Viva Lewes Issue #153 June 2019

MY SPACE
These are sea kayaks – longer, at 17-
19ft, and narrower than recreational
ones – based on West Greenland Inuit
hunting boats. The design, Chris tells
me, first arrived on these shores in the
1950s and 60s; from that, the sport of
sea kayaking has evolved. He shows us
one “Shrike” in “survival orange”, and a
couple of skin-on-frame models – which
he personally favours making, he says.
“They’re very close to the Inuit originals,
and also give the option of working
in recycled materials. I want to promote
the idea of skin-on-frame and wood
composite boats. It’s a really well-known
technology in the States, but still quite
new here.”
Each kayak takes Chris between two
weeks and two months to build. Varnishing
makes a really big difference
in terms of labour time and cost – the
kayak he’s holding in the photo has
seven coats, he says. Mostly these kayaks
will sell for between £1,800 and £3,800.
Today, however, Chris is exploring a
new initiative about which he’s visibly
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