Yes, it floats!

Steve Spilde--on the water!

Steve Spilde is a happy man.

He spent what he figures was a total of 300 hours building his own wooden rowboat.  This past week he took the completed boat to his cabin at Park Rapids, Minnesota and it not only floats, but it is "really light in the water."

Spilde's project began last November, when he was thinking of doing a construction project in his woodworking shop.  He decided he would build a boat--and sent away $60 for some blueprints for a rowboat.

He selected clear cedar wood with no knots for the boat, as well as a little bit of walnut for accents.  He worked on the project most Sundays, bending the wood and cutting out the various boat stations.

"It's not simple construction," he notes.  Not only is there the worry of making the boat waterproof, but there's also the unknowns like whether the boat is tippy or balanced.

So that made the week-long trip to Minnesota a critical test.  He's pleased to report the boat "moves along quickly."  He says it handled much like a light canoe and concludes "I'm happy."

So will he start work now on his next boat?  "It will be awhile" before he tackles a similar project.  He says he's back in his woodworking shop again--but this time, he's working on a birdhouse.

Early in the project

Steve at work in his shop

Ready to go

On the water