This Man Has 130 Kayaks at His Home: Kayak Museum Curator Charlie Albright

Spouse give you a hard time about how many boats you have laying around the house? That’s nothing compared to the quiver amassed by Tahoe, Calif-area kayaking legend Charles Albright—he’s accumulated a whopping 130 boats in his house, curating them into a veritable kayak/canoe museum of sorts in his Reno, Nevada, home. Some come and some go (as he regularly loans them out), some are in his garage, others in his living room, and some even hang from his bedroom—but they’re all there in perhaps one of the country’s biggest and most cohesive kayak collections. A former US Wildwater Team member and longtime kayaker and instructor, he just keeps getting them and keeps keeping them. We caught up with him for a sneak peak at the paddlecraft inside his kayak-heavy home:

Paddling Life: When did you get into paddling?

I started paddling in 1971, though I did some canoeing with my parents before that. I grew up on Mark West Creek north of Santa Rosa and threw lots of parties on our beach that’s well into an orchard. Eventually, I began teaching kayaking and made many more paddling friends who I traveled and paddled with throughout Cali, Oregon and Idaho. I also got semi-serious about slalom and wildwater C-2 and K-1. Went to many Team Trials and often made the teams. I tried at least four times to make the team in C-2 Slalom and was one spot off the team each time. In wildwater I made the team numerous times and went to Europe four times in C-2 and once in K-1. I also raced lots of surfskis as well as marathons and distance races like the Goosenecks on the San Juan.

Paddling Life: What were some of your first boats?

My first boat was a Folboat with Naughide (SP) skin. Next was a HIPP Kayak from Germany—brand new with all the gear, skirt, Kober paddleand Romer helmet. I started in the Santa Rosa area on Mark West Creek, the Russian River and others. The Folboat died when my two brothers and a dog took it out on Mark West Creek. I had used it a lot on Lake Tahoe before that. I was running the Carson, Truckee and other rivers with no clue about rolling, but read lots of books and learned basics and pushed myself to not just float.

Paddling Life: How long have you been collecting them…er, uh, and why? 

I did my first race in 1974 on the Carson River from Carson to Dayton. It had Class IV and I took second just following my friend who was in a whitewater kayak. I took first the next year and met folks from Cali who were racers in the Sacto area. That lead to many years of racing and getting boats specific to those races: wildwater, (K-1, C-1 C-2), slalom, (K-1 C-1 C-2), marathon/flatwater/sprint, (K-1 K-2 K-4 C-1); ocean kayaks (1 and 2-person); and boats for surf and even triathlons and marathons on rivers. Then, I also started teaching folks how to paddle for free, which I did for 21 years in the Reno area. But I needed boats each week for rolling, often taking up to 15 or so to the pool at a time. I slowed down teaching in 1999 when I built a house, and that’s where all those boats are. I guess I really started collecting boats in 1976 when I moved to Reno and had a business that sold kayaks, canoes and rafts in the area. I also started putting on slalom and wildwater races on the Carson and Truckee rivers, and assisting my brother with races on the Russian, so got more boats from that as well.

I’ve continued to collect boats from 1976 till now. There are a least 130 here at the house. Folks give me old boats and I move them on. I give away an average of 20 boats a year and have about 40-50 boats lent out on a return-it-please-when-done agreement. Most are old race boats of some kind.  I also have about 10 kids’ boats floating around the Reno area. I never charged for lessons and used to ask for a six-pack for lending boats but could not drink them all so that stopped. As for this year, folks have already returned or given me about 15-20 boats.

Paddling Life: Where are they stored?

They’re scattered throughout my home. I have about 25 here in the front room—almost all of them race or sea kayaks, including two K-4s that are 36 feet long. My bedroom has four sprint or ski-type kayaks. The basement has a collection of canoes, skis, ocean kayaks and even a SUP. My boat room has at least 30 to 40 boats. Lots of old-style boats, including slalom and wildwater and several boats from the 1960’s. Then there is the garage at least 20 mostly race boats. Then there is the backyard where there are another 20 boats or so. Most are there for the public to just stop by and borrow, including older river kayaks, sea kayaks, Topo Duos and a number of super old kayaks that folks just dropped off. The damn things just keep showing up. Plus, all the PFDs, paddles and other gear left over from the business.

Paddling Life: What are some of your favorites?

I have several. One is one of my K-4s, which is a Struer from the 1968 Mexico Olympics. I love all of my Struer K-1s and K-2s as well. My 20-lb. Huki Surf Ski is great also, and so are my slalom kayaks, canoes and wildwater boats. I alaso love my first sprint K-1 that I got at the 1984 Olympics. I got three of them there. My favorite river kayak is my trusty RPM. But I also have Tom Johnson’s own River Kayak. I also like my Seaward Ascente sea kayaks and some of Westside Boat Shop’s fast K-1s, weighing just 26 lbs. I also have slalom kayaks from Chuck Stanley, Sue Norman and Rebecca Giddens. My oldest is probably a WW C-2 from the Ritchie Bro’s, as well as numerous boats from the ‘60’s.

Paddling Life: Do you ever have them on display for people to come see?

I give probably one tour of the house a week. Kent Ford posted it as a private collection. I hope that with my passing some place might adopt the collection. My nephew tried boating, but I don’t know if he will honor the boats.

Paddling Life: What’s your take on kayaking these days?

Well, it seems as if there are far more lake kayakers than river kayakers these days. Numbers don’t lie. But there are so many other sports to do and a lot of people get into it then move to other sports. The cost of gas and my health have dampened my pursuit of rivers away from home. I used to paddle Chili Bar and see as many as 90 kayaks on the beach at First Threat. That doesn’t happen anymore. But lots of locals still boat and I get folks borrowing boats a lot. And I still get lots of folks showing up for river trips and clean ups, but there are less of those and fewer races these days as well, partly as a lingering result of Covid. The Reno River Festival that used to be huge has gone by the wayside after they quit offering $10,000 in prizes. And I got burnt-out on setting slalom courses at our whitewater park that very few people used. Serious slalom and wildwater paddlers are very hard to find out here in the West. But we do have a great selection of up and coming juniors. People still come by and get free boats. What more could I ask for? So, paddling here in the west of Nevada still has it following. And I can still think of a few more boats I’d like to have.

My biggest prize, however, isn’t my boat collection but all of the folks that I have met racing in the U.S. and in Europe and just paddling in general. I have a lot of very good paddling friends that I still keep in contact with, and it’s been a great pleasure to assist with so many World Cup races and other big events in my career.