> One idea that popped into my head today while spending the day in the sun
> would be to build a couple of canoes/kayaks. Ten or so, and then start
> some kind of a rental/tour business. I figured that would be a great way
> to show off the work recoup some of the cost for a year or so by renting,
> then sell off the boats at a reduced price. If people started showing an
> interest in purchasing the boats, could then make one here and there.
> Could also diversify the business by combining it with some kind of self
> help learning seminar. Anybody out there done anything like that before or
> was I in the sun to long?

Read through Gil Gilpatrick's book on building strip canoes and you'll finds several references to the class he teaches at a Maine school. (I can't remember if it is a Jr. College or a high school) Some of his students choose to build big canoes (20 footers), or guide boats. They use these during the hunting and fishing seasons and make money as guides.

Buying such a large canoe would be out of the question for most students in that age bracket. By building it themselves they not only save a bundle, they also have a luxurious boat to rent out -- and they get extra money when they get hired to guide, propel and steer the thing. By informing the client that they built that boat themselves, I'm sure they gain a good deal of prestige, too.

Of course the skills they learn in making the boat are certain to help them when repairs are needed.

If I were doing something like this I would use a less time consuming method for making the canoes or kayaks: I'd make them from fiberglass. One basic mold taken off of a strip built plug would serve for making many boats rapidly and at a reasonable cost.

First I'd make the plug, probably of white pine because it is cheap near me. After carefully sanding and fairing I'd put on a coat of epoxy resin and sand again. After that I have two options. One is to hand layup the glass cloth and resin. The other is to find a commercial fiberglass shop and have them spray on the fiberglass.

Assuming I go with the commercial shop, I would get a female mold made by having them spray on a chopped glass fiber mixture. When it cured I'd pull out my wood plug, clean up the inside of the mold, and send that back to them for them to spray in more glass to make a hull. Sand the hull, paint it? and add gunwales and decks. Then take the mold back and have the shop spray it again. Keep up the cycle until I had a fleet, or a wallet deficit.

Assuming I go with the hand layup: I have two options here. One is to make a female mold from my plug, just like I described above, except I would be the one laying cloth and mat over the plug, and soaking that with resin. The result would be a female mold, which I would cleanup, cover with mold release, and then go at laying up more cloth and mat in that to make each canoe. ( or kayak hull). After I had the mold, I'd probably be able to knock out a boat in two weekends. The first weekend for the mold prep, initial layup, and the additional coats of resin or added layers of glass fabric or mat. Once set I could pop it from the mold and let it rest until I could do the gunwales and decks the next weekend. Pre purchased seats would be mounted from the gunwales on the last day of the second weekend, then the gunwales would be varnished.

The second option is to NOT make a female mold, but to use the plug as a form for the hull of the boat. In this case I would layup the glass cloth and mat on the plug, building up the thickness as evenly as I could. When the hull thickness was sufficient I'd pull the wooden plug out, leaving me with a smoothly finished interior, and a rough exterior. I'd add more resin to fill the weave on the cloth, and sand, sand, sand to get the exterior smooth. This shouldn't be too difficult as I could use a belt sander over most of it, but it would be dusty. When smooth, I'd paint the hull's exterior and add gunwales and seats as described above. Working with hand layup like this might take me 3 or 4 weekends per boat. I could probably cut this method down to two weeks if I went with vaccuum bagging the layup over the plug. With vaccuum the hull thickness should be more uniform, and I can get a nicer finish with much less sanding. The cost of the vaccuum equipment is something to be considered, but if building several boats then it might be worthwhile.

All the fiberglass boats would be built with polyester resin. Epoxy is way too expensive for these kinds of things (rental boats). The boats would be heavy, but hey, the renters are carrying them, not me.

Of course if you want to go really cheap, durable, and, unfortunately, heavy, you can make your rental boats out of concrete. People might want to rent them just for the novelty. There are a few websites showing concrete canoes made by engineering departments of various colleges. Competition between the schools seems to be friendly, and the rules usually insist on safety. The boats must be designed with flotation areas in them so that they float even if completely filled with water. At $5 for a 80 pound bag of concrete you would need about $20 for a 320 pound boat. The reinforcing wire mesh would cost several times more, but you are not looking at anywhere near as much cost as a strip canoe. If you use a design for a conventional 17 foot canoe your gross capacity would be somewhere over 700 pounds. that would be about 630 for passengers and gear, and 70 for the boat itself. Made from concrete that might weigh in at 300 pounds or more. Even so, you would still have a cargo capacity of 400 pounds. That should handle two people nicely. If you want more capacity, make a longer or wider boat.

Don't forget to make your own paddles. You stand a better chance of selling them, even if they are expensive, as most people don't want to get stuck up the creek without one.

Best of luck in this.

Paul Jacobson