While all of kayak materials are pretty sturdy, you should also note that wooden kayaks (when made properly) are almost as sturdy as other types of kayaks. What this means is that you'll be able to take your wooden kayak almost anywhere you'd like to go.

One thing you should keep in mind, however, is that most of instructions you'll find on how to build wooden kayaks are meant to be recreational or touring kayaks. Even though wooden kayaks are fairly sturdy, you'll probably not want to take one on a whitewater racing course.

“This was Dad’s glove from Army,” she said. “Remember that when he got back from war, he helped to start first little league here in town. That man was a member of Dad’s first team. His family didn’t have much money and he couldn’t afford to buy a baseball glove. Dad gave him his so that he could play like rest of boys.”

The man had gone on to say that he had never forgotten my grandfather’s generosity. He had kept and cherished glove for over 45 years. He had seen my grandpa’s obituary in newspaper and had wanted to return glove to family and let us know what a great coach, and man, my grandfather had been.

The glove was put on display at my grandpa’s funeral. And, of course, minister’s sermon contained many allusions to sports and frequent quotes from A Field of Dreams. All this made me ever so proud of my grandfather who enjoyed coaching and passing on his love of athletics to youth in his town. It also made me remember why I chose to be a coach.

How many times have you wondered, “Why do people coach? Why do they give up their time and energy for little or no money, sometimes even less respect and opportunity to be targeted by parents and fans alike?”

That cold and snowy March day, I was reminded of answers to those questions. We coach to touch youth. To instill values into young people that they will carry with them for rest of their lives. We coach to make a difference and to show right way to play, work and live. We coach so that, even 45 years can pass without a man forgetting his coach and impact that he had made on a young boy’s life.