I’ve decided to build a kayak. It all started last summer when I decided to buy a canoe. One of my favourite artistic pursuits is nature and landscape photography and I decided what better way to find inspiration than to set out in a canoe.
After much research and shopping around I settled on a nice used Scott 16′ fibreglass Prospector that I found in Dunnville. The boat was in nice condition and came complete with paddles for the grand sum of $350.00. I talked the gentleman down to $300 and drove home the proud owner of the Maggie Mae.
I managed to get a couple of paddles in before winter and this summer planned a canoe camping trip on Joe Perry Lake in Bon Echo Provincial Park. We had a lovely time and the boat served well. But she weighs in at about 67 lbs., a bit much for the 500m portage to the lake. I’m not called Slim Dude for nothing, and though I’ve been cycling and working out, the portage was brutal. This will not work for solo outings. I’ve quickly developed a longing for a lighter boat.
I had a look around at light-weight canoes and they sure are pretty but conversely, they sure ain’t cheap. Kayaks are an option so I had a look at those too. But most of what is out there is also quite expensive, and is also quite heavy. Being a handy guy I had a look around at the various DIY solutions documented on line and came across some absolutely gorgeous hand made boats. The Greenland Qajaq in particular is much lighter than commercially available boats and much easier to build when comapred with stitch and glue or cedar strip designs. It turns out you can build one for about $200-300.
After looking over the many designs available on the web I have settled on a Sea Rider ST design from Tom Yost’s excellent on line Kayak Builder’s Manual. I’ll be using ballistic nylon for the skin, painted with many coats of polyurethane. Apart from that I am planning to stick pretty closely to the existing design.