Nick's blog

Not so Deadly Waves

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 18:40:01 -0500

Tropical storm Noel swept by New England in late October and sent some fun waves towards Napatree Point. I didn't get much good footage while paddling, but the resulting video is still fun.

Nymph Plans Now Available

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 20:05:36 -0400

A minimalist boat for smaller paddlers.

Nymph

With the publishing of my article about building Nymph in WoodenBoat Magazine I now have plans for this little canoe ready to go.

This little boat is well intended to be a light weight, easy to handle, minimalist boat for exploring sheltered ponds, lakes, and bays. I built the prototype using basswood and walnut using 1/8 inch thick strips and it came in at about 15 pounds. Even using thicker cedar it should be easy for most builders to keep her under 20 pounds. Skilled builders willing to push the limits may be able to shave a couple more pounds off.

Rough Water Sea Kayak Play Video

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 08:58:31 -0400

More video from the reefs in the passage between Watch Hill, RI and Fishers Island, NY. This is out near buoy #2 on a day with about a 3 knot ebb. I'm paddling my Petrel. Also on the water were a Chatham 18 and a couple NDK Explorers.

System Upgrade

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 08:58:36 -0400

My service provider upgraded some of the software used to run my website. As a result things some functions are broken. Please excuse the error messages that may be appearing until I get things working appropriately again.
Thanks,
Nick

Fictional Guillemot Kayaks

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 12:48:10 -0400

I got a call from Bob Van Dyke of CVSW the other day. He said he had just been reading a book by Clive Cussler called Polar Shift. He had just picked up the book recently and was shocked to read the following:
"The latest addition to his fleet was the custom-made Guillemot kayak. He had bought it on an earlier trip to Seattle. He liked its natural wood construction and the graceful design of the thin hul, which was based on an Aleut craft. Like all his boats, it was fast as well as beautiful."

Playboating at Blue Hill Falls

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 07:49:47 -0400

After teaching my class at the WoodenBoat School, I got a chance to head up to Blue Hill for some play time. There is a reversing falls that has a nice play wave popular with the whitewater crowd. I took my Petrel in for a little surfing action:

Guilllemot Kayaks and Chesapeake Light Craft Team Up for Kayak Kits

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 19:45:07 -0400

Internationally recognized kayak and small boat designer Nick Schade, owner of Guillemot Kayaks, has teamed up with the largest producer of kit boats in the country, Chesapeake Light Craft, to create high quality boat kits based on Schade’s designs. With customers in over 60 countries Guillemot Kayaks has earned worldwide respect as a source of beautiful, high performance boat designs. Since 1993 do-it-yourself builders have used Schade’s plans and instructions to craft their own small boats at home. Chesapeake Light Craft (CLC), established in 1991, is a boat kits-and-materials specialist, with broad experience in kit fabrication and distribution.

WoodenBoat Show Concourse d'Elegance Winner

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 10:19:27 -0400

I decided to enter my Petrel into this year's Woodenboat Show Concourse d'Elegance. I am pleased to report that I ended receiving a nice 1st place mug in the professionally built manually powered boat group. There were a lot of beautiful boats there so I feel quite honored.

The show was held at Mystic Seaport this year under sunny skies. It is nice be talking boats among so many beautiful craft. I really enjoyed the chance to talk with so many people who had built or were building my designs, as well as those who are planning to. The word is that the show will be at Mystic again next year. If you were unable to make it this year, it is well worth the effort to try to attend next year.

A trip along the Coast of Maine

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 14:39:08 -0400

I put together a somewhat longer video of a trip in Frenchman Bay, Maine. It starts along Long Porcupine Island near The Hop, and ends along Mt Desert Island near Otter Cliffs.

I hope this gives non-paddlers a feeling for what it may be like taking a small human powered boat into the water in a beautiful location. Sit back and let the shore move by.

WoodenBoat School and Curiosities of the World

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 16:10:12 -0500

I recently did a Google search on "WoodenBoat School" I noticed that my Build Your Own Night Heron course at the school came up as the second link after the actual WoodenBoat School site. Reading down the list I found a link to Matt Murphy's blog entry about the WoodenBoat School. When I went to his blog, I read his post about "The Third Most Curious Thing" where he note that one of his posts now is listed 3rd on a Google search for "curiosities of the world". Now if you do a search that particular post about the curiosity of becoming the 3rd most curious thing in the world is the 4th most curious thing when you do that search. Are you following this?

Kayak Gift Ideas

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 17:20:28 -0500

An a 18" model of the Night Heron carved from Mahogany and Ash with a Maple cockpit, mounted on a piece of Manzanita root.

If you are looking for a gift for your family kayak builder or paddling enthusiast, I have a couple ideas that might work. A wooden kayak model is a unique item to display on a mantel or book shelf.

Playing with Video

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 11:37:58 -0400

I've been playing around with taking video using a Pentax Optio W10 that I have strapped to a helmet. The quality of the video is not great, but the results are kind of fun. The first is one is from a couple days paddling the reefs of Watch Hill, Rhode Island and the Race and the second is an afternoon surfing off Napatree Point.

In both videos, the boat I am paddling is the Petrel.

I hope you enjoy the action.

Nymph - A New Double Paddle Strip Canoe Design

Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:17:02 -0400

Plans Now Available

In July I finished up the prototype of a new canoe design. The Nymph is a 10' long by 28" wide solo double-paddle canoe. It is designed for paddlers under 150 lbs and the prototype weighs about 15 pounds. I am experimenting with building boats with domestic hardwoods to find alternatives for old-growth cedar. In this boat I used walnut and basswood cut into 1/8th inch thick strips. I then reinforced it with a carbon-Kevlar hybrid cloth on the inside and high-strength "S-Glass" on the outside. The gunwales are basswood under a layer of 4 ounce E-Glass and the stems are cherry.

Vacation in Maine

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 19:42:11 -0400

I'm heading up to Maine for a bit of paddling and to exhibit at the Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Show in Rockland. I'll be gone from July 28 through August 14. I'll be paddling with friends and thinking up new ideas for boats. If you are in the Rockland Maine area August 11, 12, or 13, please stop in at the show to say hi.

If have any questions I will be out of touch for awhile, so I hope they can wait. Orders will continue to be sent out while I'm gone.