Hooked On Wooden Boats

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**Hooked On Wooden Boats**

This podcast is 110% dedicated to celebrating the art, craft, history, tradition and romance of wooden boats around the world.

Season 1 will include all 217 episodes I recorded (and previously published) between 2011 and 2018.

Latest Episodes:

HOWB 167 – Interview | Lou Hoang, Devlin Candlefish 16ʹ Builder Sep 15, 2025

Show notes

Today’s podcast is with Lou Hoang of Bellevue, WA. Lou wanted a functional and seaworthy skiff that he could

use for crabbing and fishing in northwest waters. Enter the Candlefish 16ʹ by Devlin Boats.

Lou purchased the kit in 2014 and after an estimated 500-600 hours finished her up early this year. Lou has had

her out a dozen times or so already this year, and his 5 year old son caught his first fish over the gunwale

of Nausicaa.

Lou modified the design slightly by adding a center console – and he did a fabulous job. Nice work Lou!

HOWB 166 – Interview | John Carinha – Wooden Boat Builder and Rower for Autism :D Sep 08, 2025

Show notes

Today’s podcast is with John Carinha of Burnaby, BC, Canada. John grew up boating at Point Roberts as a youth

on his family’s 12ʺ aluminum Sears rowboat – this was his “yacht” at the time and he grew to love the water.

John is also an adventurer (including mountain climber). Three years ago he was at a film festival where he heard

Colin Angus speak about his on the water adventures. John got hooked and decided to start an adventure of his

own.

He purchased an Expedition Row Boat kit from Colin Angus and started Row4Autism. In John’s own words:

“Row4Autism involves coupling adventure with an awareness campaign to support recreational community

initiatives to benefit individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The expedition will entail rowing solo and

unsupported around Vancouver Island in its entirety, a distance of 1,100km.”

John completed the first leg of his journey in 2014, and plans to row the second leg this year and the final leg in

2016. Go to Row4Autism for more details.

HOWB 165 – Interview | Craig Barsky – Wooden SUP and Surf Board Builder and Guru Sep 01, 2025

Show notes

Today’s podcast is with Craig Barsky of Vancouver, BC, Canada. Craig is the founder and owner of Barsky

Boards.

Craig designs, builds and sells Stand Up Paddle boards (SUP’s) and surf boards. His boards are works of art and

constructed using the strip built method.

HOWB 164 – Interview | Brian Chandler, Founder of Dreamcatcher Boats Aug 25, 2025

Show notes

Today’s podcast is with Brian Chandler of Vancouver, BC. Brian is the founder and owner of Dreamcatcher

Boats (listen to the podcast to find out more about this catchy name) and is dedicated to developing methods to

build simple and highly functional small boats.

Chandler’s three main designs are: 1.) 14 1/2ʹ Rushton rowboat; 2.) Big Lassie 2 person canoe, and; 3.) Free

Lassie.

HOWB 163 – Interview | Mike Bretner, Comm’s Director Vancouver BC Wooden Boat Society Aug 18, 2025

Show notes

Today’s podcast is with Mike Bretner of Vancouver, BC. Mike is a self confessed wooden boat addict and also

the communications director for the Vancouver BC Wooden Boat Society.

Bretner owns and uses several really cool boats: 1.) A 1952 Turner lifeboat with the original 1 cylinder gas

engine; 2.) a 1967 Mirror Dinghy he has owned since 1981, and; 3.) a 14ʹ strip built boat he recently built based

on Phil Bolger’s Defender design.

Of note too – Mike’s dad owned an Amphicar and surprised Mike as a young child by driving off the road and

into the water

Dave Sharp & the wooden tug "Dominion" - Sharp Marine Aug 11, 2025

Show notes

Find out what is happening in BC Canada at Sharp Marine Restoration

HOWB 161 – Interview | Dave Clark on Giving a New Life to the 1944 Miki Class Tug “Dominion” Aug 04, 2025

Show notes

Today’s podcast is with Captain Dave Clark of Bremerton, WA. Clark traded a piece of property for the 117ʹ

historic tugboat – Dominion – 2 years ago, and has magnificent plans for her!

Dave fell in love with boats at a young age and moved to the Seattle, WA area in 1989 to pursue his boating

passion. He had a brief encounter with a Tugboat named Dominion a decade ago, and then years later in 2013 he

saw her for sale on Craigslist. He called the owner Jeff, and traded a piece of property for the tug over the phone

that day.

Dave is establishing a Non-Profit entity for the tug – Dominion Historical Workboat Association – and she is

carefully being restored in preparation for her new life as an historic wooden vessel used as a maritime museum

for training, education, philanthropy, and much much more.

HOWB 160 – Interview | Michael Durland Proprietor at Deer Harbor Boatworks on Orcas Island, San Juan Islands, WA Jul 28, 2025

Show notes

Today’s podcast is with Michael Durland, proprietor of Deer Harbor Boatworks and long time resident of Orcas

Island in the San Juan Islands of WA state. If you’ve never been to the San Juans, it’s high time you visit – this is

one incredible place!

Michael moved to the Island in the 70’s to work on a boat with a friend, and never left. He runs the Boatworks

and works on a lot of cool wooden vessels of all sizes and designs.

Michael also helped launch the Wooden Boat Society of the San Juans in 2001. The Society holds a rendezvous

each year in between the dates of the Victoria, BC Classic Boat Festival and the Port Townsend Wooden Boat

Festival. The rendezvous is a down home, low key event with meals, racing and general messing about on boats.

HOWB 159 – Interview | Rob O’Dea, Wooden Boat Lover & Pres of the Oarlock & Sail Wooden Boat Club, Vancouver, BC Jul 21, 2025

Show notes

Today’s podcast is an interview with Rob O’Dea, president of the Oarlock and Sail Wooden Boat Club of

Vancouver, BC. In the clubs own words: “The Oarlock and Sail W ooden Boat Club is a club for people who

enjoy building, repairing, sailing, talking about, thinking about, and simply messing about in small wooden

boats. The club operates out of a floating boat shed at the V ancouver Maritime Museum’s Heritage Harbour at

1905 Ogden Avenue, V ancouver. Members can be found each saturday morning restoring the club’s fleet of small

wooden boats or working on a new build.” And visitors are welcome anytime!

O’Dea has been messing about in wooden boats most of his life. Eight years ago he bought a 36ʹ sailboat built in

1956 in Nova Scotia. This boat had been owned by Charlie and Margo of Charlie’s Charts Cruising Guides, and

was their home as they were writing their Guides. Rob shares some tall tales of adventure aboard this fine vessel.

HOWB 158 – Interview | Small Boat Artist Rod Tait of Orca Canoes & Kayaks Jul 14, 2025

Show notes

Today’s podcast is an interview with Rod Tait of Orca Canoes and Kayaks in Coquitlam, BC. Rod builds small

strip built canoes, kayaks and other boats, sell kits, and rebuilds and refurbishes small boats.

Rod was raised in the province of British Columbia and when he was a young lad his folks purchased a small

fishing resort on coastal BC. Rod spent the next few years messing around in small wooden fishing boats and

helping his family run the resort. This was the beginning of his lifelong love for boats and boating – especially of

the wooden variety.

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