Make: Volume 52

the wire stitches. The resulting DXF file was

sent to a CNC shop to cut out of plywood.

The cockpit is relatively big so there’s no

risk of getting trapped. I made the front deck

high for legroom, and gave it a bit of “V” to

shed water. I left the back deck simple and

flat, extending it up in front of the cockpit

a little to make it easy to add a coaming,

which serves as reinforcement and gives

the kayak a more finished look. With a little

upward sweep at the ends of the sheer to

cut through waves, I had a cute, classy little

kayak that’s made from only 6 panels: the

bottom, 2 identical sides, 2 identical front

deck pieces, and the back deck.

THE BUILD

You’ll find detailed instructions and a PDF

of the plans at the project page online,

makezine.com/go/kid-sized-kayak. Here’s

an overview of the key steps:

STITCHING

The kayak is assembled with copper wire

serving as temporary clamps. Push lengths

of wire through the pre-drilled stitch holes,

then twist them to tighten the pieces into

place (Figure

A

). Before stitching, I chose

to stain my kayak, followed by a quick

protective coat of epoxy, but this is optional.

GLUING

To “spot-weld” the panels together, apply

several small dots of cyanoacrylate (CA)

glue between each wire stitch (Figure

B

),

followed by a light mist of glue accelerant.

Then remove all the stitches by clipping

them with wire cutters on the inside and

pulling them from the outside. You now have

the 2 basic pieces: the hull and the deck.

JOINT FILLETS

To strengthen the hull’s sharp-angled joints,

you’ll use liquid joinery to create a structural

fillet that transitions stresses smoothly

between the panels. To do this, make the

mixture of epoxy resin and wood “flour” —

very fine sawdust — known to boat makers

as “dookie schmutz.” Squeeze a ¼" bead of

schmutz (I use a gallon zip-lock bag with a

corner cut off) into each seam and shape it

with the back of a plastic spoon (Figure

C

).

FIBERGLASSING

Apply the fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin in

sections, starting with the hull interior and

the deck, and let it cure overnight.

You’ll want to get the fabric as smooth as

possible —I use a dry chip brush to remove

wrinkles — before adding the resin. Once

mixed, the resin starts to cure, so it’s best

to mix small batches and use them quickly.

Spread the resin evenly with a plastic

squeegee (Figure

D

), and scrape off any

excess into a “grunge cup” receptacle. Use

a brush to smooth any bridges in the cloth.

Properly saturated fiberglass should have

a distinct weave texture with only enough

resin to completely wet the fabric, not leave

it shiny. Too little resin and the layup will lose

strength, too much and it will gain weight.

Next, align the deck on the hull using

strapping tape (Figure

E

), then attach it

using fiberglass tape and epoxy along the

inside seam. Finally, round over all the

sharp exterior edges using a block plane,

then lay the exterior fiberglass — hull first,

then deck — and let cure (Figure

F

).

FILL COATS

After installing the raised cockpit coaming

(I describe two methods on the project page

online), I gave the whole kayak a “fill coat” of

epoxy resin. Creating a smooth finish is all

in the prep work: sanding. Start with coarse

60 grit sandpaper to quickly level the epoxy,

without actually sanding into the fiberglass

itself. Then move on to 120 grit, then 220.

With a couple of fill coats I quickly got a nice

surface using a random orbital sander.

PAINT OR VARNISH

Ultraviolet light will eventually break down

epoxy resin, exposing the fiberglass and

ultimately delaminating from the wood.

Prevent this with paint or varnish. I built up 3

coats of varnish with light sandings between.

FINISHING TOUCHES

Chunks of foam were glued in place with

contact cement to make a seat, and more

foam shoved into the ends for flotation. I

also made a quick little Greenland Inuit-

style kayak paddle out of a piece of 2×3.

UPGRADES

I found that the kids were sliding sideways

in the seat, which threw off their balance,

so I created a horseshoe-shaped seatback

to keep them centered. I also updated the

coaming design to make the boat easier to

build. Let me know how yours goes!

makezine.com 71

makezine.com/52

Get the PDF plans and step-by-step

instructions, and share your build, at

makezine.com/go/kid-sized-kayak.

Time Required:

2 Weeks (of Evenings)

Cost:

$150–$300

Materials

» Okoume marine plywood, 4mm, 4'×8'

sheet This is standard thickness, but 3mm

would be lighter and probably strong

enough for a kid’s boat.

» Wood board, 2"×3"×60" to make a

paddle

» Epoxy resin

» Copper wire

» Scrap wood

» Cyanoacrylate (CA) glue and accelerant

» Wood flour for the “dookie schmutz”

mixture

» Fiberglass cloth, 4oz, 50" wide, about

6 yards

» Fiberglass cloth tape, 3" wide

» Varnish or paint

» Upholstery foam

» Stain, alcohol based (optional)

Tools

» Jigsaw or CNC router (optional)

or send the plans to a CNC shop to cut

them for you

» Pliers

» Wire cutters

» Zip-lock bag, 1gal

» Plastic spoon

» Plastic squeegee

» Chip brush

» Utility knife or scissors

» Disposable cups

» Stirring sticks

» Packing tape, filament style

» Masking tape

» Permanent marker

» Waxed paper

» Block plane

» Sandpaper: 60, 120, and 220 grit

» Random orbital sander

» Dust mask or respirator

» Disposable gloves

» Drill (optional)

» Cotton swabs (optional) for touching

up stain

NICK SCHADE

likes to go out on the big

ocean in small boats,

so he started Guillemot

Kayaks, where he designs

small, car-toppable,

wooden boats for DIY boat builders and

makes custom boats for those who don’t

want to do it themselves.

M52_070-1_Kayak_F1.indd 71 6/14/16 1:01 PM