Boat Building Forum

Find advice on all aspects of building your own kayak, canoe or any lightweight boats

Home is Delmar, New York, just outside Albany. The Hudson and Mohawk Rivers meet nearby and we are close to the Adirondack Park and all it's great paddling. Many years ago, my first paycheck went for the purchase of an Old Town 12' pack canoe. My introduction to sea kayaks came ten years ago and I built a Chesapeake 17 for my first one. The building bug has produced four more kayaks since - Greenland and Aleutian skin boats, an Arctic Tern 14 for my wife and a Tern 17 for me. I want to try strip building next.

I retired from my real job in 2007 and started working for Atlantic Kayak Tours. We opened a new paddlesport center at Norrie Point State Park on the Hudson River near Hyde Park, NY. I'm now a BCU Level 1 coach, working on Level 2. My favorite paddling areas are Lake George and Cape Cod.