Current Projects:
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.
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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.