Charles Albright has more boats than you ever will. At last count, the Reno, Nevada, kayaking legend had a whopping 150 in his house, including about 25 in the front room, four in his bedroom, more in his basement and garage, and a full boat room of 40 or so.
The boats range from downriver and sprint racing kayaks to surf shoes, surf skis, outrigger canoes, whitewater slalom kayaks, C-1s, regular whitewater kayaks, a smattering of sea kayaks and canoes, and more, all hanging from rafters, lining the walls and taking up nearly every available square inch of space.
A former USA Wildwater Team member and longtime instructor, he just keeps getting them, curating them into one of the world’s biggest, most eclectic collections. And he doesn’t hoard them; last year he gave 24 of them away—many to local kids—and makes similar donations every year.
To Albright, 75, spreading the paddling love is far more important than his museum pieces.
“My biggest prize isn’t my boat collection but all of the folks I’ve met racing and paddling over the years,” he says. Below, we call out a few favorites—and some other odds and ends—in his kayak-heavy home.
Inside America’s largest private collection of kayaks: Charles Albright’s Boat House
Olympic K-4
Olympic K-4“That’s a Struer from the 1968 Mexico Olympics. I bought it from a flatwater racing team in Seattle. The white one is a K-4 from Susan Starbird, an Olympic paddling coach from Petaluma, which I got from their training center when they needed room.” The 34-foot-long K-4s join another wooden K-2 Struer. “I love Struers. I bought wood boats for a while because they’re so beautiful.”
Wave Ski
Wave Ski“That’s a Raider from Australia. I competed on it at the Santa Cruz Surf Kayak Festival. Breaking through the surf was challenging, and it was intimidating to be in sometimes, but it’s dynamic and cuts quick.” The ski joins a K-1 collection that ranges in size from a 24-foot-long Missile to a 7’5” Wave Sport Stubby and 6’9” Minnow by Ann Dwyer.
Valhalla
Valhalla“That’s a double surf ski I bought from a builder named Keith Keillor out of San Diego. The yellow one is a Plastex Olympic flatwater sprint boat from Fairfield, California.” They join other rare designs most paddlers only ever see in grainy photos, including a Hydra Taurus, Duet C-2, Mongoose and Hollowform from Tom Johnson, several boats from the 1960s by Apple Line, and his first kayak, a wood frame/Naugahyde skin Folbot.
Wall Art
Wall Art“My cousin painted a picture of Poor Red’s [bar] in El Dorado, California. It’s a great place to party after paddling and get s**tfaced on Gold Cadillacs, a drink made with Galliano. The bottom photo I took myself on the Rogue River in my RPM. My roommate put ‘Home Sweet Home’ on it, which describes me when I’m on the river.”
SpongeBob
SpongeBob“Usually, I’d have it on the dash of my van, but there’s no room there; it’s too filled with other things. The pink duck was a river find. I found it in an eddy on the Grand the last time I did it—a super cold November trip during Covid. They were doing some river studies, so it dropped to 4,000 cfs and rose to 20,000—some of the highest water there since 1984, which I was also there for.”
Life Jacket
Life Jacket“That’s a Donald Duck life jacket. His face and body are a bouncing ball. We brought him to Poor Red’s once and sat him on a barstool with us and bought him drinks. I had a business selling paddling gear from 1981 to 1994, and it was one I used for taking people with disabilities out on the water. I still do that, teaching and putting about 60 to 80 people with disabilities on the water every year.”
Ceiling
Ceiling“I moved into the house in January of 2000 and decorated it to think I was outside. I painted the walls and ceiling with clouds and rainbows, and put in light brown carpet and green linoleum. I also added skylights and 12-inch glass blocks.” You can see Albright’s house for yourself as he gives informal tours twice per month (just get in touch and ask). He’ll be ogling those sky lights aplenty this spring after getting shoulder surgery in February, admitting, “I have to spend three agonizing months off the water.”
Deep Creek Poster
Deep Creek Poster“I helped run the Slalom World Cup on Deep Creek in McHenry, Maryland, in 2014. I showed up and said, ‘Tell me what you need me to do.’ I did everything—timing, cleaning, hanging gates, you name it. It was a total reunion of boaters.” Albright stayed in his truck—a 2005 Ford Explorer with a license plate that reads “Canoer”—which he’ll drive to Alaska this summer for a two-month paddling trip.
Wildwater Sweatshirt
Wildwater Sweatshirt“During Covid, I was supposed to be at the World Championships at NOC, competing in Wildwater C-2, but it was cancelled.” Albright was on the USA Wildwater Team 12 times, competing in 12 events in the U.S. and in Europe, finishing as high as fourth. He also raced whitewater K-1 in Europe and attended four team trials in Slalom C-2, placing one spot off the team four times. “But it’s all a little fuzzy now,” he says.
This article was published in Issue 75 of Paddling Magazine. “Folks give me free boats all the time,” says Charles Albright. “I’ve loaned out about 50 that I’d love to get back someday.” | Feature photo: Scott Sady
