March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 48 F

Chesapeake Light Craft To Host 13th Annual Festival This Weekend

Chesapeake Light Craft (CLC), the world’s largest maker of build-it-yourself boat kits, will be hosting a small boat festival and open house on May 13-14 in Annapolis and Kent Island, Maryland.  OkoumeFest (pronounced oh-KOO-me-fest) is a family-friendly event centered on the joys of building and using small boats. The event dates back to 1998, when CLC realized that people who have built their own boats enjoy meeting others like themselves. OkoumeFest gets its name from the beautiful Okoume plywood that is ubiquitous in home-built boat projects, including CLC’s popular boat kits.

Since its inception, builders have used CLC’s OkoumeFest to show off their new boats, to meet with other boatbuilders and compare notes, to attend workshops and demonstrations, and to play on the  water. With more than seventy designs in the CLC fleet — kayaks, canoes, rowing shells, rowboats, and sailing dinghies – OkoumeFest will have something for every small boat enthusiast. All small boats are welcome, regardless of material or type.

The event kicks off Friday afternoon, May 13th , at 2 p.m. with an open house at the CLC factory featuring varnishing, fiberglassing, and paddle-making seminars, a shop tour with CNC-machine demonstrations, and a cookout in the evening. On Saturday, May 14th, on-the-water activities and boat demos will take place from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at Matapeake Beach on Kent Island.

Attendees who bring their own homebuilt boats will be eligible for prizes such as Best Kayak, Best Small Craft, Best in Show and other fun awards. OkoumeFest is FREE and open to the public. CLC asks that attendees RSVP ahead of time on their website so that preparations can be made. Full details and the RSVP form are visible at clcboats.com/festival.

 

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