Homemade Kayak Launch

C

CanDo

Joined
Mar 10, 2006
Messages
913
I finished my kayak... sort of. It still needs deck lines and a couple other little details, but it's now seaworthy. It's a wood frame covered in nylon and a two-part urethane. I couldn't get to the ocean today, so I launched it on a lake.

The morning was rainy, but by the time we got out, the weather had become beautiful. Caught a turtle, but no we did not eat it. Went swimming. Found blueberries. Basked in the sun. Paddled.

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very nice kayak, looks great.

looks like a nice time. good that the weather turned good.
 
Thanks guys.

By the way, the boat is a joy to paddle. I'm very happy with the result. Can hardly wait to let it hit the waves.
 
Wow, that turned out really good. Looks great, good balance. How does it track ?
Did you build up the coaming from blocks or laminate it from strips ?
What's the final weight?

Looking forward to the review after it's seen some chop !
Nice job.
 
Wicked. Moons ago I built a Dominator. Dragged on for weeks. Seemed like every Sunday I would be rolling fiberglass. Very satisfying to complete, especially with your own custom decals built into it. Gotta say at this point though, I like yours better.

just for fun
 
Cando?

You are a craftsman. Lovely. The boat is pretty too. :)

How's it track? What's it weigh? How tough do you think the fabric is...will it take some moderate abrasion? Bump OFF a snag?

You gotta get NANOOK OF THE NORTH. Great film. More there than you remember from the museum trip when you were a kid.


Kis
 
DeadeyeLefty,

Tracks beautifully. I was a bit concerned when I noticed it veered a tiny bit to the right when I stopped paddling. Then I stopped paddling with my stroke on the other side and it did the opposite to the left. This is very, very minor and will be taken care of once I put the rub strip on the stern.

Coaming is two pieces of 3/4" plywood on top of one another, the top piece overhanging the bottom by 5/8". Final weight is 30 lbs - about half of some 14' plastic kayaks selling for a thousand bucks.

baldtaco,

Any pics?

Brian,

Just noticed the quote thing next to your avatar. Comedian Brian Regan did a thing where he was talking about people getting offended when you pronounce their names wrong.... "And I come back with, 'oh yeah, my name is hard to pronounce, too, just call me Briauo`n'."

Kismet,

The fabric is extremely durable, it's already taken quite a few bumps and sharp sticks without any issue. The secret is that the fabric has been coated with a two-part urethane used to glue cement slabs for highways. I finished applying it on Saturday, and some of it is still stuck to my arms and hands. I'll add a rub strip on the stern to add to tracking and make it safe to drag along sharp rocks. I'll definitely check out Nanook of the North. It's probably online.

On another forum, a different person made a very similar complement, and she was quite amused :)




If anyone wants to give building one of these a go, definitely jump into it. I knew nothing before starting - everything can be self taught from the internet. I can help anyone interested get started.
 
Man she is beautiful!!! The kayak I mean... well the your lady friend is as well, but that's a different topic I suppose.:p

I've always wanted to build a kayak, I'm going to bookmark this one, for whenever I get a chance to attempt it.

If you don't mind me asking, what did it end up costing you in materials, and time?
 
Guys, don't rub it in, she's a couple of states away right now.




Stingray,

I wish I kept better records but I really flew on the project with my crazy schedule. It all depends on how much you already have. An overview:

Wood: depends on where you live: $30-$100
Plywood: 8' Sheet for $30, used about a 20" x 4' end of it
Fabric: 5 yards @ $9/yard
Urethane: $60, there are cheaper options but they take about a week, and I don't have that much time. Urethane is ultimately more durable.
Dye: $8
Epoxy: $60 of epoxy or so purchased at 2004 prices because I didn't want the marine store who bought out the little guys to rip me off. I finished it off, but I had already used a bunch on the other kayak
Seat, Spray skirt, Back Band Paddle: $350.... Less the spray skirt, they could all be home made much cheaper, I just don't have the time. Skirt and Paddle can be used in different boats. I will carve a proper Greenland paddle at some point, as soon as I have a chance.
Brass Screws: $9
SS hardware: $4
Watco Danish Oil: $13
500 yards of dacron line for $17, used under 20 yards.
Brushes don't count as tools since with epoxy and urethane, they're disposable: ~$7 for a big pack of disposable 1-2" brushes
Monel Staples (you could use more thread, it's actually recommended): $13
I actually spent way more than this because I also bought tools and such along the way, plus gas and all. Still, it's a LOT cheaper than a commercial boat with barely comparable performance. I came into the project worrying about money, but quickly ignored it as for the time I was putting in, money was really a non-issue. Counting the labor a first time builder, I may as well have spent several thousand dollars on a brand new boat.

Time: many, many hours. No idea what a good estimate would be. probably 80% of the actual time working on the kayak was in research and in making design decisions. If I built a second boat the same way it would take a tiny fraction of the time.
Tom Yost puts construction time at about 50-60 hours (I think?) for the frame. Skinning is then pretty quick, relatively speaking.
 
CanDo, hola

No dude, that predates my interest in digital cameras. I used to paddle twice a week at a club. I had the option to buy one from them finished or buy one from them at the cost of the materials + a bit on top for using their molds etc. Very different can of worms from yours. All stubby and spraydeck, round in section and meant for rolling. I've sold four houses since then. I like yours better for what I do now. I'd happily paddle that out the harbour or have a sedentary one up the river.
 
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