: Always wonderful when a parent wants to build a kid sized kayak.

: Building a kayak to size for a 9-12 year old will be outgrown
: before you log back on and ask about methods to restore scuffs
: and nicks. Building a kid sized kayak will initiate an inch a
: month spurt more effectively than human growth hormone.

: What everybody (OK, guys) wants the third day they go out in their
: new kayak is a longer faster kayak (pray you don't see any
: outriggers, we've lost a few kayakers to these 'cheat' boats.
: (If you're faster than me in my kayak and you are not half my
: age -- you must be cheating.) A 15' kayak is great until you
: want to paddle more than about 4 miles, or 2 miles with friends
: who are in 17' kayaks.

: (Thank you in advance everyone who
: replies to tell me how often their kids enjoyed their 12 footer.
: I stand corrected. How about those of you with 12-15' kayaks
: that aren't being used loan or rent them to the others wanting
: to make short kid'yaks?)

: The only non-snarky suggestion is to make sure your child works on
: the kayak. What we build is ours. Buy-in, take ownership, etc...
: is all true.

: Better still might be a set of simple instructions on how to make a
: basic kayak out of scrap using almost no tools that kids could
: 'discover' and do all by themselves or with a friend.

I agree about the size decision, that is what sparked all of this discussion. We finally settled on the Yost 13 foot Sea Bee (narrowed to 22") because it might be a bit big for him now (only because he's not heavy enough for it...I guess he gets to carry the extra gear) but he will quickly grow into it. When he does outgrow it we'll give it to my wife (she actually bought me a nice router to make some of this easier) and build a new one.

Here in the Chattanooga area we just have the Tennessee River (and the lakes made by the dams) and some smallish streams that run into it. There aren't a lot of places where we will be traveling long distances on the water. If we do it will be with the Boy Scouts doing a canoe trip down the Tennessee.

Peter is working on the kayak (I couldn't stop him if I tried). He's done most of the marking up of the sections and has run the drill press for opening up the interior corners of the sections. If I cleared him for using the table saw, miter saw, and router he wouldn't need me until it was epoxy time. If I tried to get him going on a really simple boat that requires few tools he would figure out how to make it easier by using the tools and then ask me to help so we could use them. He will definitely have "ownership" in this boat.