We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dave Zielinski a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dave, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I grew up around several “do-it-yourselfers,” namely, my father and grandfather. There were always tools around and when something needed fixed, or built, they always did it themselves, whether it was working on the car, building a shed, remodeling a house.
In my journey to fish a local river, I really wanted a boat. When I looked at the cost of a boat, I felt “I could build that for less” base don the skills my father had taught me. I bought a pile of wood, a set of plans and began to learn on-the-job. That first boat wasn’t perfect, but I did learn alot by getting my hands dirty. This led to my friend wanting a boat, so I sold him that first one, built my second one with some changes and newfound skills. This boat was much better. Over time, the process of building, and rowing these boats taught me what I liked and disliked about the designs. This led iteration- replicating what worked and revamping what didn’t. Real experiences taught the lessons, some hard earned, and some easy.
Dave, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Down Home Boatworks is owned and operated by Dave Zielinski in Western Pennsylvania. I started building drift boats out of the love for flyfishing, rivers and big wild fish. I am a long time fly fisherman and my earliest memories are those surrounded by water and boats. I grew up around a family of “do-it-yourselfers” and I inherited this trait at an early age. I built our first boat in the spring of 2000 from a set of lines off an original 16′ driftboat. One boat build led to another and before I knew it, I was building boats for my friends who shared my passion for fly fishing and river running.
Out of a desire for better performance suited to my local rivers (and perhaps winter boredom) I designed my first original design; the square-ended “Z’s Drift Pram.” This boat was an instant hit, with plans sold worldwide through Riverstouch. Following the tradition in wood drift boat history left behind by Tom Kaarhus, Woodie Hindman Jerry Briggs and others, all of these boats are connected-and well, here we are, evolving my designs just like the original makers. As my good friend and mentor Roger Fletcher reminds me, “these are the eddies of evolution.” The designs are an evolution in traditional drift boat forms-retaining classic framed construction techniques and aesthetics, but with purpose-specific characteristics and functionality. Often the boats have been designed with a particular river in mind.
I build our personal and custom boats and frame kits with materials sourced from sustainable harvest hardwood and softwood suppliers, and often use reclaimed lumber and unwanted logs sawn with our own sawmill.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being creative is the connections I have made around the the world. My customers reach out, and share their experiences, share photographs, and notes. It is a wonderful place that we can connect through similar interests. I have become great friends with people that were originally customers.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Share. Support eachother. In this world driven by social media- Instagram, Facebook, and other platforms, its very easy to share someone elses story. Give credit where credit is due. Always nod to your influences and celebrate success.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.downhomeboatworks.com
- Instagram: @down_home_boatworks
- Linkedin: David Zielinski
Image Credits
David Zielinski