From Eric Hauth:
I had been pining to buy some kind of slide-seat rowing boat for quite awhile. Fortunately, I mentioned this to a colleague at work who happened to be friends with a certain boat builder, by the name of Eskimo Tom.

While I had been going back and forth between “kit” boats and manufactured, fiberglass boats, I met up with Tom Gerds who patiently walked me through all the pros and cons of each. After hearing some of my thoughts on the kit boat concept, he put me onto a craft called the Annapolis Wherry, made by Chesapeake Light Craft.

Long story short, one look at the picture convinced me that this was the boat I had to have --- beautiful, classic lines and designed with a slide-seat rowing unit in mind (the Row Wing). Tom offered to work within my limited budget and helped me understand the process.

What I could not have anticipated, was (a) all the work that goes into assembling a “kit” boat – which the manufacturers tend to understate and (b) what it takes to not only assemble a boat like this but make it a work of art, not just a boat.

Well, that’s what Tom did. He didn't just build a boat; he transformed parts that would still to this day be lying around my garage into a floating Stradivarius!

His attention to detail is obvious to everyone who sees the boat. I could not be happier with the final product of Tom’s work – on my first day putting it in the water no less than three couples walking by, stopped and asked where I got it. I doubt the owners of manufactured fiberglass boats get that reaction.

Thanks Tom for building something that I can proudly pass along to my kids – when they’re ready to row!

Eric Hauth, Sr. Manager
State Government & Public Affairs
American Academy of Neurology

This was an instance where I wanted to build this boat but knew I had no where to put it after it was finished. I was glad to help Eric out on this one. ET

To Pete's Canoe

To Julie's Kayak

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