Schade, Nick: - Nick Schade, an engineer by training, is a boatbuilder and writer whose articles have appeared in Sea Kayaker and Atlantic Coast Kayaker. As an impoverished college student, he designed and built his first kayak when he realized that the price of a factory model was beyond his reach. And he's been at it ever since: More than 300 of his sea kayaks are being paddled and built worldwide. Nick divides his time between shops in Connecticut and New Hampshire and paddling the shores of New England.