About the Designer

About the Designer

That's him there.
Larry Westlake has been building boats since 1973, when he helped build a 32-foot yacht. After converting two canoes for sailing, and building from other's designs, he built the first boat to his own design in 1978.

He has assisted with museum documentation and done independent documentation of traditional Canadian watercraft. He continued recreational boatbuilding of his own and other designer's boats and occasional repair of old boats while pursuing a career in the arts.

In 1987 he conducted his first family boatbuilding workshop with parents & kids, and has since taught workshops in stitch-and-glue, wood-strip, and other construction methods.
He began designing boats for and organising "community boatbuilding" projects in 1989, where his own and other children participated with parents in mixed groups.

In 1992 Larry designed "YUKON" for a school workshop where grade 4 & 5 students built 5 of the boats in 5 days. That design shown in WoodenBoat's January 1993 "Launchings" column generated so many inquiries that he began selling plans and instructions.

Larry retired from his job as an exhibition curator in 1998 and hand-built a boatshop to turn the boatbuilding and design into a second career.

	That's him there. Larry Westlake has been building boats since 1973, when he helped build a 32-foot yacht. After converting two canoes for sailing, and building from other's designs, he built the first boat to his own design in 1978.
	He has assisted with museum documentation and done independent documentation of traditional Canadian watercraft. He continued recreational boatbuilding of his own and other designer's boats and occasional repair of old boats while pursuing a career in the arts.
	In 1987 he conducted his first family boatbuilding workshop with parents & kids, and has since taught workshops in stitch-and-glue, wood-strip, and other construction methods.
	He began designing boats for and organising "community boatbuilding" projects in 1989, where his own and other children participated with parents in mixed groups.
	In 1992 Larry designed "YUKON" for a school workshop where grade 4 & 5 students built 5 of the boats in 5 days. That design shown in WoodenBoat's January 1993 "Launchings" column generated so many inquiries that he began selling plans and instructions.
	Larry retired from his job as an exhibition curator in 1998 and hand-built a boatshop to turn the boatbuilding and design into a second career.