: Shawn, if you are planing on buying anyone a beer you better tote it in cause
: they dont sell it at a christian retreat.

: Cheers and byob, Elliott

I am talking about the location of the newfound woodworks rendevous of last year (2000) It was at a christian retreat in the woods of new hampshire. Bring rain gear if you have it as the weather was unpredictable but everything seemed to work out nicely. The best part for me was that a few of the designers got on stage and talked about kayak building and had a Q and A. There are also demonstrations on stripping,inlays, paddle making which I personally took part in and would suggest to anyone that would even think of making a paddle. Caleb Davis is a great instructor with plenty of enthusiasm to go around. Also probably the best part for you would be there are so many different kayaks available to paddle. I was pretty Impressed by the hospitality of the builders and their patience with novice test paddlers such as I. Please read I had never paddled a kayak before the rendevous.
One other thing I shoiuld note, I had the opportunity to eat BarBQ hamburgers with Nick Shade and a delightful woman I believe resided in Ithaca NY not far from my present home. Anyway I found Nick to be an extremely patient and very real down to earth guy. Hey I was in the presence of a published author and he made me feel like he was just another guy building kayaks. Maybe a few more than me but just another guy. In fact in all the people I met at the rendevous ,probably about 100, I would say it was perhaps one of the best learning experiences for me. Everyone seemed to go out of their way to help me along. Advise was as free flowing as it is on this BB.
So hey guys if that was'nt a rant....
If you want info on building Go to the Rendevous, Elliott