Clear Stream Fine Woodworking (CSFW)

First I’d like to wish all my customers and purveyors of my site a happy and prosperous 2010.  Sorry if I didn’t post many updates in 2009.  I ended getting a bit burned out and needed a break.  I WILL resume commissions for boats this winter.  I’m going to run the shop a bit differently, mostly keeping my deadlines more fluid to I can spend more time with my family.  So that said, I am currently taking orders for a late winter/spring build!

In my “break” I did build some neat projects and will hope to bring you up to date in the weeks to come.

Last winter before my break, I had the opportunity to design and build a really unique kayak we ended up calling “Elsie.”  It was based on a kayak specimen called the LC-148 taken from Eastern Greenland in the mid-1800’s.  The hull design was modified to better fit a modern American paddler.  It was built as a really different, yet light-weight hybrid construction: a wood-core fiberglass hull with a traditional SOF deck (with hatches).  Neat boat.  Very elegant.  It’s currently living in Massachusetts and can often be seen on Walden Pond. If there is an interest I may offer plans for the design (yet to be officially named).

This fall/winter I also built a SOF prototype of the Saco 13.  I refined my old Saco 12 rec boat and gave it more overall performance.  With two young girls we needed a second kayak with a big cockpit. It fit the bill well.  It also gave me the chance to try out a new dual layer skinning system using aerospace Dacron and abrasion-resistant Vectra cloth.  Since the picture was taken it has been skinned.  Winter came early this year and we never had a chance to paddle it.  It should get a lot of use next summer!

For Christmas I built Danielle her first kayak: the “Pink Pearl.”  It’s a Coos 8 like Lena’s.  The biggest change from Lena’s is cockpit floor is made out of a piece of clear Lexan instead of 1/4″ plywood.   The girls had to try their boats out in the snow…  Hopefully Danielle will use her boat as much as Lena does.

In the next few weeks I’ll try and put information up on these projects including more images.  I’ll also be performing a major overhaul/rebuild of the entire site.  It will be entirely WordPress-based.   It should be much easier to use.

This spring I’ll start offering my own line of paddles.  I’ll offer hand-carved canoe paddles and Greenland-style sticks for kayaks. I’m currently working on my version of a hybrid paddle construction using wooden blades and carbon shafts that should be as light but more rugged than all carbon.

2010 should be an interesting year.  Stay tuned!

Dan