How many of you built your yak?

About 10 years ago I built a pirogue (sp) and it's been damaged, but it gave me a lot of info on building a boat. Since it's dead now I've been thinking about building something a little different. My best description would be a canyak. The bottom won't be flat but will have a slight curve (not rocker) to it. The bottom would be 30-32" wide with a slight tilt on the sides that are roughly 8 to 10" tall so I can sit higher in it. The last one had a habit of being tippy and was 15' 6" long so I was thinking somewhere around a 12' one which would be easier to handle on and off the water. Front would be enclosed with a hatch for storage and I'm debating on whether I should do a square stern or pointed.

Material is the other debate. I've already got the plywood if I choose that but to make it lighter I'm thinking about using foam core. Just wanted to see if anyone else had done something like this and see what they built.

Would love to see pics once you get started , I've never seen a hand made boat.

There are some VERY NICE hand made yaks out there. A lot of them have been posted here, maybe they will show up again in this post.

Here's mine built by my brother, Preacher.

Can you give me any specifics Jerry? The one I'm thinking about will be wider, but that's the idea I'm thinking about.

There's a few guys on here who've made some. I forget who it was, but one even has the Hobbie Mirage Drive, or the one the the propeller, can't remember which. Maybe they'll chime in.

12' 9" long, 35" wide (at the mid point) weighs approximately 46 pounds with the seat in it.

My latest is STRIPER:

Thanks Jerry. From the pics it looks a lot narrower. I figure I'll en up around 40" wide at the beam since the base will be over 30".

Is "Striper" a kit or one you designed?

wow
is that wood?
nice

STRIPER is made out of sheet Styrofoam and fiberglass with wood trim. 15' X 28" and 40 lb hull weight. It has a Mirage drive with Click and Go mounts. A Hummingbird 597ci HD DI fish finder, custom cooler and rod holders set up for trolling.

I like the seat!...I've got two just like it on my power boat bass rig, and it's not bad for comfort!

Where'd you come up with the drive unit and how much was it? I was thinking about something like that but want a prop rather than fins under the bottom.

Mariner Sails lists the Hobie Mirage drive on their website for $609. They don't list the Native Propel drive but I would think you could still order it.

Those are awesome....thanks Jerry and Striper !

It is standard Hobie Mirage drive unit with standard Click N Go down locks (not cheap). I purchased them from ACK (good people).
I just built the mounting around the Mirage drive unit so that I would know it would fit and then bonded and glassed the mounting into the kayak STRIPER. Sort of design on the fly.
My other kayak HYBRID, also has a Mirage drive unit but the down locks are entirely my own custom design. I don't know which I like better.
I prefer the Mirage over the Propel because I can feather the fins against the hull even with the fins locked down. Can't go backwards but the paddle works when I need that. I also built a 30 Oz 240 cm all carbon paddle and a 27 Oz 240 cm carbon/Kevlar paddle.
I am currently designing another kayak.

I think Reel Big Reel can build anything!

Nothing is impossible to the man who doesn't have to do it himself. But nothing is impossible to the man who has the right tools for the job.

Or the right imagination and abilities.

I just want to know if he sold one how much would they be worth? I know I cant afford I just want to know because they look crazy nice.

I built a kayak out of Styrofoam and Fiberglass and named it SANDY. It was 14'X28" and 30 lbs with a seat. Cost about 550 bucks to build. The seat was a $200 seat. Tried to sell it with the seat and the 28 qrt cooler, but no paddle for $350. No takers. Then dropped the price to $220. No takers on TFF but did sell it out of the front yard for $220. Gerald says you could starve to death building kayaks to sell and he is a far better craftsman than I am.

Well "striper" looks really cool. Pirogues seem to be a hotter item. Have you ever made one of those?

SANDY was a Pirogue.

Ha! Im a doofis

surely you are kidding
what a deal

If you're so inclined, I'd like to talk about the material you use on Sandy. I've been seriously considering using foam but am not sure which type to use. I was actually thinking about carving one out of styrofoam after gluing several sheets together, then glassing them for strength.

I've looked at your builds extensively on TKF. Definitely some thought and SKILL in your builds. I'm convinced that you couldn't sell Sandy on here because of the width. This is a fishing forum, and everyone on here is looking for stable first and foremost. If Sandy was 34" wide, I'd bet it would have sold quickly. I would have have bought it for $350 and let my wife paddle it.

I've seen a couple of Don's (Preacher) kayaks, too. His materials are more traditional, but he definitely has the SKILL. Very nicely finished, with a little wider bottom that most of us fisherman want so we don't turtle when we turn to grab another rod or bait.

Just saying.

charlief1
You will find my build logs on TKF:
SANDY
http://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=158180&hilit=SANDY

HYBRID
http://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=148792&hilit=ultimate

STRIPER
http://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=181309

Something like striper but with more chines is what I'm thinking about RBR. The reading was very informative and we have similar ideas on design. The nose will have a little more point to it rather than the blockish look so it should ride a little better as well as cut any waves easily. The big thing will be the width. I think you started with 28" on the bottom of striper, right? I'm looking at a starting bottom of 32+ inches to make it extremely stable.

I see where you used microballons for thickening. Have you ever considered wood flour or just plain cheap flour? It bonds well and since it's organic based the epoxy seems to work better, and sanding isn't an issue even with off the shelf flour. I used flour on the pirogue I made and never had an issue with it. Also use US composites for the epoxy. The only other diff was Noah Marine was where I got the glass I used.

As an FYI, there's a PDF file you can download which has the drive box already designed so you can make the mirage drive set up a little easier.

It is named STRIPER.
Planform of the bow is more important than the rake angle. Do a Google on Surf Ski images and you'll see what I mean. Bow sticking out above the water is not beneficial to ride.
A 28" total width is adequate for stability as long as the kayak is 14' or better and the fineness ratio isn't too good. Unless you are really tall a 32" width would be excessive. Hull shape is also important for stability.
Another thing you need to pay attention to is height. The more structure you have above the water the more wind will affect it.
Microballoons are not that expensive and much lighter than wood flour. Spreads like butter. Sands much better than wood flour. And can be mixed for color match. To get a good fillet, I like to glass directly over microballoons while still wet which is something you can't do with wood flour. It is too grainy.

I understand what you're saying about the width, but this is more of a canyak, not a kayak RBR. That's the reason for a wider base. I plan on being higher up in it than I would be in a yak, hense the name canyak. When I did the pirogue I did a lot of designs as models and designed it in mechanical desktop so I could do 3D and see what she'd look like. I plan on doing the same thing with this one and the sides will be about 10" tall so I sit higher and have a better position for casting and paddling.The big thing was deciding on material to use and you helped me decide to use styrofoam for the weight rather than the more conventional plywood that most use. A low, but up pointed bow and asymmetrical body will help quite a bit and having a closed front and generous tumblehome will help shed water off her.

I know it'll catch more air than something lower but I'm trying to get it around 12' and no longer than 13" so it'll be more portable. The width will help offset the shortness and keep the capacity up. As with most boats, this is a compromise between a canoe and a kayak. Hopefully my draft will be in the 3" range so I can go places that most boats cant, and the width will let me maneuver in narrow places easier. I'm more of a backwater paddler than a big water guy after all.

The only thing I haven't decided is whether to make it square stern or not. This design might be good for an electric motor or some sort of hybrid pedal drive that I may design for it. A long shaft weedeater that's straight shafted may lend itself as a drive unit, with or without the engine. Adapting a prop shouldn't be that hard to do.

I wanted to do a little update on this for those that may be wondering what I'd decided. RBR's links let me contact another builder in central Texas and I've been emailing Gerald over some of my ideas, which has helped with the things.

The max width of the bottom piece will end up being 32" and is split down the middle, but not all the way through, and 12' long. To put it back together I plan on making a slight V shape so 3/4" rise on the outside from the center, which is less than 3 degrees of angle so it should track well and not have an issue with rolling a lot. It will also be asymmetrical so the widest section won't be in the center, but further back. Maybe 4-6". The next chine will be between 50 and 55 degrees angle in the center and be 6" but will only extend it 4". The third will be straight up and rise another 5" up. This will give me the 40" OAW I want and the 10" height before the top goes on. I've also decided on a slight square stern so it will be easier to add a rudder, or if I decide to, a motor or engine.

I was going to use foam for the whole thing but Gerald reminded me how things can go bump when you're on the water, so the bottom and sides are wood (1/4") and the top I'm debating on ply or foam, since it's not as likely to damaged by underwater obstacles. It's a stitch and glue design which I've done once before so it won't be that hard to make.

I saw a couple of pics that showed someone had made their own prop drive out of bike parts, and transfer unit, and shaft with a prop on it and I may try to design and make something like it for my own use.

Once I start on it I'll be taking pics and see about doing a write up so you guys can see how easy these things really are to build.

Thought I'd give a small update here. Started the model and the sides and bottom are on. Here's a link to the thread i started on boat designs and the pics are on this page. OAL looks to end up at around 13.3' and width will be between 40 and 42". Once I get the top figured out then I get to take it all apart to measure all of it for offsets. then start the real build.

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/propuls...html#post754359

And Gerald says hi RBR.

Got into this item a little late, sorry bout that.
Charlief1 I am just going to give you a link to my photobucket site. I have plans to some of the stuff on there and I own them so you won't have to worry about legal issues, they're free and your welcome to use anything on there that you want.
Don't sell RBR's boats short, he's a fisherman also and those boats get a workout. the man is very talented.
Jerry's little boat is a popular design that he came up with and I did some manipulation on.

http://s229.photobucket.com/user/hambone_sr/library/

this ought to get you there, if you need any more help just give me a PM.

BTW, I'm just starting a build for HOW (Heroes on Water).

this is the boat I fish out of.

I want to do a quick follow up on this issue before I put these old bones to bed.
I read where you're thinking about doing a 40" width on your boat. I just want to caution you on that exaggerated width. True you will get more primary stability but the trade off is busting your knuckles when paddling. Of course you could do that width and then do tumble back gunnels so they end up looking like <__>. That also tends to resist the wind better than \__/.
I found that a 28" beam and gunnels that slope out to 34" has a good primary stability and also gives you a good secondary stability.

This isn't what most consider a normal kayak preacher. If you looked at the link to TK forums you'll see the model as it stands, so to speak. We have a little bass buster that we use in our pond and I've got short beach chair in it and have been using my kayak paddle to take it around the pond. That's what gave me the idea of the width. Think of this like a SOT since I'll be sitting high, rather than low like a normal kayak. The highest point in the center will be between 1 to 1.5' (so far looks like 1.2') and I'll be sitting at 10" normally. The seat will be dropped down if my other idea works like I think it will.

The other thing I'm looking at is a multi drive system. Paddle is the primary drive but I'm thinking about adding a couple of dagger boards off the sides a rudder, and a small sail for going across large bodies of water rather than paddling as much.The dagger boards will be dropped in on each side so they won't take a lot of space up. Since a boat under 14' can have a sail and not have to be registered this would get me across Aquilla or Whitney if I decide to go off for parts unknown that I haven't been to yet. I'm also looking at making my own peddle prop drive, but that may never happen.

Hey,sounds good to me. A man is only limited by his own imagination.

Started a thread over at boat design forum for a little feedback. Not that RGR or Preacher aren't enough, but it's an engineering forum, so if there's an issue they might show me something that you guys haven't brought up before. Here's the link and pics of the almost finished model with the top and an explanation of the design.

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/kayak-kinda-54462.html#post755212

Gonzo mentioned the chine on the top center picture. But the pictures on the outside show the chine actually being okay. Man that thing is wide and has a lot of cockpit room.

That's the whole idea Don. I had my old 1 got swamped by waves in high wind at lake Pat on it's maiden voyage. This will let me have plenty of room and no more swamping, even in chop or by idiot power boats. It should be able to carry 2 if I want or camping equipment and food for a few days. Now you know why I call it a canyak.