Anayak Kayak News

Seattle Workshops

2009-01-31T14:39:00.000-08:00

This is my Old Shop in Seattle I now have a new place @ the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center 4408 DELRIDGE apt 302 WAY SW, SEATTLE, WA 98106. I will post new pics. Also here is a link to my new my space page

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=102975388

Coquille Workshop

2009-01-31T13:38:00.000-08:00

Recently I did a workshop with a friend of mine from the Coquille tribe. It was interesting to share skills with a Native American from a different tribe that was also an artist. Shirod Younker makes traditional paddles. I learned a lot from him in are experience.

2008-06-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

This is a review for the latest workshop I tot, with a person that would like to remain anonymous. I successfully tot him how to make a kayak that I designed for speed and also stability. Here are a few pictures taken at the launching date. I am currently taking new students so please give me a call 1-360-301-4639 and we can set things up. I have also moved my shop to a location in Seattle and would like to connect with people in the Seattle area to set things up. Here is the address
1220 Trenton St Seattle 98108

Scotland Trip

2008-04-28T15:01:00.000-07:00

I have just come back from Scotland just a few weeks ago and had a great time. I met a lot of crafts people their including a fellow skin boat builder that was working on a Bristol Bay style kayak. I was impressed with his work and also learned a few things from hanging out with Bill Samson. I made a movie were Bill is giving a demo making ribs with willow I hope you all like it. The movie also has shots of Edinburgh in it as well. I hope to go back to Scotland and teach work shops in the fall.

King Island Replica

2007-11-16T14:30:00.002-08:00

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I Finished a replica kayak that I did a survey on from Harvey Goldens private collection. Harvey invited me to his home and showed me the ropes in conducting a survey. It was hard at first but I got it down pretty quickly. I did the survey and afterwards made a life size drawing of the kayak to get every little detail down.
The great thing about this kayak is the fact that it was constructed in roughly 1935 and my family was living there at the time of the construction and I would like to think that they were involved. The original kayak was made with split walrus and bearded seal skins and the ribs in the internal structure were bent in the old way of sucking and biting and slowly bending every rib.
This kayak took more time than the conventional kayak that I usually make, mostly because I split a lot of the lumber by hand to try and get the true building experience. I will not do this a lot because it does take a lot of time to do things this way and I live in present time when I have access to tools that will make the job a lot easier.

Dug Out Canoe Project

2007-10-31T23:20:00.000-07:00

This summer I was invited to help build with a Mauri dugout canoe project with Taki Smith, a Mauri from New Zealand , John Smith from the Skokomish Tribe and Meleno Lovato, also a native crafts man. The project was a good experience for me and I learned a lot from them and I also shared knowledge. This was an approach to boat building I was not familiar with, it was much different because we were almost carving a boat. Skin on frame is very different but I received a lot of information that will help me when I start making replica kayaks. Overall my carving ability has been greatly improved from this experience.

2007-10-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I attended an annual native carvers convention at the Long House at Evergreen State College. I connected with other native craftsmen and women who shared a similar vision. We were all there with the intent to learn from each other and also to recognize similarities and difference within our aboriginal roots. My knowledge was tremendously expanded from the experience. Some of the carvers were also boat builders as well and we shared different building ideas. There were tribal people from as far away as New Zealand and Hawaii. There were a lot of people there representing the North Pacific rim. I was the only person there with ancestry from the arctic region.

2007-10-24T08:57:00.000-07:00

This passed August I was invited to the Burk Museum in Seattle Washington to do a building demo there at the Native arts gathering. With the help of other native boat builders as well, John Smith from the Skokomish tribe and Dwight Tuvek a fellow Bering Straights native. It was a true collaboration of native artist and I learned a lot from John And Dwight that I will carry it with me for times to come.
The Demo was a good experience for me and it drew a large amount of people to watch in amazement as I put the kayak together. Being a skilled kayak builder I can build fast and the construction is entertaining for people to watch. People were very interested in the history and also my family connection with the kayak. People are becoming more interested in the History of this craft because of the popularity of the sport in recent years. I am hoping to dive into doing more demo work in the near future and concentrate on places were people are selling recreational kayaks as well as natural history museums. This way there will become a bridge between the passed and the future of this craft and make it that much more interesting for people.

2007-08-17T08:09:00.000-07:00

The latest with me and Anayak Kayaks is that I was recently on a PBS show called Design Squad. It is a cool kids show where there are 2 teams and they compete against each other on different building tasks. In this particular episode the challenge was building a kayak and I was the star of the show in this segment. It was a lot of fun and the kids and the TV crew were great and very hard working. It was a good experience for me and I hope to do more work like this in the future. It will air in February some time and I will post it on my web sight and also send out a group email on the exact date it will air this winter.

Anayak Kayak Work Shops

2007-01-21T22:06:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone I haven’t written in my blog for some time now. I have been making Kayaks for the last year and have just finished my first ever workshop. This winter I will be making 4 kayaks for demonstration.
Anayak Kayak is now offering intensive workshops for small groups. Now you can make your own King Island Kayak and paddle. The workshop will allow even the novice carpenter to create a beautiful, sea worthy kayak. Along the way you will gain a sense of personal accomplishment and a strengthening of creative capability.
The workshop will take between 7-10 days, depending on your skill level. You can either take the workshop in one block of time or you can come for three weekends at your leisure. Anayak Kayak is also offering off sight workshops, and I am willing to make house calls. If you have a 17’ by 8’ space we are in business. I am willing to travel if there are 3 or more people in your area that want workshops.
Price of work shop
On sight: $1,300 includes paddle
Off sight: $1,500 includes paddle
The Person in the photos is someone who has just finished a workshop with me. She was great, and she now is able to create things from wood and feel confident about it. In the beginning she had not even picked up a saw, or even used a cordless drill. It was satisfying to introduce something to someone that will enrich their future. I felt just as satisfied with this work shop as she did.
This summer I would like to hit the road with workshops and teach people all over the country. If you are interested in taking one of my workshops please contact me and I will try and fit you in to my tour of the country. Also I am trying to work on creating classes at wooden boat foundations and art and history museums, and I have been looking into maritime museums as well.

Latest News

2006-04-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

At the moment I am finishing up a sixteen foot kayak for this woman in the mid west. I am making it as a surprise for her husband and it will be given to him on father’s day this summer. It will be the 6th kayak I have made within the last six months and I feel like my skill level is reaching a place where I feel deeply pleased with my work.

Just last week I finished making a King Island single blade paddle for a man in Hawaii. He was very pleased with my craftsmanship and he paid me well for the paddle as well. Also I started a double blade for my father; there is no lamination in this one; it is made from straight clear grain yellow cedar. The paddle is near completion and it looks very nice. If anyone out there is interested in seeing any of the work I have done recently I would be glad to email pictures to anyone who desires to see the work.

This week I have also spent some time writing a letter to my tribe trying to see if there is funding for a skin-on-frame workshop for the up coming future. This is something I have been trying to get off the ground for the last six months. I feel like this will be something that takes a long time.
The people at the 13th regional corporation would be proud to know that I have made it this far in the process of being an Eskimo kayak builder. Their intention when they gave a grant to me was to resurrect some of the culture that has been lost, to gain cultural identity within me and also other people that I share with.

Thanks and there will be more soon ~ Sean

anayakkayak@gmail.com
1-360-301-4639
pobox 993
Chimacum Washington 98325