Hidden Talents: Kayak

By John Regentin

Assistant Dean of College Life, Director of Experiential Education.

Location:  Browsing Room (Main Floor)

September – December, 2008

Regentin’s woodworking skills are this fall’s Hidden Talents exhibit in Musselman Library’s browsing room. Through posters, tools, drawings, and the actual kayak, the exhibit tells the story of hand-building a kayak.

Still, he isn’t sure why he wanted to build a kayak. “I remember embracing the romance of paddling a wooden craft in quiet waters listening to the world around during a sunset.  The only issue was I did not have the wooden kayak—so I suppose I was then drawn to the idea of just building one, it was cheaper than buying one already fabricated.”

Regentin learned his carpentry skills from his father, who, in turn, had learned from his own father and grandfather.  But he says it was really his father’s work ethic that inspired him to tackle this job.  “I learned from my father not to question my abilities and not to seek recognition for a job completed. He would say ‘a job well done is its own reward.’ This kayak represents that statement; I built it to see if I could.”

Since completing the kayak, Regentin says his carpentry skills have flourished.  He is in the final stages of a complete home renovation where his father joined him in demolishing walls, building headers, adding trim and flipping the kitchen.  Now he wants to refurbish a classic Chris Craft runabout boat and take a course in timber frame construction.