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91 designs of canoes on his wall. PHOTO: CHARLIE WLSON
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[ PROFILE ] David Yost PRIMO TRAILER SALES
Ottawa, ON Canada • 800-558-5178
www.primotrailersales.com
David Yost’s reputation as the most prolific boat designer in modern paddlesports his- tory seems as secure as the stability of his be- loved canoes. Longtime friend and sometime partner-
in-design Charlie Wilson recently listed Yost’s fleet of commercially produced canoe and kayak hulls at 91 (on
Paddling.net). With the remodeled Swift Keewaydin 17 out last year and four more Swift canoes in the pipeline for this spring, Yost is only a season or two away from reaching the century mark. And that’s not counting the many one-offs he’s built for friends over the years. In fact, friends are the reason Yost found himself in the canoe designing business. He describes his fertile occupation as a “runaway hobby designing boats for friends.” A keen marathon and downriver racer in col-
lege, Yost learned about canoe design through trial and error construction projects and through osmosis from friends like boat builder Carl Flynn. In 1973, Yost designed his first racing canoe,
the Minuteman. The Minuteman combined an original hull design with a deck borrowed from a C1 Flynn had built for Olympic Bronze Med-
TAKE ONE DOWN, PADDLE IT AROUND
alist Jamie McEwan to race at the 1973 Canoe Slalom World Championships. Solo canoes of any kind were uncommon in the 1970s. When friend Dave Curtis needed a solo tripping canoe, Yost built him a wood stripper. More boats for more friends followed, and then Yost and Curtis made a mold. “That was the beginning of Curtis Canoe,” recalls Yost; and his first commercially produced hulls. Requests and contracts followed from Saw-
yer, Swift, Loon Works, Bell, Perception and Placid Boatworks. Many were the result of friendships within the industry—“I’ve known Bill Swift since junior high,” Yost says. At 65, Yost isn’t slowing down. In his work- shop near Rochester, NY, he’s currently work- ing on a sailing canoe prototype and a 20-foot voyageur canoe for a local scout group. He’s also consulting with boutique boat builder Colden Canoe to reproduce high-end compos- ite versions of his early ‘80s-era Curtis Vaga- bond, Nomad and Dragonfly designs. Like last year’s Colden-resurrected Bell Fire series, these specialized solos won’t fly off the racks. But that’s not the point. “It’s still just about making boats for friends.” —Virginia Marshall
[ STAFF TIP ]
XYZ TAKING CARE OF YOUR ZIPPERS Dirt can be a zipper’s downfall because it causes the teeth to come out of alignment and fail. I recommend using an old toothbrush and mild detergent to clean the teeth. In a pinch, jammed zippers can be lubricated with lip balm. I maintain my stiff waterproof zippers, like the one on my dry suit, by rubbing on paraffin wax or bees- wax. —Neil Wright, Canoeroots Online Editor
10 SPRING 2011
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