Dave Mangin Sharing Connecting the Waters: The Gift of Three Boats

Date and Time

• Tuesday, May 12, 2026  6pm - 7pm

Location

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Details

Join us for an enlightening evening with author & boat enthusiast Dave Mangin, sharing Connecting the Waters: The Gift of Three Boats. In this discussion, Dave will share the process of not only building his kayak Endeavor, but also what it meant to paddle from Central Wisconsin to Green Bay, and the healing process he experienced through it all.

About the Book:

It is difficult to truly know ourselves in these times. It is rare for us to find the solitude in which to see what parts of ourselves remain after we leave behind our obligations, expectations of others, fads, and trends that are thrown at us. How often do we get to simply be, and to listen to what our gut has to say, or our heart? If we take the time to listen, and if we hear something, will we have the courage to follow it?

Connecting the Waters tells the stories of times that Dave Mangin actually heeded that call, the boats that came of it, the places he ventured, and the lessons he learned. It also speaks to the strife and conflict that arise when he doesn't heed that voice, both internal and external. In the course of building, using, and sharing what he learned from three boats, Mangin developed a formula that enables him to wring the richest rewards possible from a given Endeavor: the elements of creating, experiencing, and sharing.

About the Author

Dave Mangin has a convoluted history with boats and other silent sports, starting with his love at first float at the age of 5 in an aluminum canoe. While procrastinating for his college classes, he built his first cedar strip canoe in his brother’s garage. Five years later, he lived on the floor of a boat shop in Ithaca, NY for several months as he started building a rowing wherry for a trip down the Mississippi River (The 1,753 mile trip happened in 2007).

From 2008-2010, he managed the boat shop and taught a variety of classes at a charter high school in Central Milwaukee, where he christened 6 boats with students: 3 plywood skiffs, a stitch and glue Chesapeake Light Craft (CLC) wherry, and two cedar strip canoes.

After settling in Nelsonville, WI with his young family, he rekindled the passion in 2018 with a stitch and glue CLC rowing shell that he built for a client. However, he knew he needed a car-toppable boat that could handle the great lakes. A kayak was in order.

His Kayak took 3.5 years of intermittent work to build, a barn to partially renovate into a wood shop, and the process was augmented with educational programming. Then, in the summer of 2022, he was able to christen Endeavor and get on the water to continue a sectional paddle from his current abode on the Tomorrow River to his childhood home in Green Bay and beyond to Lake Michigan.

He set about the building and paddling of Endeavor through very intentional means, and the process has paid off in unexpected ways. Dave hopes this story helps to inspire attendees to his chat to follow their outdoor passions and perhaps build community through shared experiences. He believes this to be something that could be healing to our society and our Earth.