Channel Islands Restoration invites you to make a splash during our silent kayak auction.
It’s now your chance to own a custom wooden red cedar kayak. Winner to be announced on October 22, so make your bid today! All proceeds will directly benefit native habitat in California.

About the microBootlegger Kayak

This microBootlegger was built in 2017 by a professional boatbuilder using a plan set from Nick Schade. Construction is strip planked using red cedar, white cedar and accented with walnut, mahogany and purple heart. The frameless construction was then covered with 4oz fiberglass cloth with West Systems epoxy. Carbon fiber reinforcement was added to the inside of the cockpit with added kevlar reinforcement at the water line. The boat weighs 48 lbs. A foam bulkhead separates a dry storage area with deck hatch at the rear while the ends of the boat are foam filled. The boat is unsinkable! The lipped cockpit is fitted with adjustable foot rests, adjustable seats and closed cell foam cushions. 

The winner will be announced October 22 at 4 pm during our 20th Anniversary Celebration in Montecito.
Bidders or winners need not be present to win. Click here to bid in our silent kayak auction.

The Story of the microBootlegger Kayak

In 1924 George Crouch designed a ground-breaking speedboat name Baby Bootlegger. Baby Bootlegger was an innovation in its time, introducing the “rolled sheer” where the deck blends smoothly into the side, and the long stream-lined stern, it was the prototype of the mahogany runabouts that became popular in the 1920’s. 

In the 1880's J. Henry Rushton was at the forefront of an explosion in the popularity of canoeing. His canoes were not what we currently think of as a "canoe" instead they were generally a boat where the paddler sat down in the bottom of the boat and used a paddle with blades at both ends. Often his boats had long decks with a cockpit where the paddler sat. In other words, what most people might think of as a kayak, but are typically called "double paddle canoes.”.

Taking the idea of a Rushton-style double paddle canoe and the great looking shape of the the Baby Bootlegger legendary kayak designer Nick Schade developed the 17 foot µBootlegger (micro Bootlegger) as a roomy, efficient tandem kayak for cruising a lake or exploring a bay. While more sedate than her namesake, she moves easily through the water and, should a wind blow in, will handle rough water with aplomb. See Nick Schade’s web site https://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/catalog/strip-built/recreational-kayak-canoes-solo-tandem/microbootlegger.

Image Gallery of Our Red Cedar Wooden Kayak

And be sure to join us next month for our members-only celebration in beautiful Montecito! Not a member? Sign up here.