Kayak building in the US

The last couple of days and weeks I have been busy preparing a semi-huge project - going to the US to give a kayak building class. This came into being at the Delmarwa Paddlers retreat some years ago. We did one class that went well, and after a year we would do another one. That happens to be now :). Delmarwa Paddler's retreat has been going on as greenland style kayaking event for 30 years. It's a yearly event, arranged by Qajaq USA, the American branch og the Greenlandic kayaking association. It happens next weekend, where a bunch of people from all over the country will meet to socialize and exchange skills and knowledge. 

Prior to the weekend event, 8 of the participants will be building their own kayaks. These 8 people signed up for the class half a year ago. That is a full class. I've been in touch with them forehand to figure out what kind of kayak they should build, so that we could prepare the right materials.

At home in Vestfossen, I made the cockpits and other technically difficult kayak parts. I stuffed it all in my slightly oversize and overweight luggage, and went over from Oslo to Washington DC on Tuesday. Chris Beckman picked me up at the airport. Chris is the main organizer of the event. After a few stops at local breweries, we finally made it to his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Yesterday we started preparing the main part of the materials. We went to the lumberyard and bought a bunch of very fine 16' whipe pine boards, that we cut up and planed into finished kayak materials in Chris' driveway. It didn't look much like a driveway anymore... Chris had already prepared a huge bunch of red oak for ribs, cutting, planing and finishing the edges really nicely. a half day's work saved for me :).