Paulownia

Paulownia is a wood with many monikers. We know it by the western name it was given by Russian Tsar Paul I. He named it to honor his daughter Queen Anna Pavlovna of The Netherlands and it’s often referred to as the princess tree for this reason. In Japan where it’s revered for its beauty it’s called kiri. It was (and maybe still is) customary to plant a kiri tree when a baby girl was born to a household. Years later when the girl is married the tree is harvested and used to build a dowry chest as a wedding present. Another nickname is the phoenix tree which is derived from it tendency to regrow from its own root system after harvesting. In Chinese lore it also has a strong association with the phoenix where the bird is believed to perch only in the finest paulownia trees. The presence of the picky phoenix was a good omen but wouldn’t happen unless a benevolent ruler was in power.

It's a deciduous tree native to China and parts of southern Asia. It’s the fastest growing hardwood often reaching a height of 15’ or more in the first year. Harvesting can take place as soon as five years after planting. For this reason it’s becoming an important tree to the timber industry. While China, Japan and many other countries have been cultivating it for nearly two thousand years North American growers are just catching on. I predict it will become the next big “green” product from the timber industry for its renewability and a slew of other environmentally friendly properties I’ll leave you to discover on your own.

There are many uses for the tree’s lumber including construction, shipbuilding, crafts, musical instruments and so on. The wood is light in color, low weight and has a very high ignition point. In recent years it has garnered the attention of surfers and body boarders. The light wood is well suited for surfing because it’s strong enough to not need fiberglassing like balsawood. Well the same should be true for kayaks. Kayaks do require a layer of glass inside and out for strength and protection regardless of the wood so that that won’t change. What will change will be the weight. The specific gravity of paulownia is about a third of oak and half of pine. Cedar, commonly used for kayaks, weighs about 25% more.

Sounds perfect right? It’s strong, light weight, knot free, renewable, attractive, low in tannins, sapless and resists fire, rot, insects and warping. Great! Finding it in the US? Not so great. I did track down a few retail suppliers but didn’t get any responses to my queries. Luckily I eventually found a small plantation about 40 miles from my house. I called and was told they were closing shop but that they had a few pieces available. I scheduled an appointment for the following Saturday and met the owner on a lovely and secluded farm.

I struck gold. I had my pick of boards and spent a couple of hours talking with the owner who had a wealth of knowledge about the wood and its uses with boat and surfboard building. With my truck loaded and a smile on my face I went home $300 lighter. In the pictures below you can see my treasure. I stopped to take the picture after unloading half of the timber. The total weight of the boards combined is less than 52 pounds. The equivalent stack of cedar would weigh in at nearly 70 pounds. I’m pretty excited to get started but patience is needed. Before I begin I’ve got to empty out the garage…

 

 

Inception

Me:  I’m going to build a kayak.

My friend:  You’re what?

Me:  A boat.  A kayak.  I’m going to build one.

* An uncertain glance from my friend who’s now wondering if I’ve finally gone 'round the bend. *

My friend:  Why would you build a kayak?  Won’t that be hard?

Me:  I don’t know.  Probably.  It just seems like a fun thing to do.

That’s been the reaction from just about every person to whom I’ve mentioned my newfound obsession.  The incredulous looks and shaking heads have been noted and enjoyed.  Often they gently chuckle as a test to see if I’m joking but no I just smile and nod like a refuge from the psych ward.  If I’m really playing the part then I’ll let a little drool escape the corner of my mouth and roll down my chin.  Yup, cuckoo. 

Once satisfied I’m not kidding they always begin asking questions like how do you do it, won’t it leak, what wood do you use and so on.  Usually they’ll stay engaged for quite some time while I share my research.  When they understand the basics of what it takes then it doesn’t look so bad or me so crazy for taking it on.  In fact I’m starting to think everyone would like to build one of their own when they discover it’s a possibility and well within even the novice’s ability.

But why this and not a table, chair or miniature Taj Mahal?  Heck, I don’t even paddle.  Oh I’ve done a little in the distant past but you certainly couldn’t say I need a kayak.  If I wanted to get into the sport I could just go out and buy a one.  Maybe it’s just because I like to keep people off balance as much as possible.  I tend to switch things up as soon as I think too many people have me figured out.  That could be it.  I don’t need more than that to undertake a challenge.

Hmmm.  Of course it could be a mid-life crisis.  I recently turned 40 and God knows I can’t afford a Ferrari.  It would probably kill me anyway so building a wooden kayak suddenly looks like a safe and realistic way to obtain something beautiful.  If you’re reading this then you either know me personally or your search for wooden kayaks brought you here.  In either case I’m sure you’ve at least seen pictures of the things.  They are magnificent aren’t they?  There’s just something about varnished wood that appeals to the eye and when it’s carefully shaped into a useable vessel its appeal is magnified.  But frankly I don’t feel the need to learn how to paint just because I like Picasso.

So what then?  Why have I become so fascinated with a strip built boat?  I don’t really know so I could blame my friends Kenny and Ross who have built kayaks of their own.  About a dozen years ago Kenny put one together from a stitch and glue kit he acquired from somewhere.  That got Ross thinking he’d like one too so the next thing you know he’s working on his own.  Then he built another and so did his dad.  Well the bug must be contagious because I got the itch but unfortunately I was too poor to scratch. 

And so I set aside the idea.  Quietly tucked away it was a seed lying dormant in a fertile field waiting on a little warmth and rain to germinate.  This past July that warmth came as a trip to the beach with my family and friends.  The rain followed with an absolute flood of information from books and the glorious internet. 

It was late in the afternoon of July 15^th when my father, brother, Ross and I relaxed on the back porch of a beach house on Dewees Island.  With cigars in hand and beer in belly we bounced about a number of topics.  I was a bit woozy from the beer so I was listening to the waves and staring off at a distant sandbar.  As I stared and thought about how nice it would be to explore that sandbar but didn't have a way to get there my brother John and Ross were talking.  At some point a single word broke through my listless daze, “kayak.”  Then there it was again, “something something something kayak something something.”  I tuned back in and listened to a q&a session I’ve since found familiar.

John asked, “So, how exactly do you build a kayak?”  Ross replied in detail with my brother eating up every word and responding with more questions.  Then from the foggy recesses of my memory I recalled Ross and Kenny had built kayaks.  I began to remember the urge to chop down a tree and turn it into a floating vessel of my own creation.  It was a good feeling.  While they talked I listened and began to think about building my own then I asked Ross one simple question, “where did you get your kit?”

That did it.  I started researching that very day.  In all I guess the only answer I have is I’m looking for something I can learn about that will occupy my time.  I like to stay busy and my hobbies and interests are numerous so why not a kayak?  Could it be that I’ve been asking myself the wrong question all this time?  Why not?  I have never taken on a project of this scale and I’m a little intimidated but people need to challenge themselves.  And this my friends seems like a challenge. 

I will need to learn a great deal and it’s going to require time, tools, skills and space I don’t have.  From my readings I’ve seen experts take 100-120 hours to complete a boat with novices doubling that.  The tools are few and I can borrow the more expensive ones.  The skills I’ll have to pick up along the way but that’s what a project like this is for.  The space I’ll conjure up from my garage.

The one thing I’ve left out and will need in great supply is patience.  For me that may be the biggest challenge because it's certainly not one of my stronger qualities.  As my dad aptly put it not long ago I must still have all of the patience I was born with because I sure haven’t used any.  Dad's know a lot of truths.  Especially about their sons.

This past weekend I found myself on the back porch of the Dewees beach house finishing up The Strip Built Sea Kayak by Nick Schade.  It was there while picking sand spurs out of my dog’s paws, scratching the odd mosquito welt and staring at the unobtainable sandbar that I decided I’d share my adventure with the world.  So dear reader I hope you enjoy this blog and are inspired to challenge yourself.  I promise not to bore you with any more 1,000 word posts if only you’ll stick around and let me share this part of life with you.

- Pete A.K.A. KudaMuda