New Arrivals » OkoumeFest 2008!

Join us for OkoumeFest, a rendezvous for builders and lovers of small boats!  

The 10th Annual Festival is Friday and Saturday, May 9-10, 2008

• Map to CLC
• Map to Camp Letts

Okoume (pronounced oh-KOO-mee) is the plantation-grown wood that is used all over the world to build small, lightweight boats, particularly kayaks and performance rowing craft.  So ubiquitous is okoume in amateur boatbuilding that we named our first annual rendezvous after it, way back in 1998.  

OkoumeFest is open to ALL small boats, however, whether they are wooden CLC designs, plastic, or whatever material. This is a family-friendly event centered on the joys of building and using small boats.

OkoumeFest is both a "show & tell" and a great excuse to play in small boats. Many CLC builders turn it into a deadline, planning to have their boat ready for launch at OkoumeFest. Others are just excited to share the results of their first (or second? or third?) boatbuilding adventure.  Many attendees want to try out CLC’s ever-growing fleet of designs---nearly all of which will be available to try on the water.

As always, we'll be offering prizes for Best Boat ("Concours"), Best Paint Job, Best Outfitted Kayak, Longest Distance Traveled, and more.

If you're new to boats or boatbuilding - maybe you've been toying with the idea of building your own - there is no better opportunity for you to test out the various CLC designs, attend seminars, and have all of your questions answered. In addition to the CLC staff, you'll be able to pick the brains of dozens of amateur builders, all with their own experiences and ideas.

Friday

As usual, we’ll hold an open house at the factory on Friday, May 9th.  You can tour the facilities and attend seminars on fiberglassing, varnishing, and CNC technology.

This year’s special guest is Nick Schade, who designed a number of CLC boats and runs his own high-profile design house, Guillemot Kayaks.  At 4PM Nick will present a talk and slide show.  He’ll have some of his sculptural-quality designs on hand for you to study and ask questions about.  Nick's the guy who invented the term Parking Lot Syndrome, which many of you have experienced.  Read more about Nick here.

Stick around after Nick’s talk for an informal reception---and excellent food on the grill---with Nick and the CLC staff.  Then head down to Camp Letts to camp if you’re so inclined.

Saturday

Saturday moves to Camp Letts and the shores of the Chesapeake Bay for in-water activity.  We’ll have loads of boats in the water, and we hope you’ll bring your boats, too.  From 9 to 5 you can try out boats and chat with seasoned or aspiring boatbuilders.  Saturday’s attendance fee includes lunch on the grill.

Nick Schade will have many of his boats there and will be paddling and talking boats all day.  

After awards Saturday afternoon, you can opt to stay for dinner, then join the CLC staff with your own boat and the evening sea breeze for a sail or paddle on the Rhode River.  

Sunday

No planned OkoumeFest activity on Sunday, but we’ve got the place booked so that campers can get a little more time on the water and take their time packing up.