Ashlyn & Russell welcome your questions and feedback. Currently tech questions or questions about your kit should first be directed to clcboats.com. If you still need assistance, send us an email with a photo and/or page number as reference.
We are in WA State's time zone. Monday through Friday for best response time.
We do not keep regular office hours. Lots of multi tasking going on at different locations, so please leave a message if we are not able to answer your call. We will call you back. Better yet, EMAIL! đ
Photo by Dan Spur
Ashlyn & Russell Brown started Port Townsend Watercraft in 2009 with a vision and little knowledge about running a business. What they knew was that they had a good idea, and that idea had the potential to give back to the community that continues to treat them so well. Various aspects of production are farmed out to local businesses and fabricators. Russell also fabricates small parts, composite parts, rigs, etc., and once all the bits and pieces are collected, he personally checks everything and packs the crates. Ashlyn is the web âmasterâ, book keeper, public relations, and general manager, and finishes little hardware bits when she needs a change of scenery. Essentially, they are both full time, âblood, sweat & tearsâ, operators of this business to create a custom product they firmly believe in.
PT Watercraft offers kits for new and unique boat designs that are efficient, functional, modern & attractive.
Our focus is on creating boats that answer the needs of serious cruisers, weekend camp cruisers and environmentally conscious boaters, sail and motor. Our teacher in the kit business was the fuel efficient 18.5ft center console , PT Skiff, now handled by the designers at biekerboats.com. Russell Brownâs modern performance nesting dinghy and the non-nesting PT Spear come from his deep well of experience to create his personal ideal in a dinghy. This process has led to creating our own unique hatch toggles or âturn dogsâ, dinghy rigs, sails, dinghy foil kits, & original PTW stainless steel connective hardware. Prefering not to teach classes, Russell has applied his knowledge in his stitch & glue buildersâ manuals and working-with-epoxy instructional books.
"outside the box"
This is how Russellâs work has been described. He has spent his life creating uncommon boats from cruising proas to nesting kayaks & dinghies and fuel efficient motor boats. His skill as a boat builder and epoxy specialist is highly respected and sought after by those who know him and his work. His boats have been either for personal use or for his closest friends, keeping a low profile in the boat design world. He has, however, often taught people to work safely and effectively with epoxy. Nesting boats have always been a personal passion and because of the serious interest in his dinghies expressed by many who have seen them over the years, the idea to start a kit business seemed like a good one. Russell is a stickler for detail and functionality and has put together a very high quality product with each kit and extensive instructional builderâs manuals. Since the success of EPOXY BASICS, he continues to collect material (photos of side projects) to include in more epoxy related instructional books.
Ashlyn Brown studied art and ended up on boats. She cruised on a large sailboat in the Atlantic, Med and Pacific logging over 80,000 miles at sea over a 20 year span. During that time, she hosted charters, assistant managed yacht refits and ran a small yacht brokerage. She established Port Townsend Watercraft, together with Russell, in 2009, when the development of the PT Skiff began and currently manages the business, graphic design and web presence. She has been a board member of the Port Townsend Marine Trades Association since 2014 and will continue to advocate for the marine trades of Jefferson County, WA.
Links
Articles
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â˘Professional Boatbuilder #130 April/May 2011 pg 52
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â˘Reviews
There are several articles with Russell Brown (see Pacificproa.com links above) but of late, they have been relevant to PT Watercraft.
Articles
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â˘Small Craft Advisor August 2011
âPlacesâ feature, âCanadaâs Sunshine Coastâ pgs 10-13
WEBSITES created:
Books:
As editor and publisher:
R&D by Russell J. Brown with various design collaborations with Paul Bieker and Eric Jolley of Bieker Boats, Jim Franken of Franken Design, Brandon Davis of Turn Point Design, Paul Zeusche of Antalya Inc., Sean Rankins of NW Sails. Special thanks to our honorary consultants, John Marples, Dick Newick, Jim Brown, Brian Clark, Tom George, Sandy Goodall, John Harris, Alex Spear, Tim Nolan, Meade Gougeon, Ted Pike, Chris Grace. Okoume plywood and beautiful hardwoods from Edensaw in Port Townsend, WA. Our preferred epoxy is WEST SYSTEM from Gougeon Brothers. Lots of great stuff we use comes from Admiral Ship Supply in Port Townsend and FISHERIES SUPPLY in Seattle. Publicity thanks to Wooden Boat, Professional Boat Builder, Small Craft Advisor, Epoxy Works, and our customers!..+ As of 2021, PT Watercraft entered into collaboration with Chesapeake Light Craft for the production and sales of the PT 11 and PT SPEAR.