Walter Kirschbaum Fiberglass Kayak, Grand Canyon Village

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER AZ-85. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon vicinity, Coconino County, Arizona Walter Kirschbaum s fiberglass kayak is located at latitude: longitude: The point represents the building housing the Grand Canyon National Park Museum Collection. It was obtained from Google Earth on April 22, and there is no restriction on its release to the public. Date of Construction: late Builder: Walter and Ruth Kirschbaum Original Owner: Walter Kirschbaum

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER AZ-85. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The fiberglass kayak is significant for its association with Walter Kirschbaum, who was the first kayaker to paddle through all the rapids of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. He accomplished this milestone in June Description: The 14' long kayak has a beam.1 Kirschbaum wanted the strength of fiberglass but also a lightweight boat. He accomplished this by building a boat with a fiberglass bottom and a canvas top. The canvas was kept secure and taut by a wood gunnel rail placed along the perimeter of the kayak. The canvas shows signs of repairs with stitching and application of canvas patches. Unlike modern kayaks, Kirschbaum s kayak does not have a seat. History: Walter Kirschbaum, originally from West Germany, won a gold medal at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships.

He emigrated to the United States in and shortly thereafter he and his wife, Ruth, built the kayak in the attic of their Denver home. Kirschbaum had difficulty obtaining the necessary permit to kayak the Colorado as the National Park Service had banned kayaking in the park. Finally, the NPS relented but before they would grant him a permit, he had to first kayak Cataract 1 Walter Kirschbaum Fiberglass Kayak has been accessioned as Catalog No. GRCA WALTER KIRSCHBAUM FIBERGLASS KAYAK HAER AZ-85 (Page 2) Canyon, which he accomplished.

Kirschbaum then completed the Colorado River run from Lee s Ferry to Lake Mead in six days in June He tragically died in after falling in his bathtub and drowning.2 The boat was stored in Grand Canyon National Park s Museum Collection large object room from to September It was then moved to the Maintenance Warehouse until December and finally, along with the park s historic boat collection, relocated to a new storage area in the Powell Building.

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER AZ-85. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The report is based on information from the Grand Canyon Museum Collection and the following additional sources. Martin, Tom. Chapter 13 Kirschbaum Kayak. On Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/482381953, accessed April Webb, Dennis. Remembering a river forerunner. The Aspen Times, February 28, Available online at accessed April

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER AZ-85. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Walter Kirschbaum s fiberglass kayak was documented as part of the Historic American Engineering Record s Maritime Recording Program. The Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) is part of Heritage Documentation Programs, a division of the National Park Service. Todd Croteau, HAER Architect, served as project manager. Ryan Pierce produced the measured drawings in Grand Canyon National Park staff provided information for the historical report, which was formatted by Justine Christianson, HAER Historian, in 2 Dennis Webb, Remembering a river forerunner, The Aspen Times, February 28, available online at accessed April Tom Martin, Chapter 13 Kirschbaum Kayak, on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/482381953, accessed April