I have been an avid kayaker for years but have always paddled around in plastic kayaks around Puget Sound and in many of our fresh water lakes in the Shelton, Washington area. I found Nick Schade’s book, (The Strip built Cedar Kayak) and was intrigued by the great job he did with the book and the extensive videos he had on YouTube. Some day, when I retire I was going to build one of his boats. I have a good friend and fellow shop teacher from the Tri-City area, David Lake, He came to visit me. Dave is a master builder of guitars and Ukuleles. I took him kayaking out in Puget Sound around Stretch Island on a beautiful, still October afternoon. He was hooked. He was after me to build a kayak together pretty much from that day on. I dug my feet at first as he forged ahead first starting with stitch and glue and then later switching to cedar strip build. He kept after me and I decided to go ahead with my first try. We both have high speed internet connections in our home shops. We both have large screen TVs and cameras and with live video between us, we worked on our boats. It was great. It was like we were building in the same room. When I got stuck, he was right there to help. My boat is made of two different types of cedar, Western Red and Alaskan Yellow. Every strip is individually beveled with a plane, bent, and put in place by me. I have incorporated a compass rose inlay as well, of David Lake design, of course, with some input by me. I think it came out beautiful. My first try, hence the boat’s name!
