• We apologize for the somewhat convoluted sign-up process. Due to ever-more sophisticated attacks by chatbots, we had to increase our filtering in order to weed out AI while letting humans through. It's a nuisance, but a necessary one in order to keep the level of discourse on the forums authentic and useful. From the actual humans using WCP, thanks for your understanding!

Homage to the [now closed] Guillemot Kayak Building Forum

mick_allen

Paddler & Moderator
Joined
May 15, 2005
Messages
3,581
It was with some sadness that I recently read that Nick Schade had closed his kayak building forum to new posts. In the last few years it had become inundated with spam as Nick had moved on to other endeavours such as joining CLC, making videos, building classes, opening a facebook forum while still continuing Guillemot Kayaks .

However his building forum along with the previous accompanying technique, design, and trips forums were at early times a welcome diversion from my [and some here, I’m sure] hectic lives and provided a refuge of gentle contemplation of the many ways one could put together a wondrous, simple craft out of tiny sticks and then adventure out to who knows or cares where - for simple pleasure and enjoyment.

Hail to its passing, hail to all who contributed over the years.
 
Very sad. Just as many of us found a new home here at WCP when the old paddlewise group imploded, I'd like to invite as many of the Guillemot Kayak Building Forum netizens as would like to gather 'round our virtual campfire/workshop here.
 
Very sad. Just as many of us found a new home here at WCP when the old paddlewise group imploded, I'd like to invite as many of the Guillemot Kayak Building Forum netizens as would like to gather 'round our virtual campfire/workshop here.
@BigandSmall is making a good start with his FrejXS thread, Thumbs Up on that!
 
I sympathize. When I set up my web site, I had visions of setting up an online location to post photos of wooden boats, a gallery of sorts, using forum type software. After only 6-12 months, I gave up to the bots. I use less social media now and only casually check on forum sites. Spam and trolls are killing the internet.
 
The forum software was changed at kayakforum and that ("improvement") was the beginning of the slow death. Contributions/posts dropped pretty dramatically after that and the maintenance dropped off too. There weren't that many spam posts visible to regular users like me, but they seemed to be left 'up' for quite a while. Long time participants started running into problems posting images, and pretty much : "that was that!".
 
I too will miss Nick's forum.
I learned how to build boats there.
And more importantly, I made friends there from all over the world.
I even spent a memorable. day with one paddling in Ireland.
Thanks to that forum I grew from a person who did not have the confidence to build a boat to one who has built SOF, Lapstrake, inflatable, and strip-built boats. Now I volunteer at a local wood boat school, helping others as they build canoes and kayaks.

Thank you, Nick, and all the forum participants for a wonderful experience.

John V B
 
Back
Top