Rick has been kayaking for over forty years in the Chesapeake Bay and its many rivers and creeks—paddling plastic and carbon boats the entire time. About ten years ago, he had the chance to paddle a handmade wood sea kayak, and he absolutely fell in love. Rick remembers the first wood kayak being so beautiful. At first, he was apprehensive to paddle it, thinking he would probably damage it. But he did paddle it, and his initial impression was how strong the boat felt. Then, a few strokes in, he noticed how smooth and stable it felt. A few more strokes, and he realized that this boat was faster than any other kayak he had ever paddled. Rick had to have one.
With that said, he couldn’t just order one. He had to build it himself. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the time it would take (two to three months or more) to build one from drawings or from a design created by one of many different kayak designers. It wasn’t until years later that he finally had the time. He started by purchasing the drawings, manuals, materials, and tools. When deciding on materials and tools, Rick chose the best tools and the highest quality materials as he was excited to be finally building his own wood sea kayak and wanted it to be of the highest quality, strong, and durable—the absolute best it could be. He then dove in and committed to the process.
Rick’s home building and engineering background drove him to thoroughly research every step of the build prior to actually building the kayak. When he was finally ready to start, he checked and re-checked his plan and then tenaciously started to build. During his first kayak build, he experienced many peaks and valleys but found that he really enjoyed the process and creativity involved in the build. After he finished and took the kayak out into the sunlight for the first time, Rick was amazed at how beautiful it was and how proud it made him feel that he built a kayak. That being said, there was still one final step—to sea-trial the kayak to see if it would actually float. He did and it did!
What happened next is why Rick started PETERSONBOATS.
Everyone that saw Rick’s sea kayak, loved it! Even better, when he told them he built it, they were amazed at how beautiful it was and that it was his first. With all the positive feedback, he decided to take it to the local kayak shop to see what the experts thought. They were impressed as well and encouraged him to consider building sea kayaks for other, likeminded paddlers. Later, Rick ran into the local resident kayaking pro on the water and asked what he thought. He thought the kayak was stunning and wanted to paddle it. So, he got in and took off down the creek. When came back, he said that it performed brilliantly, and was straight, stable, and fast. In addition, he said he could appreciate the kayak and hard work that goes into building it because he built a similar kayak and knows what it takes to make a solid performing sea kayak.
Rick had what he considered the toughest critics approving the quality of the build. It was at this point that Rick was confident he could build a solid, performance-based kayak. Even a member of the kayak design team saw the build the next day and gave the boat a thumbs up.
Rick started getting requests to build kayaks from those that wanted a wood sea kayak but didn’t want or didn’t have the time to build one themselves. The big question was, could Rick really make a living doing this? The answer was yes, but it meant more than that. It meant he could actually do something he is passionate about!
Rick is now successfully building family heirlooms and functioning works of art one kayak at a time!
When you buy one of his build-to-order kayaks, be ready to have people stop you to look and ask questions about your unique build. It will bring smiles to everyone who sees it : )
Owning a PETERSONBOATS kayak is going to be like having a celebrity in your family!
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