Wooden Kayak Rescue

It's not the kind of "rescue" you might be thinking...

The other day while walking by the local pet supply store I noticed a sign for Seattle Pug Rescue, an organization devoted to rescuing and arranging the adoption of pugs. "No Other Breeds Allowed!" the sign said. On their web site you'll find photographs and brief descriptions of the pugs available for adoption, like: 

"Spot is a 5 year old male that has recently gone blind from retinal degeneration. Initially scared due to the blindness, he has adapted quickly and now Spot is even managing stairs on his own. Spot gets along with other dogs, so long as they are not alphas or significantly larger dogs, as he can sense their size. Spot has a long life to live and lots of love to give. Do you have room in your heart and home for a dog that many people will pass over due to his handicap?"

So I thought wouldn't it be cool to do the same thing for wooden kayaks? There are a lot of wooden kayaks out there that need good homes.  Here is a composite picture of all the wooden kayaks I found on this week's Craigslist: a handful of Pygmy Arctic Terns, A blue and white painted Pygmy Osprey Triple, a bunch of Chesapeake Light Craft boats, a skin-on-frame baidarka, and a cedar strip Black Pearl.  (that Black Pearl is an awesome deal by the way).

Many of these kayaks have owners who love building boats but ended up building so many that they have been forced to get rid of a few to make room in their mini-storage unit.  Some owners are looking for the perfect performance kayak and have no use for their older, still functional but less than perfect boats. Others built their boats before they discovered that unfortunately sea kayaking really wasn't their thing.  For whatever reason, you can find lots of used wooden kayaks, especially this time of year.  By the way, my first kayak was a used Pygmy Osprey.  So instead of going through the headache of building your own boat it's pretty easy to find used one and roll on a fresh coat of varnish, install a new seat, replace the old rigging and put on some cool stickers to personalize it or whatever. The nice thing about wooden boats is that with just a little work they can be rebuilt to look like new.

Just remember that people will tend to crowd around you on the beach to admire your kayak.  And when they ask you if you built it yourself I recommend you just say "yes" to keep it simple.  They'll be so impressed and that's really what they want to hear anyway.

Comments

[joanne]

Hi Andrew,
I bought a very lightly used Black Pearl while at SSTIKS in June. It has been a wonderful boat and I just got my hand roll in it. It is beautiful!

[Andrew Elizaga]

Is that the kayak that Nick made? Oooo, I so envy you!

[joanne barta]

Hi Andrew,
Yes, it is the boat that Nick built. It is well cared for and well loved and well used!
Joanne

[Suzanne]

Hi Andrew,
Are you still rescuing wooden kayaks? I am on the lookout for my very first kayak. Hopefully a Pygmy Arctic Tern 14' or an Osprey 13'. I am a terrible searcher. Can you help me out?
Thanks,
Suzanne

[Boat Leaning Post]

I've being researching about Boats and reading your blog, I found your post very helpful :) . I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog!