Mary Catterlin with her completed dugout canoe. She built it herself. Photo: Lake Michigan in a Dugout
A dugout canoe isn’t a normal method of travel on the Great Lakes. But that hasn’t stopped Mary Catterlin and Amy Lukas, both 23, from paddling one around the perimeter of Lake Michigan this summer.
The two left Indiana July 1, heading northwest in Mekeba, an 11-foot dugout canoe that Catterlin built in her parent’s backyard.
“I decided to make one because I couldn’t afford one,” Catterlin said in a phone interview while ashore for the night in Kewaunee, Wis. “Hollowing it out of a tree made more sense to me.”
Catterlin researched canoe building. Then she carved a few models to get a feel for how it would work. Finally she moved on to the 2,600 pound cottonwood tree she got from a family friend clearing out his property. She carved it into a boat with an adze, an ancient tool used for smoothing wood. It took her four years to complete.
Lukas helped Catterlin attach rigging and a sail in the final month of building.
The canoe weighs close to 300 pounds. Catterlin and Lukas lay PVC pipe on the beach to roll it in and out of the water.
“We get some looks,” Catterlin said. “It’s always interesting when we pull up to a beach, campground or marina and explain ourselves.”
Dugout canoes aren’t without quirks. Catterlin calls hers a constant repair job.
“When they are introduced to water, they continually expand and separate, she said. “Cracks open up.”
She and Lukas use a special epoxy to fill the cracks when they beach for the night.
It’s a part of their daily routine. They get started at sunrise while the water’s calm and there’s less boat traffic. Then they spend about 8 hours on the water. At night they set up camp on the shoreline wherever they can find a spot.
So far they’ve traveled about 250 miles. They expect to finish the journey sometime in September.
Marinas are a place to shower. And do laundry. Catterlin and Lucas could only pack a watermelon-sized bag of clothes because there’s no room for excess storage on the dugout. They mailed packages with food and sunscreen 70-100 miles apart to conserve space.
People they’ve met along the way lend a hand when they can.
Catterlin and Lukas working on the rudder in Kenosha, Wis. Photo: Lake Michigan in a Dugout
A service manager at Southpoint Marina in Kenosha, Wis., gave them invaluable help.
“He donated a new rudder for our boat, took care of us and fed us dinner,” Catterlin said. “In Racine we met great people
who offered us a place to shower and invited us to a dinner party.
“People have been amazing.”
For safety Catterlin and Lucas log in to a GPS system that updates their location to a secured website. They parents can check in on them every day. The GPS also has a help button that alerts the coast guard and local authorities.
Readers can follow their progress on their blog, Lake Michigan in a Dugout.
Here’s a video about building the canoe.
http://youtu.be/00lkZg3my0s
For a look at other people doing interesting things on the Great Lakes, read here.