Hooked On Wooden Boats

Today’s podcast is a recording I did with John Harris of Chesapeake Light Craft during the 2015 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival. We talked about new and fun projects/kits at CLC (paddle boards, ultralight dinghy, SW Dory, etc.), changes in the industry and just fun good ole wooden boat stuff!

I’m taking a break from my Podcast Vacation today to publish another episode of HOWB :D. Today’s podcast is a recording I did with Jake Beattie during the 2015 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival. We talked about highlights of the festival, news at the NWMC, and more importantly the inaugural R2AK and the announced second R2Ak scheduled for June 23, 2016! Click on the green player button above to l...

I’m taking a break from my Podcast Vacation today to publish another episode of HOWB :D. Today’s podcast is a recording I did about an hour after the 2015 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival had ended. I talk about the highlights of the festival and some of the fun stuff I did! I was there for the entire Festival and had an absolute blast as usual. I recorded about 8 interviews during the festival...

Today’s podcast is an interview I recorded on June 3rd in Port Townsend, WA – the Prep Day for the inaugral R2AK (engineless race) which began June 4th and was won by Team Elsie Piddock. This interview is with Thomas Nielsen of Team Sea Runner. Team Sea Runner’s boat of choice – a James Wharram Hitia 17ʹ. This a catamaran made out of door skins, peanut based epoxy and has a claw sail.

inaugral R2AK (engineless race) which began June 4th and was won by Team Elsie Piddock. First up: Denny Brausen, Team Noddy Noggins. Denny and B-I-L Simeon Baldwin are doing Leg 1 to Victoria BC in and 11ʹ 11ʺ SCAMP sailboat. Second: Dan and Heather, Team Coastal Express – Sailing a 1971 16ʹ Mirror Dinghy with 2 rowing stations. Third: Stephen Marcoe, Team Golden Oldies. Sailing a 1985 Lock Crowth...

Today’s podcast is 3 interviews I recorded on June 3rd in Port Townsend, WA – the Prep Day for the inaugral R2AK (engineless race) which began June 4th. First up: Marty Loken – builder, restorer, cruiser extraordinaire – commentary on the first ever R2AK. Second: Quill Goldman of BarefootWoodenBoats.com – Entered in the race as “Team Barefoot Wooden Boat”. Sailing a freshly built 19ʹ transomless s...

Today’s podcast is an interview Pete Bergstrom of Monticello, IL. Pete has started G2G Wood and Boatworks in Monticello. The G2G mission is to pass life experiences and values from “Generation to generation” (G2g) with adults leading the way in understanding the value of mentoring younger generations. Building wooden boats and learning woodworking skills will be the platform for mentoring youth ag...

Today’s podcast is an interview with Bruce Blatchley of the NW School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Hadlock, WA. Bruce is the lead instructor for the contemporary boatbuilding building program which includes stitch and glue, cold molded, glued plywood lapstrake among other methods. Bruce and I discuss several the current school projects (boats in progress) and what contemporary building is all ab...

Today’s podcast is an interview with Brent Butikofer of Rigby, ID. After owning several sailboats, Brent decided to build his own. He wanted an easily handled boat, that wasn’t too big or cumbersome to get in and out of the water, yet was seaworthy and fun. After doing his research, Brent landed on the SCAMP micro-cruising phenom :D. Brent has a blog on his build – Building Shackleton – which is p...

Today’s podcast is a Race to Alaska (R2AK) interview with Jake Beattie (Race Brainchild) of the NWMC in Port Towsend, WA. HOWB 141 is the first interview with Jake about the R2AK’s inaugural event scheduled for June 4, 2015. In today’s episode we get an update on the amazing boats and people that have officially entered (registration closed now) the Race. The race has every vessel imaginable from...

Today’s podcast is very special. I sat down and did a recording with my mother – Mary Mattson – of Kirkland, WA Mom grew up in Indiana, met my dad in Missouri and moved to Washington state in the 1950’s. During the recording, we talk about family, faith and boats (you see, my dad was kind of a boat nut). It was a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy it!

Today’s podcast is with Mark Reuten of Nomad Boat Building in Victoria, BC, Canada. Mark grew up in Toronto, studied at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding, was a shipwright on the Pacific Grace SALTS project, and now has his own boat shop in Victoria. Reuten builds and repairs all types of wooden vessels, and specializes in canvas wood canoes and skin on frame boats.

Today’s podcast is with Ed Sturgeon of Surrey, BC. The son of a carpenter, Ed took to boatbuilding after one year of college in Nova Scotia. Sturgeon worked in several boat yards and built homes (including wood framed homes constructed on the beach in Ireland) , before starting his own boat building and restoration business – EdSturgeon.ca. Ed and Louise have been in Surrey for the last 2 years an...

Today’s podcast is with Dennis Davidson of Northwest Canoe (NWC) in St Paul, MN. NWC began building strip planked canoes in 1999 and has a large community of builders, followers, enthusiasts, and boat lovers. Since he youth Dennis has been involved with canoes – paddling them, admiring them, and working for companies building them. When his friend offered to sell Northwest Canoe to Dennis in 2006,...

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...

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 hooke...

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...

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...

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 vessel...

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...

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...

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 Har...