About me

I’m just your garden-variety dad looking for a fun project to do with my sons. If it happens to cut down on their screen time, and if they happen to pick up some carpentry and fiberglassing skills along the way great!

My sons are your smarter-than-average teenagers who are often bored because there’s nothing to do here. (This seems to be an issue with teens everywhere.) They both have jobs now, which helps a lot, but there remains a desire to do something constructive with the boys as active and responsible participants. I hope that for the next several months this project is going to achieve that.

My father was a New Englander, which means he was a strict and principled hard worker. He was mellowed somewhat by my mother, a gracious and caring southern belle, although this mellowing occurred slowly and over many years. Together, my parents instilled many good traits in me and my brothers. I was fortunate to have numerous work experiences with my dad when growing up. First, my brothers and I were lawn care and job site cleanup hands for his residential construction business. Later, he “retired” from contracting and literally bought the farm in the Appalachians. We all learned farming together, so I became educated about livestock, vegetable gardens, farm machinery operation & maintenance, and land management. By the time I reached my college years dad was back in the construction game and this time I was taught a full gamut of residential construction skills beginning with land clearing and site layout, foundation construction, rough and finish carpentry, and finishing up with roofing, painting and - yes, again - landscape maintenance.

But my career keeps me at an office desk eight or more hours each day. I own no heavy machinery nor farm equipment aside from a lawn tractor. I have no profitable side business in which to employ my kids. What and when am I going to teach my boys the skills that my father (and older brothers) taught me? Well, this kayak build represents my last, great hope. Wish us well!

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