Paddling Traditional Skin on Frame Kayaks on Gabriola Island
My good friend Brian Henry and I took a day trip to visit a unique kayak builder living on beautiful Gabriola Island just a short distance off Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, BC. We wanted to check out what he is doing with his unique boat building process and then take some of his beautiful traditional style ‘skin on frame’ kayaks out for a paddle along the spectacular sandstone cliffs of Gabriola Island.
Brian Henry of Ocean River Sports and Ron Crown of Made Kayaks
Made Kayaks
Ron Crown was the owner and founder of a company called Made Kayaks. He built traditional style skin on frame kayaks and Greenland style paddles from a workshop at his home on Gabriola. Ron had also designed a very clever little ‘skin on frame’ kayak called the ‘Squid’ which Brian’s store, Ocean River Sports used to sell and distribute. What made this kayak different is that it came as a kit that could be assembled in a couple of weekends with just a few basic tools. The skins for these boats was a ballistic nylon with a urethane coating. To prove just how tough it really was, Ron took a hammer and proceeded to pound on one of his kayaks…no damage!
The ‘Squid’
The Squid Kit Kayak’s Interior
Ron is an animator by profession and a kayak designer and builder by passion. What made his kit boats so unique was the wood pieces were cut out on a CNC (computer numerical control) machine, which meant precision fit parts and very light weight. For example, the completed 12’ Squid weighed in around 23lbs/10kg! The Squid was designed for kids or small adults but at the time Ron was working on the design for a larger model.
Ron had been building skin on frame kayaks for 10 years at the time, honing his building and design skills. He also made beautiful Greenland style paddles on his CNC machine, which resulted in paddles that were perfectly symmetrical and beautifully balanced. He could also use the CNC machine to add unique in-layed decorative designs on the paddles, including your own design. Sadly, I have lost track of what Ron is now doing and his website is no longer in existence.
We began our day with a tour of Ron’s workshop, the CNC machine and a look at some of his traditional skin on frame kayaks. It’s easy to fall in love with the beauty of these translucent skin boats, the graceful lines, the craftsmanship and the way the light illuminates the boats.
Made kayak’s CNC machine & paddles
Paddling Traditional Skin on Frame Kayaks
The highlight of the trip was a chance to paddle some of Ron’s other ‘skin on frame’ kayaks for few hours. We left from a beach in Descanso Bay not far from where the ferry from Nanaimo arrives. We paddled out around Descanso Point so we could head down the west side of Gabriola Island with its high cliffs and beautiful sandstone formations.
The first thing we noticed is that Ron’s kayaks are very light, coming in around 30lbs. That’s a big plus when you’re carrying them around, and once on the water they feel very nimble and playful. The flexible nature of the materials makes for a pleasant ride even in choppy, rough conditions without any noisy pounding. I was paddling a shorter, more rockered model whose initial stability was, at first, a little uncomfortable, especially since I didn’t fit the boat very well. The secondary stability was good though and after a little time in the boat, it started to feel fairly comfortable. I was quite surprised at how well the boat tracked even with the beam winds we encountered. Skin on frame kayaks are easy to customize for size, shape and fit so each boat feels a little different.
We were also able to try out Ron’s Greenland style paddles. Neither Brian nor I have had much experience with these traditional paddles, both coming from a background of larger, feathered spoon blades. Ron gave us some instruction on technique and theory which was very helpful. As Ron explains, “The main issue is that they work so differently from euro spoon blades that when people first try one, they use them like spoon paddles and they don’t perform well so they give up. Once you learn to use them the way they are meant to be used they are beautiful, elegant and efficient tools.” This is absolutely true although, for me they will still take some getting used to!
Brian Henry rounding Descanso Pt on Gabriola Island
Gabriola Island paddling is beautiful even on this chilly grey day!
Ron & Brian under a unique sandstone overhang
There are lots of spectacular sandstone formations along the west side of Gabriola
Gulls
The translucent skins of these traditional kayaks is so beautiful
Ron Crown in front of a prehistoric sandstone monster
Ron paddling under a sandstone overhang
Heading home at the end of the day
Photos
Images are available for purchase for websites, prints, print media etc, click this link: Gabriola Kayaking Photos
A great site with an excellent post. The structures are so well explained with beautiful pictures. Such a pleasant experience to read these and not only that there’s a lot of information. The post is so descriptive and I am really looking forward to visiting the place next year in my holidays.