Keith's Pirogues

TRADITIONAL LOUISIANA WOODEN BOATS

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BOATS ALONG THE BAYOU

SKIFFS and DUGOUTS

LAGNIAPPE

BUILD IT YOURSELF!

Read about my book
"The Dugout - Create a Treasure from the Past" 
on the Skiff and Dugout page.

Hello!  My name is Keith Felder.  I was born and raised in Denham Springs, Louisiana about a mile from the Amite River.  I have hunted and fished in south Louisiana all my life and have always been interested in the maritime history of our state.  During the last ten years, I have completed apprenticeships with some of the "master wooden boat builders" in south Louisiana.  Rodney Cheramie of LaRose taught me to build marsh pirogues.  Raymond Sedotal of Pierre Part (who has boats in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.) taught me to build swamp and lumberman pirogues.  Kenny Hebert taught me to build swamp pirogues at the Center for Traditional Boatbuilding at Nichols State University in Thibodeaux.  Wenchelaus Billiot of Isle de Jean Charles at Point au Chien (an elder of the Biloxi-Chitamachas) taught me to build a round bottomed marsh pirogue.  I completed an apprenticeship with Raymond Sedotal on building the Creole rowing skiff.  I also learned to build a strip canoe at the Wooden Boat School in Maine. 

I build pirogues from 2 feet to 16 feet long from marine plywood, Spanish cedar or sinker cypress.  My pirogues are painted camouflage, bright colors or varnished.  They are pleasing to the eye, sturdy and are meant for sport or family fun.


           
I have a five foot long dugout made from sinker cypress in a traveling art exhibit entitled Tradition Innovation.  See it at:
www.traditioninnovation.org/artists/felder.html

 

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Keith E. Felder

1105 South River Road,  Denham Springs, LA 70726

Phone: 225-664-1447
and 225-921-1028

keithspirogues@cox.net