We really owe the existence of modern DIY kayak building to the work Meade Gougeon and his brother Jan did to develop wood/epoxy composites. Without West System there would not have been a System III or a Matrix Adhesive System (MAS) or the other epoxy brands out there that allow do it yourself boat builders to build high quality, durable and beautiful boats.

The Gougeon brothers pioneered the technology of bonding together wood with epoxy and fiberglass to make boats which most of us are using today.

If you didn't know about Meade before, take a moment to give thanks for his contributions.