Who is Eskimo Tom?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Eskimo Tom Story
It started innocently enough. On a whim I bought Wolfgang Brinck's book The Aleutian Kayak, "Origins, Construction, and Use of the Traditional Seagoing Baidarka in 1997, read it, shelved it and forgot it. After many canoe excursions to the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area, the Superior National Forest and Lutsen, my eyes turned to the expansive waters of Lake Superior just East of Highway 61.

Outside Grandpa Woo's Boat Tours in Beaver Bay the sign says, "You've seen it from the road, now experience it from the water." One Autumn weekend while in Bayfield Wisconsin I took the 3 hour sea kayak tour from Trek and Trail and was hooked and wanted a kayak. I looked at new kayaks in the stores as my timing was off for the kayak and canoe Auction at Midwest Mountaineering, a great source for affordable used boats.

It's not easy wading through the marketing hype to find the right kayak. Like any big ticket purchase it's best to do your homework or turn to someone who knows the subject matter. Weight was my primary concern as I frequently paddled alone. My ideal kayak needed to be light enought to be easily lifted on and off the truck by myself and carried to and from the water. My body is more akin to a college student than a lumberjack, I tip the scales at 165 lbs.

I recall being sorely disappointed with how heavy manufactured kayaks were and how expensive they were. Weight is less an issue in the water, but you need two folks to share the load. I want boats I can load solo on the truck and go at a moment's notice because that's when the urge to go for a paddle hits me. I want them light enough to portage comfortably if need be, canoe or kayak. It's a wilderness thing. If you've portaged a canoe in the BWCA you understand this desire for light weight.

I re-read Brinck's book and renewed my interest in building a lightweight kayak. Upon researching various alternatives including wood strip building, skin & frame, wood & canvas and glued lap construction techniques I settled on stitch and glue construction. I built two different style kayaks from plans I purchased from Cheseapeake Light Craft, one hard chine and one multi chine. I wanted to compare the two variations.

The boats received a lot of positive attention and soon friends also wanted lightweight boats. What I really liked about the stitch and glue technique was the light weight. I built a number of boats inspired from the two designs and I furthered my education regarding design of slender hull forms. I sampled several hull design packages and continue to do that today. I taught myself to use CAD and Marcromedia Dreamweaver to develop this site. My personal library of boat design and construction books and publications numbers well over 150 titles. There are gigs of related web documents stored on my hard drive.

My boats aren't designed to be crashed against rocks but neither are most Kevlar boats. If I whitewater paddle, I rent a boat. Better to scratch and bash a boat rented for that purpose. I can do expedition strength lay ups which will accept plenty of abuse. There is a weight penalty however.

The boat designs I create are for outings where lightweight and beauty are the desired characteristics. It is possible to build a wood and fiberglass composite boat and have it weigh close to a comparable Kevlar boat up to a certain point. Most of the canoes and kayaks I have built come in at less than 39 lbs. It is a good compromise weight for durability and minimum maintenance. It is possible to go much ligher.

Some folks have commented that my boats are functional sculptures and it pleases me to create these beautiful objects for folks to use. Many inquiries recently are for plans so I'm developing PDF's of the 100+ designs I have created. Few competitors have as many solo canoe plans on hand and fewer still offer custom design on this scale. Whether you have built numerous wood watercraft or this is your first one, you will find me an excellent resource. I likely have lines very close to what you are looking for and can make any adjustments you see fit.

I guess I could have offered my skills to Chesapeake Light Craft or Pygmy Boats but I would have had to leave Minnesota to move to one of the coasts.

Some ask, why hire someone to build a kit boat when you can buy it build it for less? Some folks happen to have more time than money, others have more money than time. Some folks appreciate the added attention of something hand made for them, especially something of beauty.

What's with the "Eskimo" in Eskimo Tom?
I am a Yup'ik Eskimo born in Anchorage Alaska, adopted at birth and raised in the Wisconsin. I found my birth mother and met her for the first time in Bethel Alaska in 1995 and we remain in touch. I've visited Alaska on three occasions, twice to Bethel, one time for the Cami Dance Festival.

The Eskimo nick name stuck since college in Stevens Point and Madison Wisconsin. You may have met me in the Jam Band scene and perhaps I washed your feet at the Anahata Aromatherapy booth at the outdoor music festivals or the Big Wu's Family Reunion.

The "Real People"
Yup'ik and Cup'ik people occupy the southwest region of Alaska bordering the Bearing Sea. They are a society rich with culture and tradition that utilize artistic expressions such as story telling, drumming and dancing to pass down traditional values to their youth, such as ways of life, survival skills and obedience. Central Alaskan Yup'ik has the highest number of Alaska native speakers and the largest Population. In 17 of 68 villages, children are still learning Yup'ik as their first language. (From the Cook Inlet Region Incorporated, CIRI March 2005 Newsletter.)

In a previous occupation I designed and managed high end Business Intelligence and relationship management systems. Back in the day, we called them databases. I've designed numerous lead tracking and sales management analysis systems. My last position was with Computer Associates (ca.com). I taugh myself how to do this web site, wrote most of the content and took most of the photos. I've worked in a graphic design, direct marketing and retail.

The Logo Design

The distinctive logo mark was developed in cooperation with Peter Borden, artist, illustrator and graphic designer currently with St. Thomas in Saint Paul.

The concept was to create a design inspired by the transformational masks carved by Yup'ik Eskimos. The transformational mask was used in mask dancing used to relate stories from dancers and often depicted a critter with a human face incorporated into the design. Masks represent a wide range of beings and experiences through performances and stories. My mask incorporates a Common Loon, a pretty representative bird here in Minnesota. I wanted a happy, go lucky face as it is appropriate in my case. A paddler sits in a boat at the top of the mask and fish surround the loon.

Some excellent information on Yup'ik Masks can be found in AGAYULIYARARPUT, Our Way of Making Prayer The Living Tradition of Yup'ik Masks by Ann Fienup-Riordan, University of Washington Press, 1996

Eskimo Tom's Fine Wood Watercrafttm is recognized as the leading designer and builder of canoes and kayaks in Burns Township of Minnesota. Formerly located in the Midway region of Saint Paul, design and construction of new building facilities is underway at the new Elk River location. The new location includes an integral testing pond for full size paddle craft and AMYA class pond yachts. Eskimo Tom's Fine Wood Watercraft is four time Winner of the Gilded Gunwale Award. Eskimo Tom was awarded the Spark Plug Award in 1997 by Western Bank.

"Work like you don't need the money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
And dance like nobody is watching!"

Making dreams come true, one boat at a time