LYRA

Lyra is a smaller guillemot kayak originally designed by Nick Schade, slightly modified to suit my design work for inlay development. She was originally built for a customer as a prototype to accommodate their smaller stature. At only 16′ in length, an overall width of 22″, and weighing only 41 pounds, she is much easier to transport down to the water’s edge and put in for a nice paddling experience. As with all my previously built 17′ guillemot kayaks, Lyra tracks beautifully through the water, with the aid of a retractable carbon fiber skeg. Her long, horizontal lines, accentuated by the decorative “DNA” stripes, lend her a sleek and elegant profile as she slices through the water. This particular kayak was also an experiment to keep pricing to a minimum but still offer up decorative customization options for potential customers. In this case, the entire hull and deck are primarily built of western red cedar and western hemlock. I have spent my career teaching woodshop at Kiona Benton High School, and salvaged the hemlock for this boat from our gym’s old bleachers after a remodel. The two large inlays feature a blue heron, just north of the cockpit, and a compass rose displaying our state flower (pink rhododendron) surrounded by a black limba field. Lastly, the above was written by a real person. So please forgive any awkward phrase-ology. And, I still think she is a pretty boat.