The Mariners Guild...
In the black center of the Bearing Sea, where color claws the night sky, the Aleutians rise; their rocky coasts bitter with frost. For thousands of years Unangan people have navigated those waters in skin framed boats. In the likeness of seals and whales that rule the water world, they don their boats like a second skin, their frames flexing in a network of ligaments.
With respect and remembrance we have learned from these masters and craft our vessels in the ancient tradition, using authentic native methods and time-tested designs. They are bodies of strength, endurance and integrity.
From great depths to the shoreline, join our crew as we explore the shrouded mysteries of the sea. We schedule by the moon, by currents and tides. Passing our days like the sailors of old; fishing, drifting, paddling, telling stories. Tracking and observing mammals on land and in the drink.
Upcoming programs (scroll below to register)
Course#3 Kayak Building, 5 Weekends, Starts Oct 18, 9am-5pm
Course#4 Kayak Building, 9-days, December 6 -14, 9am-5pm
Evening Kayak Paddles, Thursdays, Sept. 4 or 11, 6:30-8:30pm
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Evening Kayak Paddles
Float in the still wild waters of the Willamette at sunset, let the long day sink with it. Enter the world… evening birds bedding down…stars swarming your paddle. Rental of skin on frame kayaks included
Who 16-ADULT
When 6:30pm-8:30pm
Sessions to choose from...
Sept 4, 2008, Sept 11, 2008, Sept 18, 2008 or Sept 25, 2008
Where Sellwood boat launch
Tuition $40 per individual session
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9-day Traditional Skin on Frame Kayak Building
Summer 2008
Register for
Course #3, 5 Weekends Starts Oct 18
Course #4, 9-days December 6 -14, 9am-5pm
Belong to the water You will design your kayak for your body and personality, just as the Aleuts did. Like all other creatures who inhabit the sea, your boat will be individual and different from others. Extremely light and portable. Outsiders ward off marine life with stiff fiberglass and plywood kayaks. We glide silently alongside dolphins, sea lions and whales. When the seas become rough and heavy our frame flexes and absorbs shock. Structural flexibility means strength and durability.
Apprentice with a Master In 9 days design and build your own Skin-on-frame sea kayak. Become versed in the essentials of boat design, wood bending, knot work and joinery. Our simple method of construction relies on hand tools, and is accessible to all people. We keep our classes small and select. Masters personally instruct apprentices.
About different costs and quality of boats
See sidebar
Please research any boat builder carefully
See sidebar
Who 16-ADULT
, family participation encouraged
Participant Limit 5 persons
Course #3, 5 Weekends 9am-5pm, Starts Oct 18
Oct 18 & 19, 2008
Oct 25 & 26, 2008
Nov 1 & 2, 2008
Nov 8 & 9, 2008
Nov 15 & 16, 2008
Course #4, 9-days December 6 -14, 9am-5pm
Where The Scout Pit, 5040 SE Milwaukie Ave, PDX OR
Tuition $1295, No experience required, only 1 space left
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© Lutras Enterprises, LLC
1424 SE 76th Ave, Portland OR 97215
503.453.3038
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| Arriving National & International Participants Its easy to fly into Portland's airport and get a ride out to your workshop. We pick up and host up to two nights before. Fees $75 for each non-workshop night: meals and safe lodging included. Contact Us to make your travel arrangements. |
About cost and building boats
In this course we build bidarkas, one of the highest end designs for skin on frame boats. The overall cost is higher and so is the quality of craft. We can offer most cost effective greenland style kayak workshops by commission ($995 per participant).
Please research any boat builder carefully
Most boat building workshops you see for the $995 price point are for greenland style boats or a variation. There are many reputable and quality builders in town that specialize in these boats. Call us, we will be transparent on who we reccomend, even and especially if you choose not to go with us. Many other workshops will charge an addtional fee if you do not finish your boat in time (not us but this is still considered fair as workshops are time intensive). Also, be clear that the boat design you are building is well tested by the designer. Don't take an instructors word at face value, many people have varying paddling abilities. Try to schedule an appointment to go out in the boat. Check for stability, make sure the wood type is quality, will last over time and not rot or check. Also be sure that if lamination is used, that they aplly expoxy and not simple wood glue. Otherwise deck beams can begin to delaminate (split apart).
Our Lead Builders
Casey Nutt has worked as an independent shipwright for many years and is excited to teach boatbuilding in tandem with other primitive skills. He currently runs boat building classes with Waterside Workshops in San Francisco.
Ernie Wisner was raised by loggers and fisherman on the Oregon coast, then migrated East to learn street smarts in Chicago. (He escaped as a teenager, and returned to the Pacific Northwest.) He served a tour in the US Navy, and spent fifteen years king-crabbing in Alaska. Returning to land, he worked in the art department and physical plant at OSU while studying botany. After training in natural building, he became a guest instructor with Cob Cottage Company under Ianto Evans. Other elements of Ernie's secret identity include Arctic exploration, ballet, boat building, cooking, forestry, knotwork and Renaissance crafts, muppet voices, and chocolate truffles.
Traditional Skin on Frame Kayaks
These boats are known for their durability and customization verse other commercial kayaks. They are low profile, a work of art and a work horse, plus it is theorized that their acoustics on the water actually attract the wildlife around you. Either build your own or use one of ours, you get an opportunity to step back in time with the adventure of a lifetime. As seal skins are not a readily available material all boats are "skinned" with a balistic grade nylon, thus being vegan friendly, We cut and sew the skin in much the same manner a traditional boat.
