Kent Treptow/ The Olympian
Greg Gilbert, the owner of Blazing Aspen Kayaks in north Olympia, sits on his porch with two of his creations.

Olympia man handcrafts custom wooden sea kayaks

Originally published July 31

OLYMPIA -- A gleaming black finish and dark wood enhance the sleek lines of a custom built, two-person wooden racing kayak that needs only a final coat.

"They're going to win races in this," says Greg Gilbert, pride of craftsmanship evident in his eyes.

He starts with some pieces of marine plywood, yellow cedar and white oak and turns them into boats based on two traditional kayak designs. Around his East Bay Drive workshop, other boats sit at various stages of completion.

Gilbert, 31, owner of Blazing Aspen Kayaks, has been building kayaks for about 10 years. He started building boats from other people's designs but now designs boats for "the way I like to paddle," he says.

His designs are based on the Aleutian kayak with a long, slender bow and the cockpit and widest part of the boat aft of the center; and on the Southwest Greenland style with a rising bow and the cockpit and widest part amidships.

Gilbert's boats get good marks from other experienced paddlers.

His designs are really nice, and the boats are made to fit the individual, says Greg Lewis, longtime kayaker and instructor at Boston Harbor Marina.

"Fit is everything," Lewis says. A good fit makes paddling easier.

A custom fit makes the boat an extension of the paddler's body, Gilbert said.

"People leave with a boat built for them," he says.

But at a price -- a single starts at $3,000, doubles start at $4,500.

The concave hull and sharp chines of Gilbert's designs mimic the shape of traditional skin-covered boats and make them handle well. They turn in the water simply by the paddler leaning a little, he says.

They are reinforced with carbon fiber and fiberglass, making them stronger and lighter than other boats. His boats average 35 to 42 pounds. Comparable production kayaks weigh 43 to 60 pounds.

Gilbert also offers one-on-one boat-building workshops.

"When people get excited about their boats, I get excited about it, too," he says. "Then I don't feel like such a machine."

Gilbert moved to Olympia from Eugene, Ore., in 1993.

"This is what I do," he says, with a sweeping gesture around the neat shop.

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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