Dave

That really looks great!!
So, how big is your fleet now???

Can you tell me if the Rustoleum is oil-based, or latex? How different from nylon is the polyester skin, as far as the sewing goes? Did you do the artwork, or do you have a guest artist?

cheers

kelly t

: I got restless, not having built anything in a while ("But, what have
: you done lately?"), so I put together this kid's kayak last week.

: She's mostly lashed and glued together, and is 10 feet long, by 19 inches
: wide, and weighs about 12-14 lbs. Took about 4 days of part time work to
: build the frame, then two full days to skin and paint it, plus a couple of
: evenings off for happy hour or what have you. It's of non-traditional
: construction, as I'm wont to do, and is my interpretation of a traditional
: West Greenland kayak from Disko Bay. A bit shorter, though.

: As usual, props to Tom Yost for his building methods and inspiration. In
: fact, this boat likely, and perhaps inevitably, looks a lot like his
: "Sea Flea" design, below the sheer.

: She's skinned with 8oz polyester, from George Dyson, and painted with
: "Gloss Royal Blue" Rustoleum. I'm very pleased with this
: material, and also with paint as a skin coating. They both work great.
: That's a Narwhale, btw - or at least a facsimile thereof. You can see it
: better in the next pic.

: The coaming is a strip of Ash, which I bent into a circle after merely
: soaking it in a bathtub filled with hot water. That worked so well that I
: doubt I'll be making another steam box any time soon! I'd be happier if I
: could have soaked it in an actual hot tub, but only because then I'd have
: a hot tub to soak myself in, too.

: You can see a few more pics at the link.

: Questions and comments welcome, of course!

: Dave Gentry