Who I am

I am Paavo Manninen, born in the border region of the Kainuu and Koillismaa provinces in Finland. By training, I am a carpenter, a site manager, and a vocational teacher. I worked as a joiner and carpenter on building sites, in new construction, and in various renovation projects for over 20 years. I also completed studies in meat processing and further processing. Since 2010, I have been working in teaching positions within vocational education. Alongside my work, I completed a specialist vocational qualification in site management as well as pedagogical studies for teachers.




How I became a boatbuilder and woodworker
From childhood, I had the opportunity to learn from my father—watching boatbuilding and the making of many different kinds of wooden objects. I came to understand that building a wooden boat is a skill that is mastered by only a few craftsmen and one that is deeply respected. I remember how good it felt when my father handed a finished boat over to its new owner—a boat to which I, too, had contributed something: helping to fetch the boat’s keel timber from the forest, perhaps driving a single nail into the boat, or shaving off a curl of wood from a plank.


Boatbuilding took place mainly in spring and summer, so I was able to take part as a kind of “summer job.” As my skills developed, I was allowed to participate in more responsible stages of the work. One of the most demanding tasks was fitting the end of a plank into the groove of the keel by carving it carefully with a knife. It had to be done in one go and with full concentration. Carving away too much would result in a plank end that was too short—unsightly to look at and something that would have gone “against nature.”


My path to becoming a boatbuilder began in childhood as my father’s helper, holding planks and handing him nails. As my skills grew, I was given increasing responsibility, and eventually my father began directing boat customers straight to me. It felt natural to continue the family’s boatbuilding tradition, which has been passed down orally through five generations. My father has been my most important teacher and source of knowledge, as the details of boatbuilding have never been written down but have instead been passed from master to apprentice. Today, I do this work out of love for the craft—the scent of tar, working with my hands, and a creative profession that is still deeply valued—while honoring centuries-old traditions.


I have been doing various kinds of woodworking since childhood, and traditional woodcraft has always been a natural part of my life. I have made, among other things, wooden bread tubs, butter churns, and other traditional household items. Birch-bark crafts and skills such as making rope from willow became familiar to me under my father’s guidance, and through them I learned to appreciate the versatility of natural materials. Shaping wood by hand has always fascinated me, and I have wanted to learn the subtleties of different working methods. This broad expertise in traditional woodworking has accompanied me throughout my life and complemented everything else I do.


How I became interested in further processing of meat and fish
I grew up by a lake, so fish was available for food almost daily. My parents ran a reindeer farm, where meat was further processed for household use. From an early age, I learned meat and fish handling and processing under my father’s guidance. I was taught various methods of turning meat and fish into finished products, including cold and hot smoking, canning, and air-drying. The skills I acquired in my youth were later strengthened through formal studies in further processing of meat and fish. As an active hunter and fisherman, I have had many opportunities to put these skills into practice.