Making homemade kayak

[r_nichols]

Dear Fellow Canoers/Kayakers,

I saw an episode of Dual Survival where Dave and Cody built a kayak out of saplings, a boat cover, and duct tape. There are plans on the internet to build a PVC kayak. I was wondering if anyone has ever built one and can they give me some pointers.

I am thinking of sealing with epoxy. Should I use aerosol or liquid?

Anxious for your input,
Ron

[Jim Krueger]

Ron,

Many years ago, after reading the 1929 or so publication of The Smithsonian; Bark and Skin Canoes (Open&Decked) of North America, I too thought about this. Then I bought my first kayak, it was homemade, but it was built by an engineering student out of Kevlar. He and his friend made it by making a mould of a very old-school Prijon (SP) kayak. At any rate, if it's a homemade boat you can use on our rocky streams for any length of time, I really think fiberglass or kevlar cloth in layers, and plenty, several gallons, of marine epoxy is needed.
As much as my old boat did well for many years, it just wasn't nearly as good a river-runner as the plastic boats we mainly use now. I'm still using by first 'store-bought' perception kayaks from the 1990s, they are so much more stable, resiliant, and safe than the homemade boat I still have.
There have been several examples of some really nice wood strip canoes mentioned over the years that were well-built and with many hours of love and care and quality materials, but I'd hate to scar any of them up too much on rocky lake trips, or certainly the river.
I still have my first boat but sometimes think about how dangerous it could have been with it's old style small teardrop-shaped cockpit, and no vertical bulkheads to maybe mitigate entrapment in a pin, or even any grabloops to start with...or any floatation for that matter.
If you just want to build a boat to paddle in a pond or lake though, I'd try most anything that seemed reasonable. We have extra kayaks of various designs your welcome to try on most any of our posted trips if you'd care to, to better decide on a shape you might like for a home-built one later.


Best Regards
Jim

[Wildwood]

Ron,
I saw that episode, too. I was surprised it went very far, as fast as the current was, and those big waves. I thought their design was pretty good, though.

[prophet]

i remember seeing some plans for a PVC 'yak on here. If I remember right Kenny used the PVC to plug the drain end of the urinal

[G George]

Air bags are kevlar, so if you hit the body shops, you may get enough for a project.
Be sure to wash them really well, to remove the dust from the canister it pops out of.

Good Luck
G George

[Jim Krueger]

Ron,

If you should be interested in buying/using various epoxies, cloths,
how-to manuals on boatbuilding etc. Check out RAKA Inc. they were the marine supply dealer I used for supplies over the years to repair my Kevlar kayak. Just Google them.

Best Regards
Jim Moose