anewhouse
18th December 2014, 04:10 PM
One advantage of designing and building your own kayak is that you can match it to your own weight and your intended use.
Since I weigh only about 60kg and don't do extended expeditions, I find that even designs intended for the average 75kg paddler are bigger than I need. I have been paddling for long enough to know how much stability I need to feel comfortable. I also know that I will almost certainly never need to bounce the kayak off rocks.
Consequently, I have designed and built myself a kayak that is 5.3 metres long, 530mm wide, 280mm high and weighing 11kg. It fits me beautifully, but I'm sure a 75kg paddler couldn't fit in it.
Almost all the timber is Paulownia with a few WRC accent strips. The strips are 5mm thick and 22mm wide. The standard width for strips is 19mm, but I'm convinced that width is selected simply because that is the metric equivalent of 3/4". Building with 22mm strips was no more difficult than using 19mm strips.
The glass is one layer of 125gsm inside and out. The epoxy is Bote Cote and the polyurethane protective coat is Aquacote.
The group of six photos shows how tunnels were created under the deck to run the perimeter lines and bungee cord on the front deck. Those fittings are generally known as Maroske fittings after the builder who thought of the idea.
In spite of the fact that I intended the kayak to be for leisurely paddles on my local inland waterways, the final photo is of me completing my last lap in a 24 hour relay. (BTW Our team of three mature age men paddled over 220km in the 24 hours. :) )
Since I weigh only about 60kg and don't do extended expeditions, I find that even designs intended for the average 75kg paddler are bigger than I need. I have been paddling for long enough to know how much stability I need to feel comfortable. I also know that I will almost certainly never need to bounce the kayak off rocks.
Consequently, I have designed and built myself a kayak that is 5.3 metres long, 530mm wide, 280mm high and weighing 11kg. It fits me beautifully, but I'm sure a 75kg paddler couldn't fit in it.
Almost all the timber is Paulownia with a few WRC accent strips. The strips are 5mm thick and 22mm wide. The standard width for strips is 19mm, but I'm convinced that width is selected simply because that is the metric equivalent of 3/4". Building with 22mm strips was no more difficult than using 19mm strips.
The glass is one layer of 125gsm inside and out. The epoxy is Bote Cote and the polyurethane protective coat is Aquacote.
The group of six photos shows how tunnels were created under the deck to run the perimeter lines and bungee cord on the front deck. Those fittings are generally known as Maroske fittings after the builder who thought of the idea.
In spite of the fact that I intended the kayak to be for leisurely paddles on my local inland waterways, the final photo is of me completing my last lap in a 24 hour relay. (BTW Our team of three mature age men paddled over 220km in the 24 hours. :) )