Ever since I was young, I dreamed of living on the coast of Maine. I’m not sure what first sparked my interest, but I know from a young age, I was drawn to the water, and the boats that floated on it. Growing up, we’d go to the Jersey Shore in the summer and my family would lay on the beach all day, but I was happiest at the boatyards, walking the docks.

One day at a bookstore I opened up Wooden Boat Magazine, and everything changed. Every page I looked at was filled with beautiful wooden boats, rowing, sailing and power. Compared to the fiberglass production boats seen running around our waterfronts these days, these boats had character and romance and were built for a purpose. Suddenly everything became clear and I realized my love for traditional boats and our maritime history.

You can’t really think of Maine without thinking of boats. No other place in the country has such a rich connection with the sea, from fishing and coasting schooners built by the thousands to lobster boats and dories used to fish.

When I finally did move to Maine, and prior to building wooden surfboards, my first job was working for a boat builder named Paul Rollins, http://www.rollinsboatshop.com/. Paul learned from the best and has been building and restoring classic wooden boats for over 30 years. It was in Paul’s shop, one summer day laying down a deck on an old cruiser where the dream of building wooden surfboards was born.

For the last year or so, just down the road from Grain, Paul and his crew have been working away on a schooner named Magnolia. On a bright December day, some of the crew from our shop had the pleasure of joining friends and family at the launch of the Magnolia and I realized finally, I was exactly where I wanted to be.