The Quiet Conversation, Fairing a Handbuilt Kayak

Mon, 25 May 2026 18:51:24 +0000

Before the epoxy, before the stain, before the water, there is the fairing. That long, quiet conversation between the builder and the hull.
As a sculptor I've always felt more at home reading a surface with my hands than my eyes. The block plane finding its voice, the rhythm of the longboard, the moment when the tool disappears and there's nothing left but the wood telling you the truth about itself.
Part of my Little Auk kayak build.

“If you’re going to make it, make it beautiful.”
Bob Emser