I moved to Vancouver from Ontario after I graduated from university in 2009. I was drawn to British Columbia by the mountains but immediately fell in love with the coast, taking a keen interest in surfing, open-water swimming, kayaking, and sailing. Among the very first people I met on the West Coast were two sisters, Karen and Lisa Bodie, who shared a love of climbing and hiking, and we became fast friends. Karen had built a stitch-and-glue plywood kayak when she was in high school. The boat was gorgeous, and when we went paddling it was impossible to launch without having at least a few people come up to say how beautiful it was and sometimes take photos of it.The outdoor activities I wanted to pursue outweighed the time and money I could afford to spend on them, so kayaking took a backseat to ski touring, climbing, and mountaineering. In early 2015, I was finally ready to invest in my own touring kayak, and Karen encouraged me to make my own rather than buy one. She was planning to build a second kayak, a strip-built one this time, and she showed me some pictures. I ordered plans for a strip-built kayak the next day. I had done some woodworking and had built a few small tables and cabinets, nothing fancy, and I was ready to try something more challenging. There’s lots to say about the kayak—the short version is that was I absolutely loved building it—but this story is about a canoe.
Read this article now for Free!
Ready for a second free article? Create a free account by entering your email address and a password below.
— OR —
Subscribe now for $29.99 a year and have immediate access to all of our content, including hundreds of small-boat profiles, gear reviews and techniques, adventure stories, and more! You can also browse our entire archive of back issues starting from September 2014, as well as post unlimited classified ads. This is an extraordinary value!
What a beautiful and generous gift and what empathy and love you must have for Lisa and Mike. Well done.
Thank you for sharing this story. I really enjoyed the photos and can’t think of a more meaningful gift.
What a fantastic story about sharing your passion for boatbuilding and adventure in such a touching way!!
I give a high five to Dave. Fantastic Wedding gift. You’re a great friend. You’ve done a fantastic job.
This is my first issue since subscribing. Not new to Small Boats and small boats, it’s been a real trip for me. I have my now 4 Kayaks and my gorgeous skiff to row. Although I am always looking for another rowing boat (I have a Pt. Jude sailboat but I have no interest in it). I will find another rower, especially if I keep reading SBM.
Dave, as one of the wedding guests who was completely impressed with your canoe that day (not to mention how it was presented) it is with great fun that I read your story. Thank you for the full back story, even though I got a lot of the story directly from you at the reception. You are a gem of a friend to Mike (my nephew)and Lisa and it truly sounds like you have now found your true calling. That canoe, despite (or maybe because) it being your very first, was thoughtfully created, made with care and love and obviously made with such skilled hands. If that is the quality and effort that you will be putting into all the boats to follow, you and your business will quickly rise above the rest as THE boat builder to be sought out for a truly customized work of art. Congratulations on the start of your new business!