Fourteen years ago, David Melechin bought himself a new canoe. Little did he know that boating would soon become more than a hobby it would be his sideline business.

These days, Melechin owns and operates Canoe Pacific L.A., a shop operated out of his home near the Santa Monica Airport. His primary job is as an air traffic controller, which he does five days a week from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

In his off time, he sells boats with help from his mother, his wife and four children. Melechin spoke with Kristin Wilder about the business of boating.

“I have been the owner of this business for 14 years. I have always been an avid canoer and kayaker. This whole thing came about because I bought a Wenonah (canoe) for myself and found out that (the Wenonah manufacturing company) needed a sales rep. So I started out really small as a sales rep with them, and it just grew and grew. I added other lines and it just went from there.

Now we carry Islander and Current Design kayaks, Wenonah canoes and kayaks, Dagger canoes and kayaks and American Trader canoes, which are wooden. Those are just a few of the major brands. We also carry paddles and other canoe and kayak accessories. Grey Owl and Werner paddles are our most popular brands.

“We are actually not that far from Marina del Rey. We let customers try out some of the boats there, and they can buy the ones we’ve used as demos (for a discounted price).

“There are some first-time buyers, but basically boat people are boat people. They might have a sailboat or something else and decide that kayaking looks fun. So they come here and buy a kayak. There are customers that have been coming here the entire 14 years. We get a lot of avid boaters. But we get the first-time people, too.

“As far as cost goes, the boats range anywhere from $299 to as much as $3,000. Canoes are typically more expensive that the kayaks. I also deal in used boats and those obviously run a little cheaper.

“In the fourteen years, I have never moved. The business just keeps taking up more and more space as it grows. The whole family helps out, though. This is the busiest time of the year for us. The fall is really busy, too, oddly enough.”