For years, professional kayak guides and outfitters have relied on plastic and fiberglass for their fleets of boats. Each of them has their merits. One is lighter, one less expensive. For some guides and outfitters, though, a third option makes a lot of sense—wood. In the last several years, a growing number of companies have taken a second look at this alternative. Seeing wood kayaks as a way of setting themselves apart from other companies, they recognize that many potential customers are drawn to their beauty. They recognize that the performance of wood designs meet or exceed other materials on the market.

What you see is not always all you get. A common first impression of a wood kayak is ‘stunningly beautiful’. This first impression in years past was often quickly coupled with ‘Fragile?’ ‘Heavy?’ These latter two misconceptions have eroded in recent years. Outfitters and guides are beginning to take notice.

Beyond the beauty is technology. Modern ‘stitch and glue’ and ‘strip built’ kayaks are encapsulated in fiberglass and epoxy resins. The part you see, the wood, is actually functioning as a lightweight compression core. We have nature to thank for providing such a beautiful and suitable material. We have science to thank for the rest. Fiberglass cloth adds important tensile strength and abrasion resistance to the wood. Epoxy resins join the fiberglass and the lightweight wood core. This sandwiching of lightweight wood with fiberglass and epoxy results in a hull that is rugged, yet much lighter than a hull made from fiberglass alone. In addition, with a little energy, adding wood kayaks to a fleet can be considerably less expensive than fiberglass boats.

These factors—weight, cost and beauty—have not escaped the attention of some outfitters. Andy Gale, owner of PTOutdoors in Port Townsend, Washington, started his guide service in 1996 with two stitch-and-glue triples. “The number one reason,” Andy says, “was capital investment. With a little sweat equity I was able to start my business for far less than with fiberglass boats. At the time I didn’t want to use plastic boats. I thought that by choosing wood composite boats I would also be offering a superior product to my customers.

“And then there is the weight. It is really nice to have twenty foot (wood composite) triples weigh much less than our eighteen-foot (plastic) doubles.” Today Andy has five wood kayaks, four triples and a single, among his fleet of twenty boats. He has plans to add to the fleet this winter.

Brandon Davies of Blue Otter Outfitters in Friday Harbor, Washington has also embraced wood. His company does custom sail/kayak tours from a 48-foot trimaran mother ship. Riding piggyback into remote paddling destinations are three doubles and a single, all wood composite kayaks. The choice for him was easy. “We wanted to hit the market differently,” Brandon says. “We wanted to stand out, and [wood kayaks] definitely make a difference. When we paddle up to a beach and there are other kayak groups there, there are always comments on the beauty of our boats from the others. It gives my clients the feeling they are traveling in class. And they are.”

Lon Smith's Kayak Port Townsend fleet includes wooden kayaks.

He goes on to say that paddlers in his boats have a different attitude. “They really want to take care of the boats, getting out of the boats before running ashore.” As much as this is appreciated by Brandon, he adds, “It is amazing the abuse these boats can really take.” He knows that his wood kayaks are making an impression. About half of the letters he gets from past clients praise the wood kayaks.

Lon Smith of Kayak Port Townsend in Port Townsend, Washington saw the popularity of triple wood kayaks in his neighbor’s outfitter service and decided to add a couple to their fleet this past summer. John Burke, a guide for the organization, says this of their choice to move to wood after 12 year in the business: “We were looking to add to the variety of our fleet. We needed more boats. We could see the popularity of the triples being rented down the street. I guess a portion of it was keeping up with the Jones’.”

After a busy summer season of heavy use John truly believes adding wood kayaks was a good choice. “They are more popular than our fiberglass kayaks. We could probably charge more for them. The wood kayaks really bring people in. If you are a company that has built kayaks, clients are impressed. It gives clients more confidence in the guides and the business. They really came in handy. We often put weaker paddlers in the triple because they are faster than our fiberglass boats.”

Lon Smith adds, “The Pygmy triples are great, light weight kayaks that are performing as well or better than any in our fleet.” Their wood triples are among the fleet making an annual migration to Baja for winter season tours.

It is unlikely that wood kayaks will ever be the mainstay of the kayak tour industry. Plastic and fiberglass kayaks are ordered from manufactures, they show up and are ready to be launched. Wood kayaks require a time investment. Once a design has been settled on, wood kayaks arrive as precision pre-cut wood panels, epoxy, and fiberglass. A builder can expect to spend around 70 hours building a single boat or around 90 hours on a double or triple kit. For some outfitters this is not an issue. Building in the off-season can be an enjoyable and rewarding change of pace after a busy summer season of tours and rentals.

The results for some are well worth the effort. Andy Gale thinks differently of his wood kayaks than his plastic ones. “My plastic boats are commodities. I use them for a summer and then sell them while they are still in good condition. I think of my wood kayaks as a capital asset to my business. There is some maintenance needed after a season, but the boats start the following year fresh and as good as new. I plan on having these boats for the life of my business. After building the boats, maintenance is straight-forward.”

This thought is echoed by Brandon Davies as well, “After three years, the boats are in great shape. I have added graphite powder to the boats below the water line. At the end of the season, a little maintenance is easy. I built the boats so I know what to do.”

As preventive maintenance, Kayak Port Townsend has added Kevlar tape along the keel of their triples. “That really reduces the wear from beach landings. Our boats didn’t wear much after their first season of service. All the scratches are just aesthetic.” Their boats are also painted with graphite powder below the water line.

As the number of outfitters and guides using wood kayaks increases, the impression of the public changes. Most of today’s paddlers have participated in a tour or rented before eventually purchasing a boat of their own. Individuals just getting into kayaking today are more likely than ever to encounter the full variety of options available to them. The public relies heavily on the opinions of their guides. It is nice to know that more of these guides can speak objectively to their clients about the pros and cons of all the choices available to them. Today you can find guides and outfitters across North America from Alaska to Florida, from Maine to Baja plying the waters in wood. o

David Grimmer has a background in outdoor recreation. He has worked with Pygmy Boats Inc. for the past five years. During that time he has seen the popularity of wood kayaks blossom with outfitter and guide services. He can be reached at Pygmy Boats Inc. 360-385-6143. www.pygmyboats.com ©