Home-made Kayak, 1936 style

Do you have too many wooden coat hangers and are looking for something to do with them? How about a do-it-yourself project like maybe build a kayak with them? This gentleman built his own skin-on-frame kayak from bits and pieces from around his house, including 27 wooden coat hangers. And his paddle is made from a bamboo pole and enamel plates.
Check out the British Pathé clip embedded below.

A Thanksgiving Pumpkin Paddle Centrepiece

Now this is how to make a centrepiece out of a pumpkin for a paddler's festive gathering! Never saw a stand-up-paddleboard carved out of coconut before this...

Building a Kayak

In honour of Canada Day, here's some Canadian content. Embedded below is the 1967 National Film Board of Canada film, Building a Kayak. The blurb describes the film the film as a, "short documentary on the Netsilik Inuit [that] depicts the initial steps in the construction of a kayak. The run-off is in full flow and it is time for the Inuit to build a watercraft. The whole family is involved in shaping this invaluable tool."

Part One:

Part Two:

DIY Kayak on the Danube

A new reader to Kayak Yak, Anita Tanita, passed on this video she made of her brother and the home made kayak he built using mostly recycled materials. He takes out from a test run on the Danube in Serbia. Check out the embedded video:

DIY Pickle Barrel Boat

Okay, so I like making boats. So Bernie's made boats. But we're not the oddest boat makers around. Here's the work of the guy who I nominate for the oddest boat maker award: the do-it-yourself Pickle Barrel Boat.



Note that the fella has carefully donned his life jacket before launching! He's also willing to wear sun protection. This is one safe boater, even in a home-made assemblage that doesn't quite float at the surface. May all experimental boaters take at least as much care testing their creations!

I admit freely that when I come across various plastic containers the thought does cross my mind "How well would this float? Could I make some kind of boat or raft out of this?" But that thought never came to mind when looking at pickle barrels.
Check out the video of his upgrade with the tiny trolling motor attached...

$100 Electric Kayak

From a 1979 issue of Popular Science, here's the plans to build an electric kayak for only $100. Of course, after 33 years of inflation, it will now cost you $315.

Kayak Building Workshops in Victoria

While I'm writing the blog post about my trip on the Red Deer River, I learned that the Monterey Recreation Centre in Oak Bay is hosting two workshops about building kayaks! This is tremendous news for people living near the greater Victoria area.
Have you been noticing that you'd like to have a light recreational kayak that really fits you? Have you been talking about someday making your own kayak? These might be the workshops for you. Or maybe one member of your paddling group is interested in learning how to make kayaks for friends. These kayaks look light enough to carry on foot for a mile without effort, something that really matters to me!
Recreation Oak Bay has listed the following information in their flyer:

How to Build Your Own Recreational Kayak
Join Russell Harris and Tracey Wagner in experiencing the world of fabric on frame rigid-hull kayak building. We teach you the steps and sensibilities involved in designing and building your own recreational kayak. This new and innovative method of constructing ultra-light designer kayaks creates personal one-of-a-kind
watercraft. This course outlines how we use modern technology matched with the Inuit cultural design. Includes an instruction manual.
108296 Sat 11am-5pm Sep 15 1/$120

Kayak Building with Russell Harris
3-Day Build Your Own Recreational Kayak Workshop
Come to an assisted building workshop series and build your own ultra-light, designer, watercraft. Over
the 3 sessions you will design, create and complete your own vessel. All materials and supplies included! Each class will take place on successive Saturdays over a 3-week period. Each boat is translucent and created with a low carbon foot print and includes a paddle. Course includes tribal marine sensibilities, orientation and cultural concepts. Each vessel is a functional piece of tribal art. Price is inclusive of the vessel [14 feet and under].
108295 Sat 11am-5pm   Sept 29-Oct 13   3days/$750


You can find the Monterey Recreation Centre on Monterey Avenue, half a block south of Oak Bay Avenue. There is good access by bus, bike, or car.
Monterey Recreation Centre
1442 Monterey Avenue
Victoria BC
Call 250-370-7300 or e-mail Program planner Janette Sproston at jsproston@oakbay.ca to book your place in either or both of these exciting workshops!
Reach them at their website at recreation.oakbay.ca

Umiak Yak

According to the March 1949 issue of Popular Science, this is an umiak, the women's version of the kayak. And while one hates to take issue with the venerable PopSci, Wikipedia describes an umiak as a large open boat used by both the Inuit and the Yupik, usually around 10 metres long, but with some known to have been 18 metres long and carrying as many as 30 people. And they were used by both sexes. So no, PopSci, I think what you've got here is just a kayak.

Now This is How You Recycle

Shuhei Ogawara has built a canoe out of 7,382 used chopsticks.
Check it out here.