Howard Meyerson
After more than 30 years in the outdoor writing business, you would think I'd know better.
Tag Archives: Woodcraft
Northern Michigan fishing guide builds big boats for small rivers
By Howard Meyerson INDIAN RIVER, MI — While enjoying breakfast at a north woods restaurant just after dawn, Phil Croff noticed some men in the parking lot ogling his boat. They got out of their truck and made a bee-line … Continue reading
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Tagged Alanson, Artisans, Boat building, Boats, Croff Craft Custom Driftboats, Driftboats, Fishing, Fly Fishing, Phil Croff, Trout, Woodcraft
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Big Fish: Wood carver enjoys fishing for those fish he carves
By Howard Meyerson SYLVAN LAKE, MI — Bob Batchik has long been hooked on fish and fishing: bluegills, trout, bass, pike and perch. He isn’t fussy. He likes them all – particularly if he has a carving knife in hand. … Continue reading
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Tagged Artisans, Bob Batchik, Fish, Fishing, Paul Young, Sunfish Woodworks, Sylvan Lake, Trout Unlimited, Wood Carving, Woodcraft
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The romance of the courting canoe era is alive and well at Ken Kelly’s place
The lore and romance of early 20th Century wood and canvas canoes, and a modern-day man who collects them, is the subject of a feature story by me in the newest issue of Canoeroots Magazine. It is called “The Canoe Collector.” … Continue reading
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Tagged Artisans, Canoeing, Canoeroots Magazine, Canoes, Courting Canoes, Ken Kelly, Paddling, Woodcraft
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New driftboat design coming from Phil Croff; construction to be documented on Fiberglass Manifesto
If you enjoyed the story earlier this fall about Phil Croff, the northern Michigan wood driftboat builder and owner of Croff Craft Custom Driftboats, you will want to check out Cameron Mortenson’s Blog, The Fiberglass Manifesto. Mortenson just announced that he plans … Continue reading
Michigan’s Croff Craft Custom Driftboats; small boats with big attitude
By Howard Meyerson Phil Croff wasn’t planning to start a boat-building business when he constructed his first driftboat in 2006, using Michigan cedar and walnut. He was looking for a safe way to fish rivers at night—a time when big … Continue reading
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Tagged Artisans, Boat building, Boats, Croff Craft Custom Driftboats, Driftboats, Fishing, Harbor Springs Michigan, Orvis, Phl Croff, Woodcraft
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Bamboo fly rod builder: Wes Cooper honored with MSU heritage award
By Howard Meyerson FREMONT, MI – In the quiet of his basement workshop, Wes Cooper has been keeping a 90-year-old Michigan tradition alive – that of hand-building bamboo fly rods in an era dominated by mass-produced fishing poles. Cooper is … Continue reading
Wooden Boat Shows Aplenty in Michigan this Summer
By Howard Meyerson Michigan’s wood boat building history comes to life every summer in Great Lakes shoreline communities. It’s a time when quaint harbor towns celebrate the state’s boating heritage with wooden boat shows that showcase the gleaming varnish finishes … Continue reading
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Tagged Artisans, Boat building, Boating, Boats, Century, Charles W. Morgan, Chris Craft, Great Lakes, Hacker, Michigan Maritime Museum, Mystic Seaport Museum, Wood Boats, Woodcraft
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Building a whaleboat: Students tackle unusual project at Upper Peninsula boat building school
By Howard Meyerson CEDARVILLE, MI — We don’t hear much about whaling in the Great Lakes, but that’s the talk in this quaint northern Lake Huron town. Whaling and whaleboats have become a popular topic. The Great Lakes Boat Building … Continue reading
Wooden canoe enthusiasts gather on the AuSable River
By Howard Meyerson It was a quintessential fall day: cool and sunny with color in the trees, bold splashes of yellow and orange lining the banks of the AuSable River. What made it all the more colorful was company I … Continue reading
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Tagged Artisans, AuSable River, Canoe, Canoeing, Gerrish, Morris, Old Town, Paddling, Peterborough, vintage canoes, Woodcraft, Wooden Canoe Heritage Association, Wooden Canoes
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The Outdoor Journal 