“Hello from ye old boat shed”, here are some designs I’ve been working on in ye old boat shed. I have an unhealthy obsession with buying plywood and fixing it together to create something hopefully floatable and fun.
Take one sheet of ply and no more, and challenge yourself to make a boat. My thoughts where - if it floats me being 6ft 2 and 92 kgs it will almost float just about anyone. So with that in mind I attacked it. I need a pram dinghy, and a kayak. So obviously the most simple of the two is the kayak made with 3 parts to join, like a mini me Boldger Teal, and a mini me elegant punt style vessel would do just fine. So here’s the Frankenstein like creation I came up with, “nahahahaaar” it’s alive.
 |
Bojak - Here’s the Frankenstein like creation I came up with, “nahahahaaar” it’s alive. |
I kinda went Myth Buster boat building style.
The results after many experiments and capsizes and mental reality checks, spawned these craft that took me along the lake edges in summer, row / paddle, electric motor 12 volt, and almost sail maybe next year as I ran out off time now that’s its autumn here, and the winds are getting too extreme for these little boats to be safely carting me around with a sail. But being the mad hatter boat builder, it’s a all season all weather obsession 27/7 rock around the clock thing I cant stop doing, so maybe I get some fish waders for winter, if im not on Santa’s naughty list.
| Tubby - A mini me elegant punt style vessel would do just fine. |
 |
Kayak (Bojak) – length, 7 ft 3 inch
- Bottom width 24 inch – top width 32 inch – in mid section
- Sides 12 inch
Dinghy / pram (Tubby) – length 4 foot 10 inch
- Bottom width 33 inch, top width 40 inch – in mid section
- Sides 15 inch
 |
The kayak I call – Bojak – cross between a boat and a kayak |
Both craft made from one single sheet of plywood, that I call one-sheet wonders, so lets give em a name. The kayak I call – Bojak – cross between a boat and a kayak, and the dinghy I call Tubby because it’s short and fat.
| The dinghy I call Tubby because it’s short and fat. |
 |
The Bojak I have made a fiberglass mould for, and the same with Tubby I'm currently molding some up and experimenting with. I will keep you posted on these two ugly ducklings. I might trim and give a bit more flair and curves but in saying that I will lose max displacement, so we’ll see what happens soon. I might start a little yahoo group for like minded people wanting to build and encourage the madness further.
Phillip McCracken
Rotorua
New Zealand
***** |
