A hand-built George Kerekgyarto kayak appears graceful, but precariously so.

The skin is translucent, showing slender white-ash ribs. There's no steel or plastic in sight, just tiny dowel rods and synthetic threads lashing body to soul.

A rogue wave would obviously burst this thing to bits, right?

Wrong, says Kerekgyarto, a Millersville University associate professor of industry and technology. The cedar frame is tied together so it flexes in heavy seas.

His 14-foot F1 model kayaks are based on a historic Greenland design that plied arctic waters; a similar vessel is displayed at the National Museum of the American Indian, in Washington, D.C.

Kerekgyarto energetically thumps the ballistic nylon kayak membrane. "You should be able to beat on it with a hammer," he says. But once you lead the 25-pound beast to water, you must mind its thoroughbred nature.

"They're not stable. They want to flip you out of them."

Nevertheless, says Kerekgyarto, who began constructing kayaks after attending the Wooden Boat School in Maine, "they're great fun."

He launched a kayak-building class at MU last year.

"It's just a hoot to see the students put so much effort into this" and then paddle away in their own boats, he says. "They don't miss class. They come early and stay late. It just sucks people in."

Kerekgyarto was born and raised in Lancaster. He graduated from Penn Manor High School and served two years of active duty in the Navy before receiving his Bachelor of Science degree from MU in 1975.

He earned a Master of Science degree (1978) and a doctorate in education (1982) from the University of Northern Colorado.

Kerekgyarto taught in Oregon before joining the MU staff in 1989. He lives in Lancaster Township with his wife, Susan Lithgoe.

"She's good at this" art of kayaking, he says. "You put her in and she just goes."

My parents always told me: Whatever you do, have options. I still tell my students, "Look at your options. What are your options?"

My kayak-making mentor: Garden Spot High School technology education teacher Mark Kaufman.

One thing I've learned: Always wear a life vest.

The hardest thing about building a kayak: The sewing.

When the students are really confused I tell them: Think like an Indian.

How to size individual boats to the builders: You put a fist on either side of your hip and that's how wide the cockpit would be. You want to be able to get into it but you don't want it real cavernous.

Besides boats, I build: A lot of beds, dressers and tables. Susan says, "Not another piece! Can't we just go out and buy something?"

One force that has helped shape my life: A lot of dumb luck.

My hobbies include: My wife owns the George Street Cafe and she also has a coffee roasting business, so that's my hobby.

A cause I support: Awareness of our environment.

My reading list includes: I like nonfiction more than fiction. I'm reading Bill Bryson's "A Really Short History of Nearly Everything."

My kayaking ambition: I want to go down the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. I used to canoe it. I figure if you can go in a canoe you can go in one of these.