Portfolio - Guillemot Kayaks

Fine Wood Kayaks
High Performance Art
D
rawing 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.
...For the
discriminating
paddler or
discerning
collector
N
ick 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
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
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks - Glastonbury, Connecticut - www.WoodenKayaks.com
Photograph: Night Heron sea kayak in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. – photo by Richard Bergen
Night Heron
T
his 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.
N
ick 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.
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks - Glastonbury, Connecticut - www.WoodenKayaks.com
Aleutesque
T
he 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.
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks - Glastonbury, Connecticut - www.WoodenKayaks.com
µBootlegger
R
acing 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)
… a roomy,
is a roomy, efficient
efficient tandem tandem kayak for
cruising a lake or
kayak for
exploring a bay.
cruising a lake or While more sedate
her namesake,
exploring a bay than
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.
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.
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks - Glastonbury, Connecticut - www.WoodenKayaks.com
Petrel
E
arly 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.
D
esigned 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.
W
ith 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.
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks - Glastonbury, Connecticut - www.WoodenKayaks.com
Stitch and Glue
Night Heron
B
etween 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.
T
he 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
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks - Glastonbury, Connecticut - www.WoodenKayaks.com
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
to others who desired to
Little Auk
build their own. This
I have been
was
the
genesis
14’ Great Auk
of Guillemot
messing about in
Kayaks in 1993.
boats since I was
Adirondack Guide Boat
A few years
later I was
a kid.
Petrel
able to
convert the hobby to a full-time business.
Guillemot
Since then I have continued to create more
Great Auk
boats. As my skills at the drawing board,
in the workshop and on the water have
µBootlegger
evolved I continue to find inspirations
and ideas to keep my work fresh and
Night Heron
exhilarating.
Aleutesque
Razor Billed Auk
I hope you find my boats as exciting
as I do
Nick Schade
Expedition Single
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’
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks - Glastonbury, Connecticut - www.WoodenKayaks.com
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
The wood is
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 selected to enhance
customer.
the beauty and
function of the
boat.
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
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.