I built 33 boats with students and enjoyed several weeks of classes on the water as well. It was a great year and I’m already at work on 2010. There will be several new course offerings and at least 2 new venues on the roster.
I’ve decided to rework my old Hofmann & Hammer work bench and bring it out of the corner and into the middle of the shop where it belongs. I have 2 European benches, One I built in 1983 and one I bought used a few years later. The store-bought bench is the larger of the 2 so it’s the one I’ve been using. I’m truing the top, adjusting the vices, renewing the finish, raising the height 2” and building storage drawers for hand tools. Sort of ‘nesting’ in the shop for the winter. The hand plane is one I made in the late 80's
September 7, 2009
Summer is winding down, but with luck, the fine warm weather will last well into September. I’ve been going full out with 6 classes down and one, a Willow Sea Kayak class at WoodenBoat, still to go. I’ve also found time for a few furniture jobs, helping out on the interior of a 1903 Nathanial Herreshoff sloop, and a paddling trip or two.
The Fox Double Paddle Canoe is done and quite simply exceeded my expectations. She is stable enough for my friend Annie to paddle with her 14 month old son Ben on board, fast, straight tracking and quite seaworthy in a modest swell. I am quite pleased!
Now it’s time to think about and prep for the coming winter. I’ve still got to get in 3 cords of firewood for next winter, line up my winter shop projects as well as house and shop improvement projects and sneak in a few more backcountry and paddling trips. All in all not really a lighter work load or slower pace, just a change in how I spend my days. That’s just fine with me. New work for a new season.
*
June 28, 2009
Packing For Chewonki
12:00. Can I fit all the parts for 8 Willow Sea Kayaks, the tools and clamps needed to build them, my paddling and camping gear into a midsized truck? 1:30. the answer is yes, but just. Wrapping the planks up to protect them from rain slowed up the process but the load is secure and now I’m off to build boats!
May 27
The Beginning Of Summer 2009 
I’m just off a 3 day working vacation on
the Schooner Mary Day. The weather
was ideal with cool evenings and brisk
days that offered fine sailing. Today the
weather was stormy and cool, almost
cold, so I built a fire in the shop stove
and settled in for a day of woodworking.
It was great fun! I have an old Inca 259
tablesaw, a very precise tool with a
mortising table that I use when doing
mortise and tenon joints. I used it to
make some bunk fronts for a boat interior I’ve been helping to build. I also fnished up the final construction details on a Fox Canoe. I’m trying to get the boat ready to take up to The WoodenBoat School next week. My teaching season has started. Between the 7 classes I’ll be teaching, the guide work that’s lined up and shop projects I’m not looking at much down time until October. It’s a good thing I love what I do.
March 6, 2009
Charlotte's Willow 
A few weeks back Charlotte Rutz and her dad spent the day in the shop cutting out parts for a Willow Sea Kayak. Charlotte is building one for her school intersession project. It was great fun having them in the shop for the day. The photos I’ve gotten since they have gotten back to their shop show great progress on a well crafted boat.
I particularly like the “indoor”end pour.
I am loving winter and the 'off season pace' but working with Charlotte reminded me that summer and the teaching/guiding season is just around the corner.
February 5, 2009
Will epoxy cure at 8 degrees?
Yes and... well, no. It won’t cure but
if you use MAS’s fast hardiner and a small heater it’ll harden enough to move the boat back into the shop after an hour or so. I’m building one of my Fox designs and needed
to get the stern end pour done today if I hope
to have the deck on by Friday. At 14’ 7”
the boat is too long to stand on end inside
my shop, thus the cold weather maneuvers.
Lots going on here, several new designs
are moving from the drawing board to the
shop this winter and I’m already prepping
for a busy summer of teaching and kayak guiding. Two weeks ago I took a Wilderness Advanced First Aid class. It’s the next step towards getting my Wilderness First Responder Certification, a goal I’ve had for
a number of years. The class was held at Chewonki and was quite an extraordinary experience. And yes, it’s very cold here this
week.
October 28, 2008
A New Design
Summer’s slipped away and fall is winding down. I have just about wrapped up my classes for this year and I’m working on pulling together my winter projects. At the top of the list are the last details on the new design Fox, a decked double paddle canoe.
I have been working on and paddling the boat for the past few months dialing in the design and construction details and enjoying time on the water using the boat. The prototype has exceeded my quite lofty expectations. I’ll have the final version done in November and kits and plans will be available soon after that. Look on the Designs page of this site for more information. I have 3 other designs on the board right now and hope to have the next project finished and out in the world by late spring.
July 24, 2008
Boats And People
You’d think the summer would be about boats, and it is, but it’s even more about the people I get to meet and work with. The kids at Chewonki where great, I had a blast getting to know them and I’m heading out early tomorrow to paddle with them for a few days. They have been out 2 weeks and still have a week to go. Then; it’s up to WoodenBoat for two more classes before a few weeks of down (non-teaching time) in August. I still have twenty one more boats to help build this summer. That’s a lot of new friends.
June 29, 2008
Nine Kayaks On One Truck!
I’m heading up to Camp Chewonki for another week of teaching. I’ll be working with a group of young men and women building eight Willow Sea Kayaks. It’s a five week program and we hope to have the boats finished and painted by the end of the second week. Then, they’re off for three weeks of paddling along the coast of Maine. I’m really excited about the program and a chance to work with the Chewonki Foundation.
My first class of the season was at The Woodenboat School, we built 7 boats with 12 students. I am blown away by the fascinating people who take these classes.
As one of the students said “interesting people take boatbuilding vacations”. I agree and I am always humbled by the lives and stories of my students.
June 14, 2008
Finished Bath!
The bath renovation is almost finished.The mirror is being
set it the frame this week, then
just a bit of paint and varnish punch
work and it’s done!
I am really pleased with the space
and the feel of the room. The richness
of the mahogany and the brightness of
the white paint really make the small
6’8” X 6’8” space comfortable. The
skylight also helps and gives me
standing headroom under the eves
of the roof. The space is really more akin to a boat head then to a house bathroom.
Next, off to Woodendboat School for a
week of teaching boatbuilding. It’ll be
great to see old friends and enjoy a few
evening paddles out on the Reach.
May 31, 2008
New Design For A High Volume Kayak
The custom kayak is out of the shop and
bound for a new home on the shores of
Lake Superior. I am very pleased with the
design but more importantly, the boat fits the new owner like the proverbial glove. It’s a big boat, just over 18’ long and 24 ½” wide. The designed displacement is 375 pounds so when I tested the boat I did not bring it down to its lines; still it moved
nicely in the water. This is a unique high volume kayak, nice lines and a good performer but it’s sized to fit the taller heaver paddler. I’ll be offering the design as a finished boat. Dave has promised to bring the boat back to Maine next summer so we can paddle together.
May 23, 2008
Lots Of Irons In The Fire
Several projects are wrapping up and 
a few exciting ones are just getting started.
The custom kayak will be done and delivered
next week. I’ve finished what might be the
worlds first ‘stitch & glue' shower and the spring
customer boat repair projects are all done and
out the door. What’s next? A new boat design,
a bath vanity and an 9 class teaching season,
for starters. For now though we’re off for 4 days
of work/play aboard the Schooner Mary Day.
March 4, 2008
Late Winter Projects
I’m making progress on the custom kayak. It’s a big boat for a big paddler. He is one of my former Elements of Coastal Kayaking students. It’s a fun project and I am looking forward to paddling the boat once or twice myself this spring. We call that sort of thing “sea trials” to justify the time on the water. This week it feels like spring might be just around the corner. Last week? Lots of snow and a few sub 0 nights so who knows what is in store for March. Work on our new bath room is coming along slowly but I’m about to ramp up that project. Pretty excited about building a vanity with a radiuses corner to match the round sink. All the cabinet work, the shower and the trim will be mahogany. I’m using stock I’ve been hording for years. Stay tuned for more details. Also check out the Cabinets and Furniture page here on the site for a few new furniture shots.
Winter Work
22, 2008
Winter Work
It has been a fine winter so far. We have had snow on the ground since early December and the temperature has, for the most part, remained pretty cold. We’ve had our share of crisp blue-sky days as well. Perfect conditions for nordic skiing and snowshoeing.
In the shop, the woodstove has been chortling away and I have had some fun out there these past few weeks. Just before Christmas I did a small run of shaker boxes. This month I am working on a couple of nice paint grade cabinet jobs. In February I ’ll start work on a custom kayak and, at long last, start on our upstairs bath. Oh and I'll go skiing.
October 23, 2007
Fall Days
It's fall here and the trees with their brilliant colors make it seem like we are well into autumn but the weather is very warm. Almost 70 today! I am behind on my winter preparations so I guess a reprieve from the coming cold and snow is a good thing; still… I spent today getting Willow kits out the door and scarfing a few extra panels for the next orders and or my December
building class. With such glorious days it's
hard to spend too much time in the shop.
Thank goodness for the above mentioned
winter preparations which is all good fun 
outside work!
October 5, 2007
Summer is winding down.
In mid September I taught a Willow class at the WoodenBoat School. It was a great week and the class turned out 6 masterfully crafted kayaks! Last Saturday, the 29th, I paddled in the Gerrish Island race. It was a beautiful day, warm, sunny and we had a stiff 20 knot wind out of the NW. I’m guessing there where more then 50 kayaks and another 20 plus pulling boats and canoes that showed up for the event. The wooden kayak in the top photo is a Willow built with hatches incorporated into the bulkheads. A nice job all around. The race finished up on a small island near the entrance of Portsmouth harbor where we enjoyed good food and great conversation.
September 5, 2007
Intro. Class
The last week of August I taught an 
IntroductionTo Boatbuilding class at the
Woodenboat School. This was my 6 time
teaching at the school this summer.
What a treat. Working with 11 students
we built a Karl Stambaugh designed
Bay Skiff 15. Two of the students, a father
and son from here in Maine will take the
boat home and finish her up over the winter.
August 7, 2007
Full-on summer
Summers in Maine are about playing; because a big part of my work centers around
helping folks play I’m full on right now. In the past 5 weeks I’ve taught a canoe building class, an on-water kayaking class, worked as a deckhand on the Schooner Mary Day
during a WoodenBoat School class and built 5 Willow 
kayaks with students at Squam Lake New Hampshire.
Next up is the Maine Boats, Home and Harbors Show in Rockland August 10-13. Then it’s back to WoodenBoat for an Elements of Coastal kayaking class. It's all great work and great fun!
March 5, 2007
Kayak Frame
I have always wanted to build a ‘skin on frame kayak’. This is as far as I have gotten, it's a
great little boat, sweet lines, but only 20 inches
long. Maybe someday I’ll build a bigger version.
The mahogany saw horses where made by
Tyler Sauter the Woodenboat School shop
intern for the past couple of summers.
February 4, 2007
Superbowl Sunday
Real winter weather now. Sunday I drove up to Camden Maine to pick up some boat parts. While I was in the area I scooted up into the Camden Hills for the afternoon. The hiking and views where spectacular! I love borders, the places where elements come together. Where a meadow meets the forest or a rocky coastline meets saltwater there is always some magic at work. On Sunday, at sunset, snow and gray rock and spruce combined to create what felt like the border between earth and sky.
January 25, 2007
Redwood Benches
It’s finally cold with a bit of snow on the ground. I built these Redwood benches for a client’s steam shower. Sounds like a nice treat at the end of a cold day.
December 24, 2006
Christmas Eve
There are some nice hills on the east coast as well. I spent Christmas Eve day wondering around the Flume and Mt. Lafayette, in the Whites. Not much snow yet unless you get up high. Sometimes a good sunset is about being in the right place at the right time.
October 14, 2006
Polar Bear?
One of the things I love about kayaking 
is the wildlife you get to see from your
boat. While paddling with Brian Neeley
we stumbled onto this polar bear. I am
not going to say where; I don’t want to
give all the good spots away.
October 4, 2006
North Sister
Life has taken me to the west coast for a few days. The peak is the North Sister one of my favorite mountains in the Cascades. Oregon is a spectacular state with an incredible diversity of landscapes.
September 11, 2006
Kayaking Class
I just finished teaching a one week Elements of Coastal Kayaking class at the Woodenboat School. We enjoyed beautiful weather, a typical Maine mix of sun and fog and even a bit of rain. The group was quite adventurous so we covered a lot of ground. On Friday, the day this photo was taken we paddled from Brooklin to the Benjamin River and back. Not a bad way to end a work week.
