Mik Storer Visits

Michael ("Mik") Storer is a well known Australian boat designer. Mik has been on a self-described "shoestring" tour of sorts in the United States for a bit and has been posting about it on his own blog here. Some of his more well known designs include the PDR Racer and the Goat Island Skiff. In some regards, I tend to think of Mik's work very much in the same vein as Phil Bolger's designs. They're simple on the surface and very approachable with plywood construction. While they may occasionally look somewhat boxy, they're actually fairly sophisticated designs in their simplicity. Most of these designs can also be made without having sophisticated shop tools which also helps their approachability.

I really can't do justice to his tour - you really need to read it over at his blog as it looks like a fantastic time and the pictures alone are worth the look! He's finishing up his trip with a whirlwind visit up to see Carl Cramer and the folks up at WoodenBoat before heading back to Boston to fly home.

As part of the tail end of Mik's tour here in the US, he gave a talk in Portland, Maine at the workshop of Clint Chase. A nice summary of the talk is on Clint's blog. This talk was followed by a nice bit of a row, paddle and sail on an unusually warm day for the 1st of November! Clint himself is also a very interesting guy. On top of being probably the tallest person at most gatherings regarding boats and boat-building, he is a boatbuilder, designer and the director of the Compass Project in Portland. The Compass Project provides young people with personal growth and teaches responsibility by building, sailing and rowing boats. Truly a fantastic undertaking!