In August of 2000 I decided to build a boat (in part for the joy of building and in part because I'm too cheap to buy one!) I paddled every boat I could get my hands on and went to several demo events on area lakes and found a few boats that I liked. I selected Rob Macks' Laughing Loon Panache as my design. The Panache shared may hull characteristics with boats I enjoyed paddling.

I started building last December and finally launched on Sunday, November 25th. The forecast called for snow the next day so I figured it could be my last chance until May. The weather cooperated - it was 36 degrees Fahrenheit, windy and cloudy, but no freezing ran or snow.