Hi all -

I got restless, not having built anything in a while ("But, what have you done lately?"), so I put together this kid's kayak last week.

She's mostly lashed and glued together, and is 10 feet long, by 19 inches wide, and weighs about 12-14 lbs. Took about 4 days of part time work to build the frame, then two full days to skin and paint it, plus a couple of evenings off for happy hour or what have you. It's of non-traditional construction, as I'm wont to do, and is my interpretation of a traditional West Greenland kayak from Disko Bay. A bit shorter, though.

As usual, props to Tom Yost for his building methods and inspiration. In fact, this boat likely, and perhaps inevitably, looks a lot like his "Sea Flea" design, below the sheer.

She's skinned with 8oz polyester, from George Dyson, and painted with "Gloss Royal Blue" Rustoleum. I'm very pleased with this material, and also with paint as a skin coating. They both work great.
That's a Narwhale, btw - or at least a facsimile thereof. You can see it better in the next pic.

The coaming is a strip of Ash, which I bent into a circle after merely soaking it in a bathtub filled with hot water. That worked so well that I doubt I'll be making another steam box any time soon! I'd be happier if I could have soaked it in an actual hot tub, but only because then I'd have a hot tub to soak myself in, too.

You can see a few more pics at the link.

Questions and comments welcome, of course!

Dave Gentry