PEA RIDGE
The works of art in Tony Eliasen's home can be loaded up and taken to the lake for a fine day of paddling.
Build A Boat
Countless books and websites offer information on building canoes, kayaks or any type of boat. One of the most complete websites is from the Glen-L company. The firm sells kits and plans to build more than 300 boats. There’s a forum for boat builders and photos of boats customers have built.
Information: www.glen-l.com
Eliasen builds wood canoes and kayaks that are pleasing to the eye and graceful on the water. The graceful paddlecraft are worthy of prominent display, better than being tucked away in a garage or shed. Two of his wooden boats decorate the Eliasen household, hanging from ropes near the ceiling.
So gorgeous are his boats that Wishing Springs Gallery in Bentonville invites Eliasen to display them at the gallery during arts and crafts weekend in October.
"I wouldn't even call them boats," said Jacki D'Anna who works at the gallery. "They're beautiful. They're truly art."
Eliasen's boats look too pretty to put in the water. "That's what most people say," Eliasen said while showing two kayaks and a canoe at his home on July 11. He and his family live west of Pea Ridge where he builds boats in his garage.
At first glance, one may think Eliasen, 46, has been a boat craftsman most of his life. It was only two years ago that he built his first boat, a canoe.
Time Well Spent
Eliasen is a self-employed contractor by trade and enjoys the water. It was natural for him to try boat building.
"Business is slow in January and February," he said. Eliasen ordered some plans for a strip-built canoe with a hull of cedar and gunwales made of ash. He hand-carved the yoke that's fitted in the center of the boat. The yoke is used to carry the canoe on one's shoulders.
Seven months later, he finished the canoe. His first attempt at boat building couldn't be prettier.
Eliasen steam-bent the pieces of wood for the seat so sitting in the canoe would be more comfortable. Strips of cedar that form the hull were salvaged from a remodeling project Eliasen did on a home in Bella Vista.
The two kayaks Eliasen built are just as beautiful and functional. All three boats perform well in the water, the boat builder confirmed.
Eliasen doesn't think twice about putting his boat on the lake and paddling. The boats were built for use. Eliasen is a regular cruiser when the Bella Vista Paddlers Club gets together. He's careful with the boats, but not overly so.
"I don't run the boats up on shore or abuse them," he said.
There's fun and challenge in building a boat. There's great joy, Eliasen said, in paddling a canoe or kayak created with one's own hands. He has a knack for building things.
"I like to tell people that I think that God creates everyone with their own talents and abilities," Eliasen said.
He used cedar, maple, redwood and walnut to build the kayak that hangs near the ceiling inside his home.
"I like the contrast that the dark and light woods give to the boat," he said.
The wooden hatch covers of the kayak are unique. Magnets secure the covers to the deck of the kayak for a snug fit.
His most recent work of boat-building art is another kayak, a 17-footer, that he finished earlier this summer. Eliasen has the wood to build a paddle to go with the kayak.
Trial, Error
Anyone thinking of building a boat ought to give it a try, Eliasen said. He'd like to see more people feel the same joy and feeling of accomplishment that he has. Learning the craft involves some trial and error.
"You can't be afraid to make mistakes because that's how you learn," he said.
Aspiring boat builders might consider building a canoe or kayak from a kit. Kits and boat plans are available from companies across the nation.
Give boat building a try and, like Eliasen, you may be paddling your own work of art on your favorite waterway.
Outdoors on 08/07/2014