Beyond the Boat
Beyond the Boat shares the stories of the people and communities who keep wooden boats alive — through ownership, seamanship, craftsmanship, education, operations, and stewardship — and how those paths invite others into a living tradition.
These are not just stories about boats. They are stories about responsibility: the choice to care for something that must be worked, maintained, taught, and passed along. Each episode explores how wooden boats continue to matter because people choose to carry them forward — and, in doing so, make room for others to step in.
Hosted by Leroy Lewis, the podcast centers on lived experience. Some guests are owners. Others are captains, shipwrights, educators, yard workers, volunteers, or operators. What they share is not a title, but a relationship — one that connects craft, seamanship, memory, and community.
Together, these voices reveal a world where meaning lives not just in the boat, but beyond it — offering listeners a way to imagine where they might belong.
Support & Independence
Beyond the Boat is listener-supported, following a public-media model. Support is voluntary, quiet, and never required to listen.
Listeners may choose to support the show as:
- Supporters — contributing occasionally
- Members — offering ongoing monthly support
- Stewards — individuals or institutions providing deeper, sustaining support aligned with the mission
There are no paywalls, no exclusive content, and no calls to action inside episodes. Note: "Stewards" are "Members" who will be periodically acknowledged for their support. Acknowledgments, when offered, appear only outside the storytelling.
Support helps cover production costs and ensures these stories remain independent and freely available.
Episodes
14 episodes
EP# 14 - Slowing Down Aboard the David B
In this episode of Beyond the Boat, Leroy talks with Christine and Jeffrey Smith of the David B, a nearly century-old wooden vessel carrying guests through Southeast Alaska.Their story begins with a boat they believe ma...
EP# 13 - Becoming One of the Hands
There’s a moment when a boat stops being just an object—and starts becoming something more. In this conversation, Tucker Piontek, lead instructor at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding, reflects on how that shift happens. Hi...
EP# 12 - The Fifth Member of the Family
In this episode of Beyond the Boat, Leroy Lewis talks with writer Lisa Nickel, who grew up aboard a 42-foot wooden tugboat in Tacoma, Washington. What began as a family boat soon became something much deeper — a place of work, adv...
EP# 11 - Not Just Preserving Boats — Preserving Pathways: Aaron LaPointe and Historic Maritime
Aaron LaPointe grew up around the water—but it was wooden workboats that pulled him in for good. Now he’s the Executive Director of the Historic Maritime Foundation, stewarding a growing fleet of historic vessels and building a hands-on pathway...
EP# 10 - A Poem That Sails: Captains, Crews, and the Work Beyond the Boat
In this episode of Beyond the Boat, Leroy Lewis talks with Jamie Trost—Senior Captain, manager, and co-owner of the Traverse Tall Ship Company—about what it really means to operate traditional sailing ships in the moder...
EP# - 9, More Than a Charter: Stewardship, Alaska, and the Long Way Around
In 1931, an elegant 87-foot motor yacht was designed by Callis and built in San Pedro, California as Holiday for William Morris Jr. of the William Morris Talent Agency. She cruised the West Coast from Mexico to Alaska and hosted docksi...
EP# 8 - A 1917 Wooden Ferry in a Modern Transit System
In this episode of Beyond the Boat, Leroy talks with John W. Clauson, Executive Director of Kitsap Transit, about an unlikely centerpiece in a modern public transit fleet: M/V Carlisle II, a 1917 wooden ferry
EP #7 - Old Court, Quiet River: A Shipwright on Ireland’s South Coast
Brian Harte lives on Ireland’s south coast, in the fishing village of Glandore just northeast of Skibbereen, where boatbuilding has followed the river inland for generations. A shipwright since 1998, Brian talks about learning from master craft...
EP #6 - Larry Benson & Thelonious: A Life in Wooden Boats
At 89, Larry Benson has lived a full life alongside wooden boats—from a childhood on a 1920s bridge-deck cruiser in wartime Bremerton to his current years aboard Thelonious, a 1953 Ed Monk Sr. design. In this episode, Larry shares how ...
EP #5 - Tracing 85 Years Afloat: Jim & Margie Paynton and Their 1940 Chris-Craft
In this episode of Beyond the Boat, Leroy Lewis sits down with Jim and Margie Paynton to follow the 85-year life of their 1940, 42-foot Chris-Craft double-cabin enclosed-bridge cruiser. One of just 31 hulls built, the boat is still in ...
Ep #4 - Blaise Holly: From the Fishing Grounds to the Yard—What Wooden Boats Give Back
In this episode, we’re joined by Blaise Holly, a commercial fisherman turned shipwright, now the owner of Haven Boatworks in Port Townsend, Washington.Blaise grew up back east, studied literature at Middlebury, and detoured through Mysti...
Ep # 3 - The Myths and Realities of Wooden Boat Ownership
In this episode of Beyond the Boat, host Leroy Lewis speaks with Todd Powell about the complexities of owning, buying, and selling wooden boats. They explore the myths surrounding wooden boat ownership, the changing attitudes of buyers, and the...
Beyond the Boat, Ep-2, David Miller - Sea Nymph II
David Miller—longtime steward of Sea Nymph II, a 1946 Monk Senior 46-footer—joins Beyond the Boat to trace a Puget Sound classic’s lineage and life. We cover the Coast Guard roots behind the name, decades with the Wilhelm family (inclu...
