Sawfish, an Unsinkable, Lightweight, Foam Kayak (23 Lbs). Free DIY Kayak Plans, the Hardware Store Boat

Do you really want a kayak? Want one so bad you can taste it, but can't afford one, or think you don't have the skills to build one? Then I have a few questions for you. Can you cut a crusty bagel with a knife, stack blocks, stick a sandwich together with mayo, skewer meat and veggies for kabobs, grate cheese, cut thin fabric with scissors, stretch wrinkles out of bed sheets, and roll paint onto a wall? Then you can build this boat! Unlike most boat seal plans that require you to do a whole bunch of reading and learning, require you to buy or own lots of tools and learn what seems like a whole new language devoted to boat building. I designed this boat, and wrote this I'ble, to be as simple as possible.

You don't need any boat building books, or much in the way of tools. You can find everything you need to build this boat at hardware stores, the internet, and discount stores. When you are done, you will be a real boat builder, and have an excellent boat to show for it.
While I have built many plywood kayaks, from a simple free design called a mouseboat, to a fast capable tandem kayak called a Larsboat, they all have a few problems. They are made of plywood, and since I am cheap, and don't buy the expensive marine plywood, the cheap plywood must be taken care of or it fails after a few years. I designed this boat to use as little wood as possible, and to be nearly indestructable, It won't rot, and even if you punch a hole in it, it won't sink.
I am on FB pages dedicated to kayaking like "kayak DIY projects and tutorials", "cheap boat yakkers, no snobs allowed", "church of the double bladed paddle", "look at the front of my kayak", "Duckworks", "skinny hull canoe and kayak sailing", "kayak building" "paddling in the Adirondacks", "Rowing on the river", and love to see the pictures of people on the water, I believe this boat could get more people out on the water for less than any other plan out there.On top of how easy this boat will be for the first time builder, it is also lighter than just about any other type of boat out there. If you struggle to get a kayak onto roof racks, or hate to carry your boat any distance because of how much it weights, Sawfish is what you want.
Weighing under 30 lbs, it is easy to carry any distance and to lift onto a roof rack. I designed it for my parents who are both retired, and found themselves unwilling or unable to deal with the weight of their current SOT (sit on top) kayaks. In spite of the simple build, and low tech materials, Sawfish is not slow, I normally cruise at 4 MPH on my GPS, and can sprint to just over 5 MPH.
I can also stand up in Sawfish, though I don't recommend this, unless you have excellent balance, and don't mind getting wet.Thanks to the unusual building materials, Sawfish will not cost very much compared to just about any kayak you can buy or build. I have built six seal Sawfish so far, my best estimate on cost of materials comes to $125 to $150 US.
One builder (floater and Sawgundo) said he built both kayaks for $175. Depending on what you can scrounge or have lying around, you might do even better.this boat is built with stuff I found only in Home Depot, Walmart, and Harbor Freight here in the US, it can all be found in a Lowe's and most likely a Menard's.
I'm not sure what you have to shop at in other countries, but if you have a hardware store nearby, most of this can be found there, though probably not at the costs I can get it for here. (except for the people's republic of kalifoynya, no foam there, the fire retardant added to it causes instant death or something like that, just another reason to flee the state before the big one hits!)first you need foam, I build these boats out of XPS foam (extruded polystyrene), while the beaded white foam is cheaper and sometimes easier to seal get, it is not as strong, and will soak up water. XPS is a closed cell foam, even if cut or gouged, it will absorb no water.
You can ask your store about ordering some 2" XPS for you, however most people seem to find the store will expect you to buy the whole pallet, at $33 a sheet, times 24 or so sheets, you would be looking at close to $1,000! That would be enough for 12 Sawfish kayaks!!! {Asking around full time insulation installers has gotten some people luck, others have found asking around construction sites. turns out many times most of a panel is tossed just because they used one corner of the sheet}To build a sawfish you will need:-two sheets of 4x8 foot 2" thick foam. (1.21 x 2.43 m 50.8 mm)-the largest bottle of gorilla glue you can get, I find an 18oz bottle will be more than enough for one boat.
If you are building a few boats, get a second bottle. I order gorilla glue in a 72 oz pack (four 18 oz bottles) from home depot, they ship it to the closest store or my house for free. Be aware that the glue will thicken and cure in the bottle from humidity, so don't buy too much, ring only what you can use in a few months.
-old bed sheets, fabric remnants, or canvas drop cloth. (the more synthetic in the fabric the harder to get glue to bond to it, and the harder to get paint into the fibers) asking around at hospitals, nursing homes, or hotel laundries may get you some free, torn or stained sheets. I buy mine at charity thrift stores, look for queen or king size, flat (not the fitted one with elastic edges) and thicker and less stretchy.
Some people use muslin or even linen, just remember the thicker it is the heavier it will be.-bamboo skewers, (sold in kitchen and food stores)-gallon jug of titebond II-1 gallon exterior house paint, check the oops paint rack in the paint department every time you visit, they might have the color you want for a much cheaper price.-two (or three) gama seal bucket lids the paint department of Home depot stocks them in black around here.
I found them in white at a lowes, -plastic packing tape 2" or wider. duct tape, masking tape, etc will also work-gloves-plastic cutting board, -a tube or two of PLpremium construction adhesive, the 3x is best and cheaper (you can skip this to save money by using gorilla glue instead)-1" strips of 1/4" plywood, cheap wooden yard sticks, etc. you need a bit over eight feet of them though.
(every time you visit the paint department ask for a 5 gallon paint bucket stirring stick or two, in a few visits you will have enough to make the anti-dent rails)-a few feet of nylon webbing 3/4" to 1" wide, for making handles -about a foot of PEX plastic plumbing, or PVC tubing, for making the handles much more comfortable-four or five feet of 1.25 or 1.5 inch PVC pipe. (this is to make the tool for installing rod holders, and to build 4 fishing rod holders into your boat. Even if you don't fish, like me, they are handy places to install an umbrella for sun, or a battery operated light for paddling at night.
I've heard that most fishing rods fit into 1.25 inch pipe, but a few brands need 1.5" pipe)tools:-safety glasses -dust mask-warner 250 wallpaper removal tool -hand drywall saw-shureform -flush cut pliers-bricks, paint cans, old free weights, or a bunch of 5 pound rocks, ( I call them gravity clamps)-paint roller handle, tray and rollers-power hand plane while you can build a Sawfish without this, just using the shureform, it will be much harder to make a smooth hull, and take much longer.-jig saw you can do all your cutting with the drywall saw, but not as easily or quickly, with less mess.
-tape measure-10 foot long 3/4" pvc pipe-carpenters pencil, sharpie marker, ink pen- measuring stick -chalk line-mixing board for folding great stuff-plastic spreader-aluminum ice cream scoop (for carving those inside corners, a large metal spoon would also work)-caulking gun-scissors-razor knife -wood rasp-1/2" spade or drill bit-power drill-phillips and regular screwdriver setIn plywood boat building you always run into one fact, plywood comes in 8' lengths, boats that short are slow.To make plywood long enough to have a fast shape you must join two or three panels together. While there are many ways to do this, the best is called a scarph joint, I "invented" my own joint for making longer foam panels.
In reality it is a "butt" joint, but I like to call it a scarph joint, (butt joints do not flex the same as the rest of the plywood panel, so they must be put in the middle of the boat where the least curve is happening, a scarph joint will flex just like the rest of the panel and can be put anywhere. since the butterfly joint can flex the same as the rest of the panel, I call it a scarph joint) Start by using the wallpaper scoring tool to perforate the faces to be glued, this gives you the best glue joint possible. Rub the perforated ends with your hand to remove any little chunks of foam torn loose.
Lay the sections to be joined together along the join line as tightly as possible. Run a strip of tape along the length of the joint and you want the tape to extend past both ends of the joint by a few inches. Now fold one section of foam back on top of the other using the tape as a hinge.
Apply gorilla glue in a zig zag pattern from the top of one panel to the bottom of the other and back, this will get glue into as much area as possible.Fold the top panel down again. Flip both panels over so the tape hinge is on the bottom of the joint. Lay the joined foam panel on a flat surface and apply weights along the joint to force the joint shut.
Fold the ends of the tape up to trap the glue that would run out of the ends of the joint. Once the gorilla glue is cured, remove the tape, sand off the beard (glue that ran out of the joint and cured)I made a short video to help explain this step.>start by finding a flat surface that you can lay both foam panels on end to end.
If you don't have a 16 foot long area, cut one panel in half at four feet.>use the wall paper perforator to prepare the foam on the two faces to be glued. (rub the surface with your hand afterwards to get the loose chunks of foam loose)> lay out a strip of plastic or wax paper under the joint to avoid gluing it to the floor.
>follow the steps in the Butterfly scarph joint video to make a 12 foot foam panel>fold the ends of the tape up to keep the glue from running out the ends of the joint, apply weights along the joint.>Once the glue is cured (overnight) remove the weights>from the 12 foot (3.6576 m) side of the foam panel, mark each end 14 inches (35.
56 cm) from one side.
>snap a centerline onto the foam panel using the chalk line or a straight edge.centerline video>Using the tape measure, mark each foot (304.8 mm) along the centerline.>lay out the hull dimensions from the centerline.
stations and dimensions videoat the bow measure and mark 1 inch (25.4 mm) to either side of the centerline at the 6 foot (182.88 cm) station measure and mark 14" (35.56 cm) from the centerline to each sideat the stern measure and mark 2" (5.
08 cm) to each side of the centerlineThe bow can be either end of the centerline.>Now take your PVC pipe (batten) and use the bricks (ducks) to line up the pipe along the points you just marked. Make sure you stage the ducks (bricks) at the same place when drawing each side, this keeps both sides with the same curve (fair), stack up bricks as needed to keep them from being moved by the resistance of the PVC pipe to bending.
hold the pencil vertically as you trace the batten onto the foam.tracing videoSince the hull is 12 (3.6576 m) feet long and the PVC pipe is only 10 feet, I find it best to start with the stern end, with one end of the pipe on station twelve, bricks holding it at the midpoint to the 14 inch mark, and then bringing the other end in to 12" (30.48 cm) from the centerline. Trace the outside of the batten, so that the marks for the midpoint, bow or stern are all outside of the batten.
Do the other side of the boats stern, then move on to the bow. Start with one end of the batten on the zero station mark 1" from the centerline, once again have the batten run around the midpoint mark, and then bring the other end of the batten in to line up with the line you already traced.>Using the tape measure, measure 18" (45.72 cm) from the edge of the hull pattern you just drew onto the foam at the bow and stern.
Mark each 3" (7.
62 cm) from the pattern edge to 18" (45.
72 cm).
Do this at the bow and stern.
>Now take the wallpaper removal tool and score up the faces of each foam panel, each of the holes left by the spikes on the tool will allow glue to penetrate into the foam deeper. I prefer to think of the holes as becoming thousands of tiny nails that pin the glued joints together. Peeling of the fabric later on for modifications to the boats has proven this to be true.
>Using the drywall saw or jig saw, cut along each line, always cut so you remove the smaller sections first, this gives you a bigger section to hold onto with your hands, feet, knees, teeth, elbows, etc. do not cut the center line! (if you did, glue it back together with another butterfly scarph joint)>take the bottom blank and match it up with the 3" marks you made at each end of the panel. >trace the edge of the bottom blank. >Repeat for all six side ribs.>be careful when handling the ribs, they can snap easily if grabbed from one end.
Hold them in the middle when moving them, and they will not be so prone to breaking.>take all six ribs and match them up. If you are like me, some will be a bit thicker in the middle, and others will be a little narrower. Try to put them in three matched pairs.>The thickest set will be the bottom, and the thinnest set will be the top, the remaining two will be the middle.
>copy the ends of the centerline on the bottom blank over to the other side of the foam. >snap a centerline to the other side of the foam using the chalk line.>take the two thickest ribs and lay them on top of the bottom blank so that one goes up each side of the bottom blank.
>align the stern ends of the bottom blank and side ribs to be flush.>using the fist digit of your first finger as a measuring tool, set the overlap of the first rib at a consistent depth at the stern.>pin the stern end of the rib in place with a bamboo skewer>set the overlap of the side rib at the 9 foot station to the same depth, using the same finger tip.
>pin the rib in place at the 9 foot station>repeat this for the 9 foot station and the bow. Using the same finger tip dimension>trace the inner edge of the first rib onto the bottom blank.>Cut the inner tip of the first rib to match the centerline.
>using the same finger tip as a measurement, pin the other side rib in place at the stern first, then the 9 foot and 3 foot stations>remove the skewer from the bow end of the first rib>align the bow end of the other first rib, and cut it along the centerline>push the joint closed between rib bow tips, and pin it in place.>save the sections you cut off, they will be used later.>go along the top of the first layer ribs and snip off the skewers so that they are flush with the foam.
Save the ends as you will use them for the next layers. Use the flush cut pliers to snip away at the ends of the skewers at an angle to make new points on them. you should be able to reuse each skewer a few times.
Second and third layer ribs.
>continue to line up the ends of the ribs so that they are all flush with the stern end of the bottom blank. This gives you a flat stern for mounting a rudder or motor mount on, or just gives extra volume for carrying a load of gear in the stern of the boat for camping trips, etc.>to give the hull extra volume in the ends, use your fingertip to set the same overlap dimension at the stern and pin it in place with a skewer>now go to the 6 foot station and line up the outside of the rib so that it is even with the first layer.
>go to the bow and set the overlap with your fingertip dimension again. >don't worry about how much the foam overlaps at the front of the bottom blank and first rib, this is done on purpose.>trim the second rib at the bow so that it is cut off even with the centerline at the bow.
(just like you did on the first layer).
>repeat this for the other side of the second layer, and again on the third layer. >the hull should have steps leaning further and further out at the bow and stern, but have no flare in the middle. This makes it easy to paddle, but gives it extra volume in the ends to help it rise over waves and wakes.
BEFORE YOU GO ANY FURTHER! USE A PENCIL, PEN, MARKER, OR THE TIP OF THE DRYWALL SAW TO TRACE THE INSIDE OF EACH RIB ONTO THE LAYER BELOW IT. THIS WILL ALLOW YOU TO PUT IT ALL BACK THE WAY YOU WANT IT QUICKLY WHILE THE GLUE IS RUNNING EVERYWHERE.If you are building a kayak the way I show, you will want a forward bulkhead to support the end of the front deck, and and aft bulkhead to support the front of the rear deck.
Decks give you dry places to store things, and a good way to keep stuff from being lost if the kayak flips, or from everything being soaked in rain, spray or waves. The bulkheads also make the kayak much stronger and not so flexible.Some people have made an open area behind the rear bulkhead to haul oversized gear, or give easier access to stuff like fishing gear.
One guy incorporated a bungee cord system to retain everything, (he is a hunter, and wanted easy silent access) This would also allow a place for a dog or child to ride.Forward bulkhead>to make the forward bulkhead we need to know how wide it needs to be.>with the boat upside down, and measuring from the point of the bow on the bottom panel, all the way to the stern end of the bottom, now divide that measurement by two.
(example 144 inches, divided by 2 equals 72 inches, 72 inches is the for and aft center of the boat.) measuring from the bow point of the bottom panel, mark the fore and aft center of the boat. now measure 6 more inches toward the stern from this mark, this is where you want to have the front of your aft bulkhead if you are adding one.
>from the mark you just made measure toward the bow 4 feet (I like to add a few inches on top of that, like 4 feet four inches, for extra room for boots. If you have longer than average legs, this will help) and mark the centerline. This will be the aft face of the front bulkhead.
(I make all of my kayaks with a gama seal bucket hatch in the bow. this is the perfect spot to store your car keys, wallet, and anything else you want to keep with you and dry, but don't need access to while paddling. In order to make sure that a hatch will fit, I test fit one as far as it can sit into the bow of the kayak.
This lets me know how far forward my bulkhead can be. Water bottles, lunch, camera, binoculars, phone, GPS, jacket, sun screen, sun glasses, etc all go in the hatch right behind the cockpit so I can grab them quickly while sitting in the boat.)>measure across the top rails at the front bulkhead mark and remember this dimension.
(write it down after you measure it twice!)>measure the depth of the hull from the base of the ribs to the top of the ribs.>find a section of corner waste that you can cut a square out of that is deep and wide enough.> mark it "forward bulkhead" and set it aside.
Rear bulkheadWhile the forward bulkhead is a vertical section, the aft bulkhead is made up of a stack of blocks. This is to give you a good place to install fishing rod holders, and tow rope anchors.>measure the width between the first layer ribs at the aft bulkhead mark.
>do the same for each layer and add up all of the lengths.>using the waste panel left after the ribs were cut, measure 4 inches from the straight side of the waste at each end.>snap a line between the two marks you just made,>measure from one end to the dimension you added up to get before, add a few inches (cm) to the sum and mark on the chalk line.
>cut the along the chalk line, stopping at the mark you just made.>cut the 4" section off at the mark.>measure the dimension between the first ribs at the aft bulkhead and cut a section of the 4" beam off.>use the sureform to shape it to a tight fit against the ribs.
>do the same for the next two layers of ribs. (if you cut too much off, fit a section to fill the gap and glue it on during the glue step)Bow and sternthe bow and stern have gaps at the ends of the ribs if you flared the ends like I do, use sections of the waste to trace the triangles you need to fill these gaps and make the ends solid. This is important as the ends get the most bumps and bangs, and they give you solid foam to anchor your handles and rope anchor loops into.
>for the bow, use the waste sections you trimmed from where the ends of the first two layers of ribs meet. I use the ends of the second layer to fill the corner of the first, and the ends of the first layer to fill the tip of the second.>you will probably need to unpin each layer to trace the ends of the ribs onto the bottom of the waste panel.
Save the cut off skewers for reassembly during the glue stage.>lay the waste section over the ribs, try to line up one side of the waste with the inside of one of the ribs. I like to have my end blocks extend into the boat at least 6 inches.
>use the tip of the drywall saw to trace the inside edge of the other rib onto the bottom of the waste section..>cut the end block out and use the sureform to shape it to a close fit.>repeat this for all of the layers of ribs at bow and sternYou may want to lay out a plastic sheet over the floor or table you are doing the gluing on, this will keep you from having your boat glued to the floor.
Make sure that this area is flat, or your boat will have a permanent twist to it. Make sure this area will not be disturbed for 24 hours after the glue is applied. You have your boat parts labeled, stacked the way you want them to end up, and have traced each layer onto the one below it.
Take it all back apart, try to lay it out in a pattern that will be easy to reassemble. I prefer to lay the top ribs right next to the bottom panel, then the next ribs just outside of the first two, with the left on the left and the right on the right. this will make it easier to remember where they belong in the build.
to make your boat easier to steer in the waves, take something about 2 inches thick and place it under the point of the bow of your bottom panel, and under the point of the stern as well. I usually use a brick, but a chunk of foam, lumber, thick book etc. will do the trick. This block under each end will give the boat some "rocker", this aids in steering the boat in any waves, and keeps the ends from dragging or plowing through the water.
>If you haven't already perforated the foam in the ribs or bottom, do it now, on the top and bottom face of each rib and the bottom panel. Rub your gloved hand, or a chunk of foam over the areas you perforated to remove any hanging beads of foam. >Take one of the bottom ribs, lay it on the bottom panel, flip it over so that the bottom side of the rib is facing up.
>Drizzle gorilla glue (GG) onto the inside 2/3 of the rib in a thin looping line pattern from one end to the other.>Flip the rib over, and use the traced lines you made before to align the rib in place on the bottom panel.>Pin the rib in place every 2-3 feet with a bamboo skewer.
>Use the flush cuts to snip off the skewer, flush with the top of the rib.Repeat the steps marked with a > for the opposite side rib, then continue with the next layer, pinning each in place with skewers and snipping them off flush.the blocks under each end will cause the hull to shift shape just slightly, glue in your bulkheads, pin them in place, and use tape or clamps to keep the sides tight to the bulkheads so that the hull is the same width as you planned.
__________________________________________________________________________Once all of the layers have been pinned in place, apply your gravity clamps, these weights will press the foam layers together, ensuring a good glue bond between each piece of foam.Ensure that the sides aren't bowed out too much from the rocker shape being added to the bottom panel. I've used a bar clamp or wrapped tape around the hull to keep things tight while the glue was curing.
Leave the boat alone for 24 hours to ensure the glue fully cures between all the layers.yes there is a boat inside all that foam! just like an ancient canoe builder could look at a tree and see the dugout canoe locked inside it, there is a functional foam boat inside all that rough ugly looking foam layer cake.start by taking the edges of the steps in the hull off, tapering the hull up from the bottom layer to the top layer of the side ribs.
(easier to do and see if the hull is upside down) the sureform or harbor freight knock off can do this ok, but not as quickly or easily as the power plane. step back often and sight along the hull to see where the high spots are and avoid making a low spot. on the bow make the taper go all the way to the top of the deck from the bottom.
I also did this at the stern to help the stern lift over any following waves. Don't make the tip of the bow very sharp, since foam isn't very strong, in thin sections and sharp edges it tends to crush easily. Instead give the bow a blunt round shape.
It will spend 99% of it's life out of the water anyway. make a nice radius from the flat bottom to the sides, and the sides to the top deck, this will make the transitions easier to lay fabric over and the hull go through the water easier. smooth off the inside edges of the cockpit and bulkheads, I found the ice cream scoop best for carving out the very inside corners.
if you make a divot or have a crack you want to fill, use the light weight spackle to fill them, then sand it off smooth.To make the ends into usable dry storage spaces, we need to put a top on the boat hull, and add some access hatches. Since we are using the remaining half of the 4x8 panel we cut off in the first step, these decks will be strong enough to stand or sit on.
See if there is enough of the waste left after cutting the ribs to make the bow deck, if not use the extra panel from the first step.Take the foam panel and lay it on the bow. Since we also want to get the stern deck out of this section, trace the hull onto the underside of the foam panel, and try fitting the stern deck onto the panel as well, You may need a small filler piece to make part of a deck, this will not be a problem if you use the butterfly scarph joint.
Save any large sections of foam for the next boat!Since the forward hatch has no margin of error if it will fit a gama seal lid, I cut a small hole through the forward deck roughly in the middle of the hole location. With the deck held in place with bamboo skewers, I reached in and traced the hull sides onto the bottom of the forward deck. Then removed the skewers, flipped the deck over, and using the traced lines as locators, traced the gama seal lid ring.
Then cut the hole out and ensured a good fit on the deck ring.The aft hatches aren't so critical on location so I left them for later. Pin the decks in place with skewers, and weight them down with bricks for a good bond.
fill any gaps along the deck edges with scraps and glue in place.Since the decks stick up above the sides through the cockpit area, use sections and scraps of foam to make the cockpit rails the same height as the bow and stern decks. glue the fillers in with GG and pin and weight them as needed to get a good bond.
trim the rough edges of the decks to match the contours of the hull.Since you do not want to waste all that space in the ends (where else are you gonna put your car keys, wallet, camera, lunch, nice cold drink, dry towel, etc.) you will want to add some gama seal boat hatches to the boat.
Follow the instructions I give in this album to make water tight hatches for your boat that cost much less than any boat hatch you will find in a marine supply catalog or store.Gama seal lids are designed to snap onto the standard five gallon plastic bucket, making it into a resealable water and air tight storage container. I get them at my local Home Depot in black for $8, I have also found them at some Lowe's in white for about the same amount.
You can also find them on Amazon.
com, and plastic container web sites in 7 colors. >>>The Gama Seal bucket lids allow you to do one more trick for expedition paddling, in the last picture at the top notice the 5 gallon pails in the deck holes. Pack the cargo tanks, then drop the buckets in.
We use the buckets instead of expensive dry bags, though dry bags would also work in the holes. (like the 5 gallon water jug in the mouseboat ring) With the gama seal rings in Sawfish the buckets are held securely, unless the hull turned upside down they will not fall out, and even then the buckets would float. - to make a gama seal lid into a deck hatch: trim off the outer flange that locks the rim to the five gallon bucket, remove the giant O ring that seals the rim to the bucket lip.
leave a tab or two of the outer flange to help lock the rim to the hull of the boat. find the correct dimension from the bulkhead to install the hatch as close to the cockpit as possible using the tape measure, also use the tape measure to mark the center of the deck panel, take the rim of the gama seal lid and find where it will be centered on the deck panel and clear of the bulkhead. Now take the gama seal ring, and use it to trace hole for the deck hatch.
trace as tightly as possible around the smaller end of the ring. cut along the line with the drywall saw. trim away areas as needed to make a nice fit on the gama seal rim, small gaps will help with getting the glue in between the ring and the foam deck. DO NOT GLUE THE RIM INTO THE DECK YET! Set the completed hatches aside, they will go on after the fabric skin is onFoam will get small dents in narrow areas like the cockpit rails if the kayak is strapped down to roof top carrier bars with the force on the narrow areas.
to avoid these dents I added strips of 1/4" plywood to the insde edge of the cockpit rails.The boat does flex when pounding into waves, the wood rails in the cockpit rim are needed to keep the hull from bowing out or splitting. On the original sawfish (red, blue and white version) I made my rails from scraps of plywood, there is a break in each rail about a foot from the front of the cockpit.
The force of the hull flexing caused the fabric skin to tear and the foam to crack right at each break in the rails. Since then I've replaced these rails with ones that run the full length of the cockpit with no breaks, and no cracks or tears have showed up in the cockpit sides.If you go with sectioned cockpit rails (stir sticks, etc), you need to have another layer of wood bridging each break in the rails.
Another section of plywood, stir stick, etc that is 6 inches long (three inches on each side of the break) will take care of any stresses.for extra strength run your rails into each bulkhead, you can do this by gluing them in first, or by cutting a gap into the bulkhead and using GG to seal the rail into the bulkhead.5 gallon bucket stir sticks from home improvement store paint counters can be had for free, just ask for one every time you visit (I had one worker give one to each of my kids to use as mock swords) those cheap wood yard sticks would also work, but they aren't free.
(I noticed that Home Depot now sells wood stir sticks near the paint counter, I wonder if all of you asking made them suspicious)You want to make sure the wood is flush with the upper edge of the rail so it will protect it, I install my strips a bit high and then sand them smooth with the rail for perfect match. pin each end of the rail and the middle with drywall screws screwed into the foam, so the rails won't slide while clamped.I have a bucket full of those cheap spring clamps from harbor freight, but don't use them anymore as one or two break and parts go flying every time I use them.
To replaced them with some 4 inch PVC pipe cut into 1.5 inch slices with my sawzall. They are much cheaper and more reliable.place some more paint stir sticks on the outside of the hull where the clamps will land to keep from denting the foam.<<< If you are going to install rod holders made of PVC pipe embedded in the aft bulkhead, cut the holes now using the instructions in the rod holders step>>>Now on to the step that makes all those foam layers into one solid boat.
lay out your fabric sections out to get the best coverage of the hull, you want the bottom section to wrap up each side above the water line. I chose bed sheets to cover the hull as they make a lighter layer as the fabric is thinner. The bed sheets are not as strong and from time to time rocks punch tears in the fabric and dent the foam.
You can just live with the dents, as they don't hurt anything, or use some lightweight spackle to fill the dent, sand the spackle smooth when dry, and sand a few inches around the spackle, then use more exterior paint to glue a patch over the dent. Or use heavier fabric.Using canvas like the canvas drop cloths from Home Depot will make a tougher skin, it will also end up using more paint and weighing more.once you have your layout figured, use a pen or marker to mark the way the fabric should be.
this will come in very handy as you are trying to smooth the fabric into the glue.take some time to read the whole Poor man's Fiberglass instructable, we will be using the TBII method, as we are working with foam.I use queen or king sized sheets from the thrift store as they cover the most area.
I look for the sheets that are mostly cotton, don't stretch as much, and are thicker. You can use fitted sheets (elastic in the corners) but flat sheets are the best. I cut away any seams or edges that are thick, as these leave lumps in the boat hull.
dump a generous amount of TBII into the paint roller tray, using an economy paint roller, roll a coat of TBII onto the foam, start with the bottom of the hull near the stern, as it is flat and easiest to learn on it. If you leave a flat stern on your boats the way I do, start by covering the stern, wrapping fabric around each side of the boat from the stern, and slicing the wrinkles and overlapping the edges to get it all to lay smooth. I try to use a scrap from a previous job for this, if you don't have any, use an old pillow case, or cut a corner of the big sheet off.
You want a piece big enough to completely cover the stern panel and overlap a few inches around each side beyond.put marks on the fabric to help you remember how you want it to sit when you glue it.roll glue onto the stern, you have the right amount of glue rolled on when you can see that every pore in the foam the werner 250 made has a dot of glue in lay the fabric into the glue using your alignment marks, then use your gloved hands to press and pull the fabric smooth, working any bubbles or wrinkles out from the middle to the edges.
Roll glue onto the panels around the stern, far enough to glue the extra fabric down. Wrinkles will show at the corners, slice the top of each wrinkle with the razor blade, and glue the upper edge (boat upper) over the lower edge. some corners will require multiple slits to get it all flat, don't give up until it is all down.
work all the way around the stern, then give the TBII some time to tack up well before moving on to the next panel. 10 min should be plenty.Now drape the large sheet over the bottom of the hull, diagonal with a queen or king size sheet will cover the whole bottom of the boat for a 12 footer.fold back the last three feet of fabric from the stern of the boat and roll on a coat of TBII on the bottom flat panel only, save the sides for later.
fold the fabric back over the glue and working from the point of the stern, smooth any wrinkles out of the fabric with your gloved hands, pressing the fabric firmly into the glue.Once you have the fabric all smooth, pick up the unglued fabric from the bow end and fold it back over the glued fabric on the stern.Pull back the last inch or two laying in the glue and roll on another two to three feet of glue, lay the fabric into the glue and work from the anchored end of the fabric already in the glue, up the middle of the fabric and out to the edges.
where the fabric goes over the edge of the bottom you can leave it hanging and glue it afterwards.If your fabric was to short to cover the whole panel , overlap the next section by two or three inches and start the next section.Once the bottom is on, start on one side. Due to the curves of the hull the fabric will end up with wrinkles after it is pulled and pressed into the glue.
use a sharp razor knife to cut the center or one side of the wrinkle, then use a small brush to glue one edge of the cut over the other so that the wrinkle is now flat. roll glue onto the fabric where it will overlap another section, do this by folding back the overlap and rolling glue onto the folded back section. Avoid having glue seep through the fabric as much as possible, as this will keep the paint from sticking to and filling the weave of the fabric.
trim off the over hanging fabric where needed with a pair of scissors.The one place I used heavy canvas drop cloth on this kayak was the cockpit floor, I wanted the most strength and protection for the floor, and an anti skid treatment as well.I cut the floor canvas an inch or two wider than the cockpit so it would overlap the bed sheets used to cover the sides of the cockpit.
this overlap is how different sections of fabric become one skin when glued together.once the floor fabric is bedded in with glue on the bottom, give the glue time to cure enough to lock the bottom fabric in place. (about a half hour depending on temp and humidity) glue the ends of the cockpit canvas in place.
cut the corners at an angle from the center of the three way joint between sides, ends and bottom, wrapping the fabric from the ends onto the sides.Once the end fabric is in place, glue the sides. in place.I trim the cockpit canvas just at the bottom of the cockpit rails, then use long strips of cotton bed sheets to cover the rails and overlap the canvas on the inside and the edges of the bottom sheet on the outside.
once the top deck fabric glue cured I used a razor knife to cut the fabric out of the deck holes, then fit the gama seal deck hatches in place. I cut slits into the deck to lock the tabs on the rims into the deck.Using PLp glue the rings into the deck, lay a bead of PLp around the rim near the top, then press the rim into the deck aligning the locking tab in the deck slots.
screw the deck hatch into the rim to maintain shape as the PLp cures, and lay bricks on top for a good seal.unlike the thick canvas I used on the teardrop in the PMF I'ble to cover plywood, thin bed sheet cotton will not hold much paint, at most you will only need two layers of paint, paint it with the color you want from the start. use a paint roller and tray and roll on the color paint you want.
Once you paint the thin fabric, you can change colors, but it won't ever stick as well as the first coat does.I originally had a red, white and blue hull, now it is yellow and blue, my favorite combination.I found Sawfish tended to wander from side to side just a bit when paddling, I needed a way for the kayak to go in a straight line, so I came up with a plastic skeg.
This skeg was a bit undersized, while I could make the kayak go where I needed with a bit of extra muscle, It is just to small for safety. (My wife was caught in a strong wind in Sawfish recently and ended up on the downwind shore, she just couldn't get the bow to turn into the wind, no matter how hard she paddled) At the same time some friends of ours were also out on the same pond and were able to make it back thanks in part to the long strake I added to their Sawfish kayaks.In their case this strake runs all the way from under the forward bulkhead, to almost the end of the stern.
This seems to be a good length, without causing problems with getting in and out of the boat with the bow just resting on the beach. However their foam strake caused another problem, the stern of the kayak was out of the water because the extra foam pushed it up. This causes the bow to be down in the water, making them slower.
I tried a strake made of foam on sawfish, but found it made the boat slower. You may have noticed the foam strakes on the outer edge that some people have added to replicate the designs found on plastic kayaks. It turns out that those extra edges molded into plastic hulls are not for stability or tracking, but instead to keep the thin plastic hull from deforming in the water.
The foam strakes make the boat slower, which makes sense, because they cause drag.Look at the way fish are designed, they have smooth bodies and thin fins to reduce drag. Plastic fins recreate this better than any other way.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>You need a plastic cutting board the longer the better. The set from Harbor freight is perfect for me, it costs roughly $9 for the set.>>> on my sons boat I had to find another source for cutting boards, as my local harbor freight hadn't restocked the cutting boards in a while.
I found smaller cutting boards at the dollar store. I was able to make three fins from each cutting board, making them cheaper than the harbor freight fins. For a 12 foot sawfish I only needed three of the $1 cutting boards.
<<Measure 3" from that line and mark another line between the two long lines. Repeat for the opposite end.Use a 1/2" wood boring bit to make a hole on the center of each of the 3 inch lines, also bore holes into the ends of the panels (see pictures above) firmly pressing the plastic onto a piece of wood you don't care about will allow you to make these holes in the ends.Now cut along the 2" line and the lines that run through the holes you just bored.
Remove the plastic between these holes so that you create "legs" for the fin. These legs will set the correct depth for the fin in the hull.Make as many fins as you can from the set of cutting boards.
Bore holes every inch or so in the legs, (see pictures) these will be the only real way that the fin will be anchored in the hull. the plastic that cutting boards are made from is nearly impossible to glue to.trim the ends of the cutting board fins so that they will slide over rocks and sticks easier.
Snap a chalk line onto the center of the hull.Lay out the fins along the center line, you want the stern most one to end where the stern of the boat is two inches across on the bottom. Set the next fin 2 inches, minimum, forward of the aft most fin, (I like to have them 4 inches apart, all the way up the center line) you don't want them to be too close together, as the fabric glued to the foam in between each fin keeps the hull strong.
Use longer fins toward the back of the boat, and shorter fins (from the shorter cutting board) toward the front.You want to have a fin under the bow, with the forward end just where the foam is two inches across the bottom. This fin will be what hits the ground when you beach your boat, and will help you slide off the beach when launching.
I find this design for the fins works best under every condition. Set the legs of the fin on the hull and trace around them skeg video.Using the razor knife cut along the lines, bury the blade all the way into the foam.
You want each leg pocket to be 1" deep into the foam.Use a straight bladed screw driver to dig the foam out of the pockets. >>I used a scrap of the thinner cutting boards to dig out the foam on my sons boat, my screw driver blade is too wide, his boat is the orange one< Dig out any foam that blocks them.
Lay the fin on its side next to the pockets, and mark where each hole through the legs is.Dig small pockets off to the side that taper away from the skin, in line with each hole mark. Do this off to both sides. (see pictures)Using the tip of the adhesive tube, pump PLpremium adhesive into each pocket.
Fill each pocket about half way with more PLpremium adhesive.Fill each hole in the cutting board fin with PLpremium ahesive.Press the cutting board legs all the way into the pockets, use a bondo spatula to remove the excess glue around the edges.
As the adhesive cures it swells, this will lock the fin into the hull, and will try to push the fin back out of the holes unless you hold it in until cured. Lay bricks on each end of the fin to keep it fully insertedExcess glue will push out around the fins, I use a flush cut saw to cut the glue and then rip it off. The row of fins reminds me of the plates on the back of a dinosaur, or the "saw blade" nose of a real saw fish.
Handles are an important part of securing and carrying your boat around, since the boat is made of foam, the only way to attach anything securely to it is to embed it in the foam with a good glue, just like the skegs in the last step were.these are stronger than you might imagine, my parents sawfish are stored by hanging them by the handles from their garage ceiling, they also store the roof racks and other stuff in their sawfish!here is a video to show you how easy it is to install them. I do the same thing for rope anchors for the bow and right behind the cockpit for towing or gear lashing.
lay your hand, palm down on the hull and draw two marks on either side of your hand spaced a little bit away from the edge. make sure the marks are lined up with the centerline of the hull.I like to use the bit holder on my screw gun to make the strap mounting holes it is about 3/8" diameter and 2.
5 inches long.
Drill vertically into the foam until the bit holder is buried, repeat for the second mark. You might be able to use the phillips screw driver for this also.push the tip of the PLp tube into the hole and pump adhesive into the hole, allow the tip of the nozzle to push back out as the hole fills.
take one end of the nylon webbing strap and lay it across the top of the hole, have the end go a half inch beyond the hole.put the tip of the flat head screw driver onto the hole and push in until the screw driver hits bottom.pull the screw driver out, hold the strap to make sure it stays in the hole.
hold a section of plastic pipe in you hand, with the thumb and fingers wrapped around the pipe. make sure some pipe extends beyond each end of your hand. squeeze the pipe loosely. using the tubing cutter cut the pipe to length, ensure that this leaves a little beyond your hand.
thread the the pipe onto the strapwrap your hand around the pipe handle again, lay the back of your hand on the top of the hull and lift it off slightlytake the remaining end of the strap and figure how long it needs to be to reach the hull deck again at the remaining hole.add 3 inches of webbing to that dimension, cut the end of the webbing,pack the remaining hole with PLplay the end of the strap over the hole like you did the first timepush the end of the strap into the hole Then make sure the strap has enough free length to not trap your knuckes against the hull. you can still pull a little bit back out at this pointuse the tip of the nozzle to pump glue into any voids in the strap holes.
smooth off the excess glue, and keep checking as more will ooze out until cured.repeat the same process for a stern handle.I use the same idea to make small loops right behind the cockpit to use as tow points for ropes to other boats, and as gear leash anchors for fishing rods, etc.
I also like to add one to the bow for the bow line for securing to the car.just make sure the strap is well bedded into the foam with adhesive, you might even try using gorilla glue instead of PLp, I haven't tried that yet on Sawfish, but it works well on Seafoam, Now that the paint is dry, you still need to add the hatch covers.Use a razor knife to cut away the fabric over the holes you made for hatches earlier.
test the hatch rings for a slip fit in the hole. You want them to be easy to slide in, with just a little friction. Sand or cut away any fabric or foam that interferes.
Use the thin edge of the straight blade screw driver to cut a small groove all the way around the hole, about a quarter of an inch from the top skin.fill this groove with PLpremium construction adhesive, then lay a bead of PLpremium around the lower lip of the hatch ring.insert the hatch ring into the hole in the deck, wipe up any excess adhesive.
place weights on the hatches to ensure they sit all the way in the hole while the adhesive cures. It won't take you long on a kayaking blog or page to find out that most paddlers, find their kayak seats to be uncomfortable. I agree.I started with just sitting on a square throwable boat cushion, after a while this feels like concrete.
..I've tried the seats out of motorboats, for $40 you would think they would be comfortable... but no. My rear end gets numb and painfull before too long.I have a folding stadium that has a thin hard foam seat and a fabric back.
I guess it beats a hard cement, steel, wood, or aluminum bench, but not by much...I bought foam to make what many claim is the nicest foam seat for kayaking ever, however I haven't had time to make the seats yet. Finally, I tried out what I think is the cheap, easy answer, a stadium seat that actually doesn't hurt my rear.
Searching around on the web I discovered it seems to be usually sold under the name "Oniva seat", I was getting them at a local discount chain, but they no longer carry them. Now I see that some Wallmarts have them The seat most often recomended on paddling sites is the GCI sitbackerThe Oniva seat folds flat and has a carry strap, I can also see it being used as a camping seat, and even a cushion for a quick nap in the sun.In my tandem sawfish, Tango, we use beach chairs, which are folding lawn chairs, with really short legs, intended to allow you to sit at the beach with your body out of the sand, but not high enough to be unstable on the sand.
I've found them at Walmart for about $15. The ones with four feet are much more stable than the ones with two bars on the ground!The sand chairs aren't perfect, they have a seat back angle that is slightly too reclined for putting extra power into the paddling, however for an easy paddle or for fishing they should work just fine.If you look at the tubes and joints of the seat, it is easy to see that some minor modifications could make the seat have a more vertical back to it.
I'll get around to it someday, but until then, I just sit forward a little and paddle, it works for a few hours without any strain.Just be sure that you can fit a sand chair into your cockpit, I can fit the sand chairs just fine in Tango, but the cockpit in Sawfish is too narrow for a sand chair.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXMy most recent seating experiment isn't finalized yet, but I like it the best.
a standard high back kayak seat with a soft cushion on the bottom. I like it because the seat is clipped to the hull, and the high back gives me the ability to control the tilt of the kayak hull from my hips (called edging in kayak lingo, a technique used for steering) I added small loops to the cockpit rails to attach the seat clips. I cooking up some big changes to the cockpit design for this concept to work, stay tuned.
Fishing from a kayak has become a very popular activity in the past few years. Just about any kayak can be outfitted for fishing, at a cost that is much less than that of a motorboat and trailer. Not to mention how much healthier it is to paddle in and out.
AF_Caveman (instructables screen name) has taken this design idea and created a great fishing kayak. By widening the hull to 36" in the middle he made his boat wide enough to stand up in. He also added foot pedal steering connected to a trolling motor.
you can see his battleyak build album here. For about $400 he has a fishing kayak similar to those 3-5 thousand dollar ones. He also made a nice video showing the details of his kayak, and a full build video that explains how he put it all together.
I haven't gone fishing since high school, so don't ask me for tips on how to rig your boat, I would recommend that you head on over to Kayak diy projects and tutorials and do some research on the mods most kayak fishermen find useful. From what I see, anchor travelers, power poles, and fish finder mounts are the most popular, and the guys there love the foam kayak idea, so don't be afraid to post up what you are building. I had a friend ask me for two Sawfish kayaks so he could take his wife fishing.
He liked the idea of build in rod holders, and his wife asked me to make the sides a little higher. I started with the basic Sawfish design, but made the aft bulkhead wider to allow rod holders to be embedded in the foam, I also made the decks higher so that the whole boat was able to go through bigger waves without getting water over the sides. (this is the current sawfish design) I'm currently doing a complete remake Sawfish hull #1, giving her the higher sides, thicker decks, correct cockpit location, rod holder bulkhead, and an open well behind the cockpit bulkhead for hauling a fishing crate (the biggest mod you see on the kayak DIY pages) or in my case, a child, stay tuned.
Many of these fishing modded sawfish end up getting a battery and motor, be aware that this means you must register your boat in every place I know of, save your receipts for all of the materials used! many places will try to charge you tax on a boat, but the materials will already have been taxed, don't get taxed twice!Some other ideas for a modifying your kayak:-PMF the inside of the bow or stern tank, and add ice for an integrated cooler.-PMF a tank in the stern to make a live bait well, add a pump to bring in fresh water. -the flat stern was done on purpose, to allow a rudder to be added, anchor some dowels into the foam by boring holes slightly larger than the dowel into the hull, glueing them in with PLp to attach the rudder to.
- or attach a motor bracket to the dowels, then you can add an electric trolling motor, like this idea. AF_Caveman used this idea to make attachments for his motor mount. I was at the Old Town factory store recently and noticed that the latest design they have, has the motor fixed in place, and the steering is done with a rudder.
This could be done with the motor mounted anywhere, even off to one side.- you may need to add a larger hatch to the bow for the battery. I have an idea for a larger hatch you could use here -if you add a battery, how about some lights (If you haven't already, check out the pictures of Ryan Swift's awesome kayak.
He might get reported as a UFO from a distance, but no one will be able to miss him on the water!)-If you don't have a built in battery, save your empty gorilla glue bottles, they fit perfectly over those cheap aluminum 9 LED flashlights. Use a little five minute epoxy to glue the bottle over the lens end of the flashlight, fabricate a PVC pipe to hold the flashlight higher than your head behind the seat, and you have an excellent light for after dark. **************************************************************************************************************************Just be aware, if you add a motor to your kayak the regulations for lighting get much tougher.
Any light you have on a motor boat has to be visible for two miles in the dark, there are only a few lights with this rating. If you don't have a motor, a flashlight you can wave is good enough (your cell phone probably has one you could use in an emergency) I prefer those cheap Energizer LED headlamps, if a boat approaches I stare at them and shake my head, making the light appear to flash.I tried a few different things to bore the holes for the rod holders, and ultimately created a new tool to do the job.
Since the cockpit floor is 7.
5" from the lip of the rail, I cut off a section of PVC 12" long. Using a saw, I cut teeth into one end of the pipe. Then I used a 1/2" boring bit to make two holes, one on either side of the pipe, near the top.
finally I marked the depth I wanted to cut the foam to all the way around the cutting pipe I had created. By inserting two screwdrivers into the holes in the top, I could lean on them and turn, boring a perfect hole into the foam. When I hit the depth I wanted, I gave it a few turns then pulled the tool out.
The plug came out in the cutting pipe, leaving a perfect hole. I asked for which sizes to use on the best kayak fishing facebook page and was told that 1.5" and 1.25" inch were both good sizes to use based on the brand of rod used.
I made a tool in both sizes, and put two of each size in each kayak, bored into the aft bulkhead. I angled the outboard pipes so that they would hold a rod at a good angle for trolling, and put the center two vertically for out of the way storage. I could have probably added five or six holders, but four seemed the standard number seen on most DIY kayak mods.
To keep the end of the PVC pipes from tearing up the rod handles, I flared the ends of the pipes with heat, using an incandescent light bulb as the heat source, then holding the pipes under the faucet while flared by a glass bottle until they took the new shape. After the whole hull was wrapped in fabric, I sanded the outside of the PVC pipe with 60 grit, then glued the pipes in with gorilla glue. I also added loops of nylon strap with the ends glued into the foam with PLp, to anchor rod leashes too, with one anchor between each set of rod holders.
Even if you don't ever plan on fishing from your kayak, adding the rod holders will make it that much more useful for you, the rod holders are handy spots to install an umbrella for sun protection, or anchor a light in for night time paddling. It will also make it that much easier to sell, and for more money if you can call it a fishing kayak.The gear anchor loops are also a great place to tie off another kayak when you end up towing another boat.
your boat will be damaged from time to time, some of this will go away on it's own as the foam will swell back into place with a little time and heat from the sun, but some of the damage will need more attention.The steam Iron trick,lay a thin towel you don't care about over the damaged area, apply the steaming iron to the towel and work it back and forth slowly, the foam will shape itself back to the original if it can, and the TBII will stick to the foam and fabric again.If this doesn't work, go to the next two repairs.
For damage to the foam,use the razor to cut around the damage, don't go deeper than an inch. use the screw driver to dig out the damaged foam. cut a plug of foam that fits tightly into the hole.
glue the plug in with GG.
sand or plane smooth, then patch the fabricfor tears and holes in the fabric, cut away the damaged area, repair the foam as needed. then cut a patch that overlaps the cut away section all the way around.sand the edges of the fabric around the removed section.
apply titebond II glue to the bare foam and glue the patch to the foam.Use paint to glue the edges of the patch to the fabric that overlaps around the foam, then paint the new fabric patch to match the rest of the hull.Most of us are not fortunate enough to live on the water, even if I did, I would want variety.
New waters mean new scenery, and places to explore and discover. One lake I paddled recently, has almost no undeveloped shore line. I spotted ducks, cormarants, and Canada geese, then was amazed to get a fly by from a Bald Eagle! a bit later I spotted a pair of loons.
More bird types on this very urban pond than I've found on remote Adirondack ponds, or secluded spots in the river. Getting your boat to these spots couldn't be easier. Unlike plastic or wood kayaks, Sawfish is super light, easy enough for almost anyone to toss up on roof racks.
Thanks to being light weight Sawfish can be carried a good distance without becoming a strain. While exploring the Adirondacks I carried Sawfish nearly a quarter mile from one pond to another. This was a marked canoe carry with a smooth enough path through the woods.
Unlike most people who carry the boat across, then return and carry their gear, I simply put Sawfish over one shoulder, hung the seat strap over the other and carried the paddle with my free hand. It took me longer to answer questions about the boat, than the portage took! Thanks to the light weight, I've also been able to park and walk a distance to the water, much further than most kayakers or canoers would want to deal with. Another way to carry Sawfish is resting on the top of my head like a hat, thanks to the softness of the foam, it doesn't hurt like a plywood boat does.
A simpler, cheaper option than a roof rack, would be canoe blocks, foam blocks with a groove cut into them to lock over the rails of the boat. Either way, you need a good way to secure the boat to the car. In the above pictures you will notice the bow rope is tied to a strap coming up next to the hood.
I've added these anchor points to every car I've owned. there is no lying on the ground to reach tie off points, and no chafed paint from vibrating tie down straps or ropes.To make it easier to carry my paddles around I carry them in a bag, this way they are protected, and aren't all trying to slide out and fall when I carry them.
As soon as you start planning to build a boat, you also need to keep an eye out for the gear to use it safely.three things are an absolute must: -a life jacket, while there are many cheap ones, a life jacket meant for paddling is worth the money. the arm holes will be bigger to avoid chafing, it should have pockets for your whistle, and there should be more areas open for ventilation, as paddling is work that warms you up.
Try some on at a walmart or boating store, if the prices scare you off, or they don't have paddling ones, Amazon and Ebay, even Craigslist are good options. Remember: the kayak is unsinkable, YOU are not! -a paddle, you can make your own, here are a few different ideas, an inexpensive one, a greenland style, or an eskimo style, there are plenty of DIY paddle plans for free on the web also. I have a variety of paddles, mostly from discount stores, my favorites have a graphite shaft so they weigh very little.
the difference in weight isn't really noticeable at first, but over a few hours you notice that your arms don't feel as tired. I prefer blades that are brightly colored, as they tend to flash in the sun, increasing your safety on the water through better visibility. I keep all of my paddles in one paddle quiver bag to protect them and keep them organized.
(this way I don't show up at the river with missing paddle halves)-a seat. the Oniva seat is the best I've found, I have done many two hour paddles without my seat going numb. every other seat I've tried left me sore and numb.
amazon and ebay are the best source for them, unless you live near an ocean state job lots store, as they sell them for much less money, without the Oniva name. a large car wash sponge works best to remove water in the boat. look for a sponge with a cloth cover as this keeps the sponge from being filled with dirt and sand.
I always carry my phone in the boat for safety. I also use the here app for data free, off line, GPS positioning and maps. I keep the phone in a phone dry bag that allows me to hear music, and take pictures through it.
it will float if dropped into the water.
get a good paddling hat, bring sun glasses, sun screen, bug repellent, bandages (great for blisters), and a waterproof camera on a floating strap. never forget a water bottle!Sawfish was the first boat I designed, my 10th or so boat build. It is light weight, fast (relative term), inexpensive, unsinkable, and stable.
best of all it can be built without one expensive "marine" component. The foam in the hull will keep a 200+ lb adult afloat with no problems (like a Boston Whaler) yet it weighs only 25lbs. my total cost comes to just over $100 dollars US, compare to the cheap, tipy, 8 or 10 foot kayaks sold at discount stores for $150 to $250 and up!the hull is cut out and assembled in very little time.
I really only had time to build this boat starting in April of 2015, and even then only spent one or two hours two or three days a week to not only complete this hull, but cut out the parts for three more, and partially assemble another. I cannot put a time to build with the boat because of this, but it won't really take that much longer than a plywood boat.It will never rot, it will never sink, it is stable enough to trust your kids in, can be built for cheap money, with stuff found at home stores and discount retailers.
most people sitting on the shore will be amazed that you built it yourself, even more amazed when you tell them what it is made of, and show off how strong you are/how light it is. Even real snobbish kayakers will not know you have a home built boat until they take a close look at it. -If you damage the fabric, just use some more paint to glue a patch over the damage.
-If the foam gets gouged, use some GS or light weight spackle to fill the gouge, then sand smooth and glue a patch over it with paint. -If the foam gets "pin striped" by a rock or log and it bothers you, get a thin towel you don't care about and a steam iron, apply the steaming