One day kayak build.
Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2020 4:09 am
ONE DAY KAYAK
My daughter wanted a kayak. I have built several kayaks and I had this brilliant idea that I could build a simple Styrofoam kayak (pirogue really) in 2 days with the help of my grandsons. I presented the idea to my wife. And she had this brilliant idea that the grandsons should do the majority of the work and I should merely supervise. At breakfast I presented my plan in some detail. Mom and the boys were excited. So off I went to Home Depot. Got 2 sheets of 2" Styrofoam 2 bottles of Gorilla glue and some tools and some other stuff.
I was wrong. It only took the boys (12 and 14) one day to put this kayak together. It was interesting how the boys remember the details from our earlier conversation and understood how to proceed.
The next day we took it to a nearby lake to see if it would float and if it was stable enough. All 5 grandkids got to sit in it and test it by leaning out as far as possible. We did not have a paddle but we had a dog ear fence board that I used to make a short jaunt in the kayak. Good on both counts. It was clear the kayak could be tipped over only on purpose.
Later that day the boys did some fill work with spackle in preparation for paint. The boat will be painted with cotton fabric. Not as tough as fiberglass and epoxy but good enough for this build.
My daughter wanted a kayak. I have built several kayaks and I had this brilliant idea that I could build a simple Styrofoam kayak (pirogue really) in 2 days with the help of my grandsons. I presented the idea to my wife. And she had this brilliant idea that the grandsons should do the majority of the work and I should merely supervise. At breakfast I presented my plan in some detail. Mom and the boys were excited. So off I went to Home Depot. Got 2 sheets of 2" Styrofoam 2 bottles of Gorilla glue and some tools and some other stuff.
I was wrong. It only took the boys (12 and 14) one day to put this kayak together. It was interesting how the boys remember the details from our earlier conversation and understood how to proceed.
The next day we took it to a nearby lake to see if it would float and if it was stable enough. All 5 grandkids got to sit in it and test it by leaning out as far as possible. We did not have a paddle but we had a dog ear fence board that I used to make a short jaunt in the kayak. Good on both counts. It was clear the kayak could be tipped over only on purpose.
Later that day the boys did some fill work with spackle in preparation for paint. The boat will be painted with cotton fabric. Not as tough as fiberglass and epoxy but good enough for this build.