About

Carefully Curated & Tested for Performance

Harley Lewin is a reformed lawyer. He has paddled the entire Maine Island Trail solo, coming in only for fresh water. He did this for several summers and has saved not only his charts but also his knowledge. Folks come in all the time to ask about places to paddle. Harley is a Registered Maine Sea Kayak Guide and often works closely with other trusted Registered Sea Kayak Guides to serve client needs in the vibrant local sea kayaking environment. Because of Maine’s outdoor activities focus, Maine is one of the few states to carefully regulate and license its guides, whether for sea kayaking, rivers, hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping. Registration means something here and is taken very seriously. We are also members of Southern Maine Sea Kayakers and other similar organizations.
Harley does not lead tours, and we do not do the 2/4/6 hour tours as a business. We recommend folks contact other local businesses. We do arrange to place folks with guides who take out longer, more adventurous folks.
Mark Fuller can be found in the shop a couple days a week, serving customers and assisting Harley. Mark's background in kayaks started in the mid-seventies with flat-water racing on Penobscot County lakes and rivers, then after moving to Southern Maine, taking up salt-water paddling. Kayaking is one of his numerous outdoor sports activities. Stop by and say "hello"! (Mark is the one without a beard)

Our Mission

We aim to bring cutting edge, high-performance sea kayaks to wonderful people. Our kayaks and gear are carefully curated and tested for performance, durability, value, and aesthetics. Plus, they are competitively priced! We want to ﬁt the right boat to each individual customer, so we encourage trying them on and trying them out. The same is true with all our gear. We strive to diﬀerentiate our inventory from the cookie-cutter boats and gear sold by big box stores, and constantly solicit feedback and direction from our team of experts as well as paddlers near and far.

Our Place

Our new boats are on the walls in both the front and back rooms of the Shop. ALL are available to demo on request or for sale oﬀ the wall. We are also a showroom for the newest in hardcore gear technologies, including tuiliqs – an Inuit garment over 1,000 years old but now updated with environmentally sensitive fabrics that wear well, are priced right and are made to order.

We show slightly used boats for sale in the Chart Room at the back of the Shop. We also encourage the room as a place to hang out, use the internet, and plan trips (we have maps from all of our adventures available to use in-house, along with our own knowledge), as well as for groups that need space to learn. We do not charge for the use of the Chart Room, provided the use relates to adventure and/or outdoor water sport.

Some Special Friends and Frequent Helpers

Harley Lewin

Owner and founder of Nanuq Kayaks. Tries to kayak more and worry less.

Cheri Perry & Turner Wilson

Greenland rolling champions. Partners in Kayak Ways and in life.

David McPherson

Founder of Sea Kayak, Connecticut. ACA L4 Open Water Coastal Kayak Instructor, L2 ACA SUP instructor, and BCU 3-star paddler.

Calie Ramisch

Sea kayaker and yogi. Ask her about paddling in Alaska and Patagonia.

Joe Guglielmetti

Maine guide, ACA-certified open water sea kayak instructor, returned Peace Corps volunteer (Zambia 07-09), and social worker. Joe enjoys bringing people into the marine environment, and he calls the sea his therapist. He is the treasurer of the Maine Association of Sea Kayak Guides and Instructors.

Erin Quigley

Sea kayak guide and instructor, principal at Kingfisher Conservation & Recreation, and co-founder of Portland Paddle. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring land and water, eating ice cream, and adventuring with her son.