Testimonials

Patience and building a Chesapeake Light Craft Kayak

By Lawrence P. Hanson - Boat Building Student

"With Tim’s patient coaching, instruction, tools and workshop, I was able to complete a 17 foot Chesapeake Light Craft kayak kit which had been given to me as a birthday gift about seven years ago. I am glad I “patiently waited” for the correct moment to present itself. Because of Tim’s guidance, I was spared many blind alleys and uncertainties, and because there were extra hands available when needed, construction progressed with confidence and fun. I enjoyed the feel of the workshop -- being able to observe other boat builder’s style and choices, to tease and be teased, to be able to use high quality tools without having to buy them. The diversity of age, background, and personality of the other boat builders also escaping their daily routine to build something unique, beautiful, useful and “theirs” makes the experience a wonderful memory." -- Larry Hanson

Boat Building 101 | January 2008

My name is Richard Lincoln and I am student of C Fox Boat Schoool. My journey into boat building began as with most folks.  A dream.  A dream of building my own boat.  And as with most of us, family obligations, other interests and every day life kept the dream on the back burner.  For twenty plus years I looked at a different plans and types of boats thinking that some day I would tackle my dream head on. 

In 2006 I was able to retire and finally would be able to devote the time needed to complete a boat building project.  But now I faced the reality of a number of unanswered questions.  What is the best boat and building method, how many tools and what kind of shop will I need to get started, do I have the skills and knowledge to make it happen and  will I be able to complete the project once started?  The last thing I wanted to do was begin the process only to find that I underestimated the difficulty or the time commitment required to have a finished product that I would be truly proud to have built myself.

It was in reflection of these and other questions that I realized that I needed a teacher to guide me through the process.  I had decided upon the stitch and glue building method and I was working with Chesapeake Light Craft on a design.  CLC is located in Annapolis Maryland and while they offer boat building classes, living in Michigan made these classes out of reach.  Fortunately, CLC provided me with the name of a boat builder that they were working with who also lived in Michigan and conducted classes on entry level stitch and glue boat construction.

Enter Tim Fox the founder of C Fox Boat Building School.  Tim is located about 25 miles from my home and with one quick phone call Tim listened to my needs and invited me over to his shop for a tour and some good ole boat talk. 

It was immediately clear that Tim was exactly the person that I needed to guide me through building my own boat.  Easy to talk with and quick with solid answers to what must have seamed an endless array of questions, Tim laid out the process that we would be using to complete my dream of building my own boat.  I chose to build a Norwegian style Pram.  She is a lapstrake dinghy and would be built using the stitch and glue method. We began in late January 2007 and completed her in about 180 hours of part time construction. 

She turned out great and the quality of the construction and finish is more than I could have expected if I had not had Tim to guide me through the process.  I can say with confidence that while I did most of the work, Tim’s guidance and instruction made the project a great success. I must add that while my boat was designed for first time builders, I would not have achieved the level of success without Tim’s continuous mentoring and his critical eye for quality.

Tim has a wonderful understanding of assessing a students skills and abilities and explaining difficult concepts.  While much of the time there were 2 or 3 different boat projects going on in the shop, Tim always found time to devote the one on one time with each student to make sure that their tasks were clear and that each individual project was moving along at a worthy level of quality.

Not only did I learn the basics and specifics of boat construction and finish but Tim also taught me the proper use of both power and hand tools.  From hand planes to power sanders, each student is encouraged and even expected to develop a sound working knowledge of the required tools needed to complete each phase of construction.

In closing, whether your starting that kit boat that you got for Christmas, building a boat from a set of plans, or resurrecting that partially built dream that is sitting in the corner of the garage, give Tim a call.  As he did for me, Tim will help make your boat building dream a successful reality. 

I am currently finishing my second boat, a river kayak called the Mill Creek 13.  My son helped me build her and she will be leaving Tim’s shop for her maiden voyage in early spring of 2008.

Thanks Tim, I could not be more pleased with the results of my two boats and I certainly could not have done it without you.

Richard Lincoln