Lucas Fink began building canoes in 2003, launching LucasCraft in early 2004. A fourth-generation woodworker who grew up in a millwork shop, he purchased his first canoe at age thirteen. It was an old 13’ Allagash in need of repair. His father built new seats, a yoke, and a black walnut paddle before it pushed off from the wooded shores of Black Creek in Bergen, NY. Ten years later, following graduation from St. Bonaventure University, the love of canoeing and the woodshop upbringing merged in the form of a 17’ cedar strip. Soon Lucas packed every available space with templates, jigs, and hulls in various stages of completion: LucasCraft was born.
Lucas has since moved with his wife, Joy, to Maryland’s beautiful Eastern Shore, setting up his own shop on their property near Salisbury and broadening his woodworking experience and abilities. In 2007 he began a more serious pursuit of marquetry, first adorning a wooden kayak with blue crabs and a heron, then focusing on hanging art, expanding his catalog of available nature-themed designs. It was around this time that Lucas also decided to go out on his own with custom woodworking, cabinetry and trim, obtaining an MHIC license and working with both contractors and private customers.
