How a Boat Shop Born in a Basement, Crafted a Family and Shaped a Community
Text by Shane Klippenes and Photography by Darrin Schreder
Prior to my recent trip to Canyon Ferry Reservoir, when I thought of sculling, I pictured Ivy League types, rocketing diminutive custom crafts past ancient architecture on smooth mirrored-glass waters. Other than for muscle building, what practical purpose could sculling serve?
Lisa Kallio, daughter of Helena custom boat builder Alan Kallio, provided an answer I could grasp. “When I was 10-years old,” she said, “my brother and I routinely used our scull to row five miles across Canyon Ferry to Kim’s Marina to play Pac-Man while our parents were at work.”
This happened during the summer months when the Kallio family set up residence (in the form of a large, green army tent surrounded by a bevy of smaller tents) along a remote section of the reservoir that could only be accessed by boat. Their seclusion created a built-in workout for Lisa and brother Keith whenever they wanted to scratch the video game itch. According to Lisa, their impromptu expeditions occurred after their parents took the motor boat to town to work, and she grew tired of playing around their camp on the lake.
“My mom and dad probably weren’t considered the most responsible parents in the world, but they were adventurous and included us in everything,” said Lisa. The adventures included rowing, snow skiing, ice boating, skating, water skiing and a host of other activities that were mostly focused around the lake. At the helm of these adventures was her father, Alan, a self-described “terrible swimmer, but lover of boats and all things on the water.” He built his first watercraft at age 14, and eventually parlayed this love into a career when he launched Al’s Marine Repair from the family basement in 1979. He crafted and repaired all types of boats, beginning with outboard hydroplanes and eventually branching out into rowing sculls and wooden, tournament ski-boats.
When sculling caught his eye, Alan began building these boats from scratch based on plans that he’d “found somewhere” and customizing them to fit the needs of purchasers. As such, it was only natural to keep a couple of boats around for the kids to use, unintentionally igniting a passion that has burned for nearly 40 years. What started out as basic, kid-friendly water transportation later became Hoo Hah and Snivel, a triathlon of unequal parts of workout, competition and stress reliever created by the Kallio clan.
Born out of the competition component of this sculling isosceles, Hoo Hah and Snivel consisted of running, bicycling and rowing. The race drew contestants across the competitive spectrum, from elite athletes to local bar patrons who became unofficial race entrants just prior to the starting gun.
During one unforgettable running of Hoo Hah and Snivel, Keith had to row like an Olympian to nab the win and preserve family pride after the cyclist for Team Kallio fell on the course, then got lost after he took off in the wrong direction.
That alone would have been memorable enough without the additional need of an impromptu search party to locate “unofficial racers” that had taken off in a borrowed canoe better suited for duty as a waterfront planter. In the end, all parties returned safely to the finish line with new friendships made and stories to tell and re-tell.
Not surprisingly, The Hoo Hah and Snivel figuratively represents the Kallio family’s paradigm of embracing every new adventure, figuring out how to afford it and acquiring the skills to safely complete it–all on the fly. Their escapades produced countless memories and a few unintended consequences along the way; however, they have few regrets stemming from opportunities not taken.
“I may never be rich,” Alan said, “but I’ve built a wonderful life doing the things I wanted to do, with people that are important to me.”
And that, it seems, is the most practical reason of all for sculling.
Sculling for Life
Whether you’re looking to burn calories or just get from point A to point B on the water, sculling may be just the ticket for you. The original, zero impact workout, rowing in various forms has been around for centuries, with high stakes bets wagered on Boat Club races throughout England as early as the 1800’s. Multiple studies, including those from Harvard and the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, have shown that “rowing vigorously burns more calories than running at a pace of 9 minutes per mile”, without the impact of running.
Wanna discuss how rowing can fit into your fitness regimen? Call Alan at Caird Boat Works (406-442-8009) in Helena for information on getting a boat on the water. Landlubbers that seek the health benefits of rowing, without the investment of time and finances in a scull, can obtain more information from Greg at Access Fitness (406-727-1625).
