virgin voyage

Posted by seth on Sep 3, 2007

I finished my Chesapeake 16lt about three and a half weeks ago, and immediately took her down to northern florida for two weeks of camping and paddling.

this whole thing has been a truly awesome experience. i became interested in building a boat when i read "the new kayak shop," but it seemed like a crazy pipe dream. how could i build a boat? i had no workshop, few tools, and limited woodworking experience. after reading about the woman who built hers in a manhattan apartment, i decided i could probably make it happen. i did all the construction on the side porch of my apartment building.

i'm linking to an album that shows my progress on the boat start to finish. i installed flush hatches with an internal bungee system to hold them in place, and i finished it with a stained hull and bright deck, with several onlays. i also installed two lexan windows, because i've always wanted a glass bottom boat. imagine cutting two foot-long holes in the hull of your recently completed boat! talk about nerve-wracking. but it held up and was 100% worth it on the crystal-clear, spring-fed rivers i hit in florida-- especially since it was manatee season.

throughout my trip, people stopped to comment on my boat, and many people wanted to take pictures of it. many of them had never seen a wooden kayak before. of course i plugged clc and told everyone they should build their own, including the guy who leaned over a bridge and hollered, "i want one!" after commenting on how fast it was and asking if i built it.

pictures from the trip are at the end of the set.

thanks for answering all my questions about hatches!

Replies:

• Re: virgin voyage by Ron Paro on Sep 4, 2007
  • Re: virgin voyage by seth on Sep 5, 2007
    • Re: glass bottom window by Ron Paro on Sep 6, 2007