2025 Course Schedule coming soon! Details are just about falling into place, and I’ll be opening course registrations soon. There’s still space in the schedule to request a custom course, just for your group of paddling friends. (This is the best way to get the course you want, when you want it, with the buddies you want to train with!) Contact Nate ASAP to discuss a custom course request.
Boats!
Thinking about a P&H Custom Sea Kayak? The new Volan 162 and Volan 156 are now in production! (expanding the Volan line to FOUR sizes!) The 156 promises to be the best-fitting, best performing composite sea kayak for small paddlers, from any manufacturer! And the 162 brings the one-boat versatility and lightweight joy of the Volan to paddlers who like the fit of the Virgo HV and Scorpio HV. Place orders soon, and we’ll likely have boats delivered by mid-season.
Corelite Virgos, Scorpios, and Delphins are all in stock, with Discounts on a couple boats. New shipment of Pyranha WW boats, with a couple on big discount too! (inventory will be updated on the website soon, or email for details)
(Honestly, who knows what’s going to happen with prices, tariffs and imports. At the moment P&H prices are the same as last season - can’t say how long P&H will be able to keep them there, so if you’re thinking of getting a boat, acting sooner rather than later might save a bit of money.)
Pinniped Kayak was established by Nate Hanson to offer creative and student-centered sea kayak instruction to paddlers in eastern Maine's superb coastal venues.
We love kayaking, and we want to enable more paddlers to safely explore and enjoy the outstanding ocean kayaking venues our region is known for. Whether you aspire to enjoy quiet island sunsets, confidently lead a group of day paddlers, or surf the biggest tidal races in Maine, we want to help you realize your goals safely, knowledgeably, and with a giant grin on your face.
SeE our Current SCHEDULE of Courses. Contact Us for custom requests, or Questions.
2025 Courses By CategorY *Coming SOON*
For the full calendar, arranged chronologically, please view our Course Schedule.
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ACA Programs
- Jun 11, 2025 – Jun 13, 2025 ACA L3 Instructor Development Workshop - Ellsworth, ME Jun 11, 2025 – Jun 13, 2025
- Jul 16, 2025 – Jul 17, 2025 ACA L3 Instructor Certification Exam - Ellsworth, ME Jul 16, 2025 – Jul 17, 2025
- Jul 21, 2025 – Jul 23, 2025 L3 Instructor Dev. Workshop @ Portland Paddle Jul 21, 2025 – Jul 23, 2025
- Aug 5, 2025 – Aug 6, 2025 L3 Instructor Cert. Exam @ Portland Paddle Aug 5, 2025 – Aug 6, 2025
- Oct 3, 2025 – Oct 6, 2025 ACA Level 2 Instructor Certification Workshop - Brooklyn, NY Oct 3, 2025 – Oct 6, 2025
- Oct 31, 2025 – Nov 3, 2025 ACA L4 Instructor Certification Workshop/Update - Ellsworth, ME Oct 31, 2025 – Nov 3, 2025
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Coastal Skills
- Apr 30, 2024 – May 1, 2024 Rough Water Skills - Private Group Apr 30, 2024 – May 1, 2024
- Aug 13, 2025 – Aug 15, 2025 3-day Rough Water Development - Mount Desert Island, ME Aug 13, 2025 – Aug 15, 2025
- Oct 11, 2025 – Oct 13, 2025 Chasing Water Downeast Oct 11, 2025 – Oct 13, 2025
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Foundations
- Jun 8, 2024 Kayak Demos @ Ellsworth Outdoor Recreation Fair Jun 8, 2024
- Jul 12, 2024 Sea Kayak Navigation Skills - Mount Desert Island Jul 12, 2024
- Jun 8, 2025 Introductory Skills - Long Pond, MDI Jun 8, 2025
- Jun 9, 2025 Coastal Kayaking Skills - Bar Harbor Jun 9, 2025
- Jul 1, 2025 Intro to Tidal Current - Bagaduce River Jul 1, 2025
- Jul 2, 2025 Intro to Rocks - Mount Desert Island Jul 2, 2025
- Oct 11, 2025 – Oct 13, 2025 Chasing Water Downeast Oct 11, 2025 – Oct 13, 2025
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Leadership/Incident M'gmt
- Jul 12, 2025 – Jul 13, 2025 Risk Management in Rough Environments - Ellsworth, ME Jul 12, 2025 – Jul 13, 2025
- Sep 19, 2025 – Sep 22, 2025 Downeast Skills and Leadership Weekend - Lubec, ME Sep 19, 2025 – Sep 22, 2025
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Rocks and Ledges
- Jul 11, 2024 Rough Water Skills with SMSKN [FULL] - Midcoast, ME Jul 11, 2024
- Jul 10, 2025 – Jul 11, 2025 Rough Water Play - Ellsworth, ME Jul 10, 2025 – Jul 11, 2025
- Aug 13, 2025 – Aug 15, 2025 3-day Rough Water Development - Mount Desert Island, ME Aug 13, 2025 – Aug 15, 2025
- Sep 19, 2025 – Sep 22, 2025 Downeast Skills and Leadership Weekend - Lubec, ME Sep 19, 2025 – Sep 22, 2025
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Tidal Currents
- Jul 10, 2025 – Jul 11, 2025 Rough Water Play - Ellsworth, ME Jul 10, 2025 – Jul 11, 2025
- Aug 13, 2025 – Aug 15, 2025 3-day Rough Water Development - Mount Desert Island, ME Aug 13, 2025 – Aug 15, 2025
- Sep 19, 2025 – Sep 22, 2025 Downeast Skills and Leadership Weekend - Lubec, ME Sep 19, 2025 – Sep 22, 2025
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Whitewater
- Jun 4, 2024 – Jun 8, 2024 ACA River Kayak Instructor Certification Workshop - Synaptic Sport Jun 4, 2024 – Jun 8, 2024
- Jul 29, 2025 – Jul 31, 2025 Whitewater for Sea Kayakers - Penobscot River, Maine Jul 29, 2025 – Jul 31, 2025
P&H is paddled here. We are proud to paddle, sell, and put our students in the most innovative, well-built, and best-performing sea kayaks available.
“Pinniped (meaning fin-footed) is the name given to the group of marine mammals that includes seals, sea lions, and walruses. In the Gulf of Maine the Harbor Seal and Grey Seal are our companions almost any time we climb in a kayak. These amphibious creatures, more at home in the water than they are on land, seem like good namesakes to me - a kayaker striving for finesse in the water.”
DEPOSIT POLICY: After registering for a course, you’ll receive an email with a link to our deposit payment system. Your 50% deposit reserves your spot and helps us plan for consistent class sizes. If you cancel 30 days in advance, your deposit will be refunded (minus 3% credit card transaction fee), or credited in full to a future course. If you cancel less than 30 days before the course date, your deposit can only be refunded if we are able to fill your vacant spot. If Pinniped Kayak cancels a course for any reason, your deposit will be refunded in full.