skayaker's Avatar

Come on man, there's a story behind that Avatar.  What is it?

-Spot-

Hi there,

Long story short, that's a picture of my first kayak and a limit of Lake Washington Sockeye back in 2006. The kayak is a Chesapeake 16 I built from plans (not from a kit) in 2002 with the express intent of using it as a fishing platform, therefore the Native American inspired paints of salmon and fish hook. It's a great fishing platform that allowed me to catch sockeye, coho, pink and chum salmon over the years (kings to a lesser extent). I even crabbed from it, but it's not that well suited for it. Over the years I got an assortment of kayak types that I take fishing as often as I can (never as often as I want!). There are other kayaks probably better suited for fishing, but fishing from this one has a different feel to me, kind of like catching a fish using a fly tied by yourself.
I fish mainly around Seattle (both sea and freshwater), but enjoy very much exploring other less familiar waters and meeting fellow kayakers along the way. I just found out about NWKA and registered just a few days ago, looks like a great source of information and gathering place for like-minded folks. I look forward to share experiences with its members. Cheers!

Awesome kayak and artwork! Thanks for sharing and welcome!

Great artwork and clean looking yak. Lk Wash sockeye... Those were the days.

Z

Beauty of a boat.  I have built a few myself.  Its addictive, like eating a potato chip.  You can't just have one.

  Did you paint first then fiberglass over the top?  It looks like it, but I wasn't quite sure. 

-Craig

Lovely boat, and especially lovely Native-inspired artwork.  Did you make up the designs, or were they already in existence??  I've been looking for a proper salmon, you certainly have
hit the mark!!

Welcome to NWKA. Very beautiful, love quality woodwork..

I've gotta echo what everyone else has said... beautiful artwork and amazing craftsmanship.  I've really want to enroll in one of the wooden boat courses and ultimately building my own cedar strip canoe some day, but grad school comes first.

Great boat and artwork.  You come in with experience and a great report with pics!  Welcome indeed.    

Hmmm....Skayaker....S'Kallam.  I wonder?

Wow! I admire the work of you guys and your wooden crafts.  Those boats have intrigued me for a while, but I am not know for great detail work as I don't have the eye for it.

Outstanding job on the salmon.

skayaker,

That is simply awesome!  I'm really glad you joined us.  Welcome!

-Mark-

Thanks for the welcoming posts, I am happy to find such a friendly and enthusiastic group. The designs were sketched based on artwork found on the web and books at home, they were painted prior to varnishing. This kayak does not have a fiberglass deck, the CLC 16 has a bent deck that does not require one. The hull has fiberglass, doubled at the keel for durability. It’s true, building kayaks is very rewarding and almost addictive. I started helping friends build a couple of Pygmy Coho’s and couldn’t resist the bug. Six and a half boats latter (some helping friends, some mine) I am still looking forward to finishing the other half of the latest boat and take it to the water! As much as I like these boats, I am sometimes on the water with a discolored red OK Scrambler or a yellow Nucanoe.
Again, thanks for the welcoming words and I look forward to seeing you on the water.

Ouch!  That Nucanoe seat looks like you're EARNING those fish!   

Good point Abking, I guess my interest in wood building got the worst out of me there, I just had to have a couple  wood planks even on a plastic boat! That, or I try to fish simple and cheap, actually a bit of all the above. Cheers!