Today’s podcast is with Lou Hoang of Bellevue, WA. Lou wanted a functional and seaworthy skiff that he could
use for crabbing and fishing in northwest waters. Enter the Candlefish 16ʹ by Devlin Boats.
Lou purchased the kit in 2014 and after an estimated 500-600 hours finished her up early this year. Lou has had
her out a dozen times or so already this year, and his 5 year old son caught his first fish over the gunwale
of Nausicaa.
Lou modified the design slightly by adding a center console – and he did a fabulous job. Nice work Lou!
Today’s podcast is with John Carinha of Burnaby, BC, Canada. John grew up boating at Point Roberts as a youth
on his family’s 12ʺ aluminum Sears rowboat – this was his “yacht” at the time and he grew to love the water.
John is also an adventurer (including mountain climber). Three years ago he was at a film festival where he heard
Colin Angus speak about his on the water adventures. John got hooked and decided to start an adventure of his
own.
He purchased an Expedition Row Boat kit from Colin Angus and started Row4Autism. In John’s own words:
“Row4Autism involves coupling adventure with an awareness campaign to support recreational community
initiatives to benefit individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The expedition will entail rowing solo and
unsupported around Vancouver Island in its entirety, a distance of 1,100km.”
John completed the first leg of his journey in 2014, and plans to row the second leg this year and the final leg in
2016. Go to Row4Autism for more details.
Today’s podcast is with Craig Barsky of Vancouver, BC, Canada. Craig is the founder and owner of Barsky
Boards.
Craig designs, builds and sells Stand Up Paddle boards (SUP’s) and surf boards. His boards are works of art and
constructed using the strip built method.
Today’s podcast is with Brian Chandler of Vancouver, BC. Brian is the founder and owner of Dreamcatcher
Boats (listen to the podcast to find out more about this catchy name) and is dedicated to developing methods to
build simple and highly functional small boats.
Chandler’s three main designs are: 1.) 14 1/2ʹ Rushton rowboat; 2.) Big Lassie 2 person canoe, and; 3.) Free
Lassie.
Today’s podcast is with Mike Bretner of Vancouver, BC. Mike is a self confessed wooden boat addict and also
the communications director for the Vancouver BC Wooden Boat Society.
Bretner owns and uses several really cool boats: 1.) A 1952 Turner lifeboat with the original 1 cylinder gas
engine; 2.) a 1967 Mirror Dinghy he has owned since 1981, and; 3.) a 14ʹ strip built boat he recently built based
on Phil Bolger’s Defender design.
Of note too – Mike’s dad owned an Amphicar and surprised Mike as a young child by driving off the road and
into the water
Find out what is happening in BC Canada at Sharp Marine Restoration
Today’s podcast is with Captain Dave Clark of Bremerton, WA. Clark traded a piece of property for the 117ʹ
historic tugboat – Dominion – 2 years ago, and has magnificent plans for her!
Dave fell in love with boats at a young age and moved to the Seattle, WA area in 1989 to pursue his boating
passion. He had a brief encounter with a Tugboat named Dominion a decade ago, and then years later in 2013 he
saw her for sale on Craigslist. He called the owner Jeff, and traded a piece of property for the tug over the phone
that day.
Dave is establishing a Non-Profit entity for the tug – Dominion Historical Workboat Association – and she is
carefully being restored in preparation for her new life as an historic wooden vessel used as a maritime museum
for training, education, philanthropy, and much much more.
Today’s podcast is with Michael Durland, proprietor of Deer Harbor Boatworks and long time resident of Orcas
Island in the San Juan Islands of WA state. If you’ve never been to the San Juans, it’s high time you visit – this is
one incredible place!
Michael moved to the Island in the 70’s to work on a boat with a friend, and never left. He runs the Boatworks
and works on a lot of cool wooden vessels of all sizes and designs.
Michael also helped launch the Wooden Boat Society of the San Juans in 2001. The Society holds a rendezvous
each year in between the dates of the Victoria, BC Classic Boat Festival and the Port Townsend Wooden Boat
Festival. The rendezvous is a down home, low key event with meals, racing and general messing about on boats.
Today’s podcast is an interview with Rob O’Dea, president of the Oarlock and Sail Wooden Boat Club of
Vancouver, BC. In the clubs own words: “The Oarlock and Sail W ooden Boat Club is a club for people who
enjoy building, repairing, sailing, talking about, thinking about, and simply messing about in small wooden
boats. The club operates out of a floating boat shed at the V ancouver Maritime Museum’s Heritage Harbour at
1905 Ogden Avenue, V ancouver. Members can be found each saturday morning restoring the club’s fleet of small
wooden boats or working on a new build.” And visitors are welcome anytime!
O’Dea has been messing about in wooden boats most of his life. Eight years ago he bought a 36ʹ sailboat built in
1956 in Nova Scotia. This boat had been owned by Charlie and Margo of Charlie’s Charts Cruising Guides, and
was their home as they were writing their Guides. Rob shares some tall tales of adventure aboard this fine vessel.
Today’s podcast is an interview with Rod Tait of Orca Canoes and Kayaks in Coquitlam, BC. Rod builds small
strip built canoes, kayaks and other boats, sell kits, and rebuilds and refurbishes small boats.
Rod was raised in the province of British Columbia and when he was a young lad his folks purchased a small
fishing resort on coastal BC. Rod spent the next few years messing around in small wooden fishing boats and
helping his family run the resort. This was the beginning of his lifelong love for boats and boating – especially of
the wooden variety.
Today’s podcast is an interview with Hugh Harwood of Cumberland, Maine. Hugh grew up around wooden
boats and got the bug at an early age while boating with family and friends on the east coast.
In 2013 he purchased a 1932 bridge deck cruiser – Katie Mack – in Tacoma, WA and had her shipped to Maine.
She is undergoing a complete restoration and is an absolutely beautiful vessel. Hugh and Pamela Harwood will
use her to gently ply the summertime waters of the east coast – I wish I could join you 😀
Today’s podcast is an interview I did recently with Nordic traditional boatbuilding master Jay Smith of
Anacortes, WA. Jay has several decades of experience building traditional Nordic clinker boats and was trained
in Norway.
In today’s podcast, Jay discusses the virtues, benefits, uniqueness, and attractiveness of building boats from a
once living material.
Today’s podcast is an interview I did recently with a delightful couple – Herb and Nancy Payson of Port
Townsend, WA.
Herb and Nancy read a book titled “A New Way of Life” by Samson in the 70’s. The book suggests addressing
the problems of urban life by sailing around the world on a sailboat. Herb proposed to Nancy that they buy a
boat and start cruising (with their kids) – and the rest is history, as they say.
Herb has written several books and his 35 year old title “Blown Away” has been republished by Lin Pardey and
was re-released in December 2014.
Thanks to your support and the support of hundreds of other wooden boat lovers around the globe, HOWB has
completed its THIRD full year with flying colors. This Episode is dedicated to Reviewing the Highlights of
2014 and looking forward to Plans for 2015.
Today’s podcast episode is a interview I recorded for HOWB016 (December 2011) with Tug Buse.
Tug made an amazing 3,ooo mile solo adventure in a 14ʹ sailing pram he built himself. His adventure started in
Iowa, meandered through the river system to the Gulf of Mexico, and then east and north on the intercoastal
waterway all the way to Bowdoin College in Maine.
On this week’s episode I had the opportunity to sit down with Jay Benford of Benford design and discuss a lot of
fun things including his background in boating, how he entered the boat design world, and some of the really
cool boats that have been his live aboard homes.
Benford has designed boats for many uses – tug boats, fishing boats, cruising sailboats, live-aboards, and
freighter yachts. Check out his website for more information at Benford Design Group.
On this week’s episode I had the opportunity to talk to Chris Lux of Seattle, WA. Chris contacted me via email to tell me about the vintage Klepper folding canoe he recently purchased, how he was able to get parts locally for this 40 year old canoe, and some other fun details about this amazing boat that fits into 2 duffel bags and has a folding Spruce (wooden) frame.
On this week’s episode I had the opportunity to sit down with small boat and cycling adventurist Colin Angus of Victoria, BC.
At the top of the discussion were the details of some of Colin’s amazing adventures on the Amazon River among other places. He is one amazing and adventurous dude.
On this week’s episode I had the opportunity to sit down with Howard Rice of the Small Craft Skills Acade
We met up at the NWMC during SCAMP Camp #5 in Port Townsend, WA.
At the top of the discussion (of course) was the SCAMP and the newest development in self-rescue – the “elevator”, to get oneself back in the SCAMP after a capsize. Howard also discussed new developments at the SCSA, and some of the details of modifications he is making to a stock SCAMP to prepare for a yet unannounced small boat adventure Howard will be embarking on soon.
On this week’s episode I had the opportunity to sit down with Tony Grove and Tobi Elliot of Gabriola Island, BC. Tony is restoring the 1897 built Sloop Dorothy, and Tobi is the videographer filming a documentary on the project.
Dorothy was built in 1897 on Vancouver Island, BC. She is a 34ʹ LOA gaff rigged sloop with a 9ʹ beam and 5ʹ draft. She is red cedar planked on oak and fastened with copper rivets and roves and has an elegant fan tail design.
