What was your first watercraft?

[Madman]

I’m curious about your first watercraft and how you got your start in boating, whether you were born on the water or found it later in life.

Maybe it’s the time of year, but I brought this kayak into my shop earlier this week and it’s got me feeling a bit nostalgic. It called the Guillemot Play, and while she’s been neglected for a while now, it’s the first boat I owned.

My wife and I were raised in southern MN and had limited access to water. The same was true for our kids. We didn’t start dabbing in water activities until about 20 yrs ago when I was looking for winter project. I ultimately decided to buy plans, read a “how to” book, sharpened a pair of hand planes and chisels that belonged to my dad and father in law, started milling strips and went to work building it right where she’s sitting now. At that time, I had no idea what I was doing and had never even seen a kayak.

I quickly found out that building a boat is an exercise in problem solving. I learned a lot during the process and launched it the following spring. Over the next four years, I built two more kayaks and a canoe. At one point, my wife and I had a fleet of seven kayaks, a canoe, two PWC, three SUPs and our Yamaha. Needless to say, our family (which now includes a SIL and two grandkids) enjoys a lot of time on the water.

As far as kayaking goes, this one was always my “go to” when kayaking alone and conditions were choppy. It’s sits very low in the water and the waves would roll over the bow, across the deck and upto the cockpit.

Unfortunately, this one hasn’t received the same tender loving care as its siblings, but that’s about to change. I’m not exactly sure yet what I’m going to do yet, but it’ll definitely start with a bath. I’ll need to clean up the lines, fix the nicks and gouges and will most likely end up painting the majority of the boat, but I’ll try to keep at least some of the wood exposed. Not sure if it’ll be ready by spring, but will add pic when it’s done.

What’s your story?

 

[Madman]

I thought I’d share a pic of the other three boats that I built. The canoe is Redbird 17’6”, the Redfish “The King” is made of Sitka spruce (deck), walnut accents & redwood, Redfish “The Silver” is made of mahogany (deck), aspen accents and black walnut.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Northern-ish Ontario Canada here. My dad introduced me to canoe trips quite young along with a family cottage. The canoe and camping for me down that path, turned into whitewater canoeing and finally up to class 5 whitewater kayaking, multi-day trips, etc. Paddled the Colorado back in 2013.

Meanwhile, the cottage instilled boating again very young. 9.9HP on a small aluminium boat for fishing and exploring. Then my uncle had a 25HP Yamaha outboard on a 16ft aluminum again. Used that heavily. Eventually my uncle and my dad for 20 ish footers, inboard/outboard. That's where I became quite proficient at it. Also learned that props suck on shallow lakes (Lake Nipissing, 8 to say 20ft, average of say 10ft) before GPS was a thing. When I discovered jet boats, it was an easy sell for me.

Combine those two backgrounds, I just have a love of water. Two SUPS, two canoes, two kayaks, a small jet boat (Scarab 165) and a Sea-doo GTX 230. I love exploring.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

I thought I’d share a pic of the other three boats that I built. The canoe is Redbird 17’6”, the Redfish “The King” is made of Sitka spruce (deck), walnut accents & redwood, Redfish “The Silver” is made of mahogany (deck), aspen accents and black walnut.View attachment 229800View attachment 229801

Stunners! Well done!

 

[Bottom Bracket]

Mac Dinghy #2025

 

[Madman]

Northern-ish Ontario Canada here. My dad introduced me to canoe trips quite young along with a family cottage. The canoe and camping for me down that path, turned into whitewater canoeing and finally up to class 5 whitewater kayaking, multi-day trips, etc. Paddled the Colorado back in 2013.

Meanwhile, the cottage instilled boating again very young. 9.9HP on a small aluminium boat for fishing and exploring. Then my uncle had a 25HP Yamaha outboard on a 16ft aluminum again. Used that heavily. Eventually my uncle and my dad for 20 ish footers, inboard/outboard. That's where I became quite proficient at it. Also learned that props suck on shallow lakes (Lake Nipissing, 8 to say 20ft, average of say 10ft) before GPS was a thing. When I discovered jet boats, it was an easy sell for me.

Combine those two backgrounds, I just have a love of water. Two SUPS, two canoes, two kayaks, a small jet boat (Scarab 165) and a Sea-doo GTX 230. I love exploring.

I never tried whitewater canoeing or kayaking. I was tempted but I’m afraid those days are behind me now. My wife and I did whitewater rafting (guided) in Costa Rica about 5 years ago. What a blast and would highly recommend!

 

[Dave burke]

I thought I’d share a pic of the other three boats that I built. The canoe is Redbird 17’6”, the Redfish “The King” is made of Sitka spruce (deck), walnut accents & redwood, Redfish “The Silver” is made of mahogany (deck), aspen accents and black walnut.View attachment 229800View attachment 229801

Beautiful work!

My parents bought a cottage in the Adirondacks when I was really young. Our first boat was a 12' aluminum rowboat with a really old 5 1/2 Evinrude.

 

[zipper]

I have early memories of my dad setting lobster pots and making fiberglass molds of hulls in Marshfield, Ma. maybe at 3 years of age and catching boatload’s of mackerel in my grandfather’s 18' wooden boat at 9 or 10 off Hull, Ma. Dad has always had boats in Vt. since 1965, first wooden, then fiberglass. His 22’ Scout is in our arena next to our 18’ BW Outrage for the winter. First boat was a 1978 15’ BW I used for diving in Lake Champlain. History of ownership can be seen below. Lovin the catamaran. I do not count the plastic 14' canoe or the plastic kayak, still owned.
Circa 1982 on the Lake.

My sister and her husband still use this boat.
And fishing with my wife in 2023.

 

[Madman]

I have early memories of my dad setting lobster pots and making fiberglass molds of hulls in Marshfield, Ma. maybe at 3 years of age and catching boatload’s of mackerel in my grandfather’s wooden boat at 9 or 10 off Hull, Ma. Dad has always had boats in Vt. since 1965, first wooden, then fiberglass His 22’ Scout is in our arena next to our 18’ BW Outrage for the winter. First boat was a 1978 15’ BW I used for diving in Lake Champlain. History of ownership can be seen below. Lovin the catamaran. I do not count the plastic 14' canoe or the plastic kayak, still owned.
Circa 1982 on the Lake.
View attachment 229802
My sister and her husband still use this boat.
And fishing with my wife in 2023.
View attachment 229803

Those are big smiles! “I do not count the plastic 14' canoe or the plastic kayak, still owned.”… we don’t discriminate here. If it gets you on or in the water, it counts! We carry two on the back of the boat for the grandkids. (sometime it makes the day a bit more tolerable!)

 

[Neutron]

At 16 years old bought my first boat 1964 Crosby with a 25hp Johnson. It was rough but got me on the water in Narragansett RI.

Lost count how many since then

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

When I was around 8 years old my Dad and Mom bought a small cabin cruiser type boat, single 75 hp engine and it was used at the Salton Sea…back when it was really nice. It was not unusual to have the water be bioluminescent. The boat was sold a few laters later when my Mom got sick. Somewhere I have pictures of the boat, and one of me driving the boat, my Dad was so proud, I could dock that boat better than most at the marina and I was 8 years old.

A bit about my Dad, when he was 16 years old, which would have been 1932, on summer break from school he jumped on a freighter and went through the Panama Canal. He told me that breakfast, lunch and dinner mutton was all that was on the menu, consequently he never ate mutton again for the rest of his life. When WWII broke out, he like most able bodied men in the US went down to sign up for the Army / Navy, the recruiter told him no thanks old man, he was 25 at the time, we don’t need old guys like you. Of course by the end of the war they were taking old farts like me. Anyway, he went to work in the Todd Shipyard in San Pedro as a welder / pipe fitter building liberty ships. My mother worked there as well running a drill press. As the war dragged on and the draft began, my Dad signed up for the Merchant Marines. He put to see on liberty ship version of tanker hauling aviation gasoline and fuel oil from Richmond CA to the Aleutian Islands, his reasoning was, “I see those cargo ships and troop transports going up and over the waves, tankers go through them, so if I’m going to die I’m going to be comfortable”. He did his boot camp at Avalon on Catalina Island. I still have his discharge papers signed by Harry Truman.

This is Mom and Dad probably around 1942 at the Congo Room in Los Angeles.. what a handsome couple! I miss them everyday, today especially, so many great memories of Christmas with family.




A couple of years before I retired I was sitting in traffic one day on the freeway and there was a twin outboard engined DC boat, I thought to myself, Imma get me a boat when I retire. About 4 years later I had my first boat, a 2020 Yamaha 210 FSH. Since then I’ve become a pretty avid boater and thanks to my friend Jim I’ve been able to dial in my boat for my needs and wants. In the future my friend and I will either commission a new boat with a cabin, head, berth, hvac, galley or we will buy a used one and repower it so we will have a boat that is much more comfortable in the shoulder seasons here when it is cold / snowy / rainy, and it will be a boaterhome when traveling to other places to boat and fish.. I hope to one day do part of the Trent Severn Waterway, as well as part of the Great Loop..

I found this site shortly after I bought my boat and I am so grateful for this site, I have learned a lot from the members here, and try to contribute to others as others have contributed to me.

 

[lazergeek]

My dad always has shitty fix and repair after each outing I/O skiboats growing up but my first boatish purchase was a 94 Seadoo SPi purchased new in 94 and used it for 20 years before I gave to my nephew who quickly destroyed it

 

[Sam1212]

Luckily I was born only 10 min from Mississippi River which was our favorite pastime growing up. My dad bought a boathouse (house on barrels) for 1200$ bucks when he was younger with a buddy, which was our weekend spot! My parents have owned a 91 sea ray 200 since I was young and still do! My grandpa had this alumacraft he let my brother and I cruise the river with and there was nothing better.. kings of the river we were. I joined the service out of high school and after my first deployment I saved up to get myself a 2000 stingray 190 that I ran hard for 7 years. I got married last October and the wife and I decided to upgrade! We got into a used 2017 Yamaha 212 limited! Safe to say we will be River Rats just like my parents

 

[Madman]

Luckily I was born only 10 min from Mississippi River which was our favorite pastime growing up. My dad bought a boathouse (house on barrels) for 1200$ bucks when he was younger with a buddy, which was our weekend spot! My parents have owned a 91 sea ray 200 since I was young and still do! My grandpa had this alumacraft he let my brother and I cruise the river with and there was nothing better.. kings of the river we were. I joined the service out of high school and after my first deployment I saved up to get myself a 2000 stingray 190 that I ran hard for 7 years. I got married last October and the wife and I decided to upgrade! We got into a used 2017 Yamaha 212 limited! Safe to say we will be River Rats just like my parents
View attachment 229816

Great story! Thank you for your service and congratulation on your marriage.
“I got married last October and the wife and I decided to upgrade!” Sounds like you got a good one!

 

[Madman]

My dad always has shitty fix and repair after each outing I/O skiboats growing up but my first boatish purchase was a 94 Seadoo SPi purchased new in 94 and used it for 20 years before I gave to my nephew who quickly destroyed it

A shitty boat is still better than no boat! We bought two new Seadoo 155 GTI’s in ‘97. That really changed our boating habits (for the better or worse?) My wife wasn’t exactly onboard with the purchase, especially after one of them fell off the trailer onto the interstate, on the way home! The dealership forgot to tighten the winch stand to the trailer and the pwc just slide off the back. They sent 2 guys out to help me load it back onto the trailer, I dropped the wife at home and went back to the dealership. We had our 3rd new pwc that afternoon, “enjoyed” some beverages that night and headed out to the lake the next day. About 18 sec later after launching, my wife’s attitude did a 180 and we never looked back! Bought our first boat the next year.