Fine Wood Kayaks High Performance Art Drawing inspiration from sources ranging from the Inuit of Greenland to 1920 s runabouts, Nick Schade has crafted high art out of high performance kayaks. Nick believes that performance of the boat should not conflict with its aesthetic elegance. The most elegant boat is one that looks like living room furniture while used in the harshest conditions. Nick s designs and the boats he builds fulfill these requirements. Each design is carefully refined for high performance on the water. Each vessel is individually hand-crafted to meet the highest standards. Each boat built is a one-of-a-kind work of performance art. Nick offers fine custom-made wooden boats for the discriminating paddler or discerning collector. He can create a custom design for use on a particular body of water or to fit a specific display space. Nick Schade s designs have achieved international acclaim for their beauty and performance. Awarded first place at the Washington Craft Show...For the discriminating paddler or discerning collector A Guillemot kayak resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Nick s work has been exhibited at the American Craft Museum Photograph: Night Heron sea kayak in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. photo by Richard Bergen
Night Heron This adaptation of a traditional Inuit kayak form to modern construction techniques has the on-the-water performance to match its looks. With long, graceful lines, the Night Heron flows across the water smoothly and easily. The narrow waterline makes this boat very efficient, while maintaining enough stability to sit comfortably in even the most unruly water. The Inuit people of Greenland depended on kayaks to keep food on the table. They developed a highly refined craft that would bring them to their offshore hunting grounds reliably and safely. The Night Heron draws on that tradition to provide a fun and beautiful kayak at home paddling up a quiet estuary or playing in off-shore surf. Nick made a Night Heron for an exhibition at the American Craft Museum (now called the Museum of Arts and Design). That boat ended up in the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art. This is a truly spectacular looking boat that begs you to go paddling.
Aleutesque The Aleut people lived in some of the most extreme conditions in the world. The Aleutian Islands form the border between the Northern Pacific and the Bering Sea, where the winds never stop and the seas are deadly even with the best modern equipment. Out on this maelstrom the hunters sought seal, walrus and whale. They hunted from a kayak. The Aleutesque steps off from these unique boats to create a stunning, fast and fun sea kayak. The Aleut boats were named baidarkas by the Russian traders who first encountered the native kayakers. The baidarka was unusual for it bow and stern shapes. The bow was bifurcated with a split between the high volume top and a slim wave cutting bottom. The stern was truncated into a skeg. The Aleutesque vamps on these forms to create a high performance modern kayak suitable for fitness training on lakes and the ocean.
µbootlegger Racing boats from the 1924 Gold Challenge Cup are not the usual inspiration for a sea kayak, but a picture of the George Crouch designed Baby Bootlegger got me thinking. Baby Bootlegger was an innovation in its time, introducing the rolled sheer where the deck blends smoothly into the side and the long stream-lined stern. While this may be an unexpected starting point for a kayak, the graceful, efficient shape struck my fancy. The µbootlegger (micro Bootlegger) is a roomy, efficient tandem kayak for cruising a lake or exploring a bay. While more sedate than her namesake, she moves easily through the water and, should a wind blow in, will handle rough water with aplomb. The boat pictured is constructed of mahogany and maple and encapsulated in epoxy, fiberglass and carbon fiber. The kayak is lightweight and easy to carry. a roomy, efficient tandem kayak for cruising a lake or exploring a bay This boat may be customized with hatches, a rudder, spray-skirt and flotation sponsons and can also be equipped for sailing. The design may be rigged for paddling solo or tandem.
Petrel Early sailors thought the Storm Petrel could walk on water. Named after Saint Peter, petrels feed at sea by fluttering just above the swell with their feet tip-toeing across the water. Like its bird namesake, the Petrel kayak is at home at sea where it can dance among the waves. Designed as a responsive, lightweight boat suitable for day trips in rough water it is equally at home poking into sheltered estuaries or exploring the shore of isolated coves. This design will carry a large paddler through rough conditions, yet it is small enough to be easily handled by petit kayakers. With a form inspired by the Inuit inventors of kayaking, the Petrel will appeal to devoted Greenland-style paddlers without being intimidating to novice sea kayakers.
Stitch and Glue Night Heron Between Fishers Island and Long Island flows some of the roughest water on the east coast the vast tidal rip known as The Race. The Night Heron is designed to be at home in these conditions. It is a capable, seaworthy kayak styled on the seal-skin covered boats of the Greenland Inuit. This boat is a plywood version of my design at the Museum of Modern Art. Since plywood generally comes in 8 ft lengths, the material for an 18 ft boat must be spliced into longer sections. Standard practice is a long tapered scarf joint. This leaves a distracting line between the different pieces of wood. Instead of attempting to hide the joint the Night Heron uses the required joint as a decorative design element. The puzzle joint is as strong as a scarf joint and adds a whimsical touch to a high performance sea kayak. The plywood construction is rugged and light weight. This boat may be customized with a seat, foot braces and an additional hatch. Carl Tjerendsen Photo
Guillemot Kayaks Designs I started designing and building boats while still in high school. After studying electrical engineering, I went to work for the Navy, but kept my love of boats, particularly kayaks. I designed and built my first to fill my need for a boat before starting my engineering career. After a few years at work, I decided I needed a different kayak and designed and built one to suit my evolving skills. After a few more rounds of designing, I felt I had some designs worthy of selling Little Auk 14 Great Auk Adirondack Guide Boat to others who desired to build their own. This was the genesis of Guillemot Kayaks in 1993. Petrel Guillemot Great Auk µbootlegger Night Heron I have been messing about in boats since I was a kid. A few years later I was able to convert the hobby to a full-time business. Since then I have continued to create more boats. As my skills at the drawing board, in the workshop and on the water have evolved I continue to find inspirations and ideas to keep my work fresh and exhilarating. Aleutesque Razor Billed Auk Expedition Single I hope you find my boats as exciting as I do Nick Schade Mystery Guillemot Double Great Auk Double Guillemot Fast Double 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Hand Crafted Kayaks A typical kayak takes about 3 months to build, but actual labor may vary from 150 hours to over 400. Each piece of wood is carefully fitted together to create a unified wood shell. This wood is protected under a layer of fiberglass fabric bonded in place with epoxy resin then coated with a marine varnish. The combination of fiberglass and epoxy is very tough and perfectly transparent so that the beauty of the wood will be protected for generations. Each boat is custom outfitted to suit the desires of the customer. Most of my boats are strip-built. This requires the precise handshaping of over 200 pieces of wood. The wood is selected to enhance the beauty and function of the boat. Typically western red cedar is The wood is selected to enhance the beauty and function of the boat. used, but other materials such as tiger maple and mahogany may be incorporated. Wood may be bookmatched using pieces of wood consecutively cut from a board or they may be randomly colored from a variety of boards. The other method I use to build boats is called stitch-and-glue, which uses larger pieces of plywood that I have precision cut with a computer-controlled machine. These panels are individually stained to create a graphic design. If desired, I can also incorporate other reinforcement fabrics on the interior of the boat such as carbon fiber or Kevlar. These space age materials will increase the strength of the kayak while keeping the weight low. Custom built boat prices range from about $5,000 to over $20,000 depending on design, building technique and details of construction.