rowerwet

my teardrop and the attic hatch are going strong with no maintenance or care. I store the teardrop outside, in my backyard, uncovered, fully exposed to the elements, from sun to heavy snow.My foam kayaks are stored on top of my firewood racks, completely exposed to the sun and snow.the kayak fabric needs to be replaced every few years because of heavy use, but I use bed sheets on them instead of Canvas. the teardrop has recieved nothing but new doors made of PVC lumber instead of the foam and plywood the originals were. the plywood there delaminated.

the hinge is a live plastic hinge from grainger or ebay. it's a solid piece of plastic that is designed to be a hinge, and it's water tight. I had to add the rubber to the ends because the live plastic hinge is a few inches short of the full width on each end.

6 feet is probably the smallest for an adult. If you check my videos, I show myself paddling a couple 8 footers I built for my kids. I recommend 12 feet because shorter boats are slow and tend to wander from side to side. a few have built 10 and 11 footers because of storage space, I doubt they are much slower

Your biggest problem will be melting the foam when the marine (2 part) epoxy "kicks" as it cues. Foam melts at 190F. Any place the epoxy is thicker, either from puddles or seam overlaps in the fabric, will be hot enough to damage the foam.polyester resin releases a curing solvent that dissolves the XPS foam. You can still use it but will have to coat the foam with a barrier first.neither process is as easy, or as easily repaired as PMF

Did you watch the videos? I only use two sheets of foam, and then glue it all together before shaping anything

Not at all, just glue the joints and you're good. The hull should actually be stronger from the extra glue.one builder had their foam split apart on the ride home from the store. They glued them back together and built a perfectly good sawfish

I never did, but I have seen other people use them for interesting boat projects, the biggest issue would be making sure your glue bonds were strong. test multiple types of glue, gorrilla glue might be the best. once you find a good glue, the same idea of construction would work just fine.

congratulations on hull number 91!

looks great, be sure to share a picture of it once you get it finished!

sounds great! hope you can share some pictures on my rowerwet facebook page

congratulations! looks great!

I never tried it, but would be interested to see your results, I would try testing it on a 1 foot square panel of foam first

you can use a steam iron and a thin towel to get the glue to stick in areas that are coming loose. get the iron steaming hot (with steam is best) lay the towel on the void, apply the iron in slow circles. the titebond II becomes like melted plastic at about 180 degrees farenheit. a steam is 220 degrees F. this should get everything to restick it you are patient

you can use a steam iron and a thin towel to get the glue to stick in areas that are coming loose. get the iron steaming hot (with steam is best) lay the towel on the void, apply the iron in slow circles. the titebond II becomes like melted plastic at about 180 degrees farenheit. a steam is 220 degrees F.this should get everything to restick it you are patient

unfortunately TBII needs dry weather to cure. I had problems with it drying in rainy weather before myself. almost half of the weight in the bottle is water, and it evaporates slowly

You o the want one coat of glue, I tried watering it down before, but it makes it take longer for the fabric to stick securely. After that you only want to do layers of paint. Some people report watering down the paint for the first layers, I never have

If you read the poor man's fiberglass instructable, I share pictures of a roof hatch cover I built out of cheap interior grade plywood and covered with PMF. I used a rather worn out (thin) bed sheet.The hatch is exposed to full sun, and every kind of weather, rain, snow, ice, hail.It has done just fine for 7-8 years now.Both of my teardrop campers are covered with PMF and are stored in my backyard, uncovered, year round. My kids climb up and sit on the roof all the time in nice weather. I've never had to repaint or repair them.If PMF can stand the wear and tear of ship hulls (ancient Egypt) and fishing ship decks (old new England deck sealing method), it can take any land based weather.I would be interested in seeing pictures of what you try.

I had a similar bike light on my bikes years ago. it had a magnet that mounted on the spokes like a reflector, and a coil on the light assembly. the magnet induced a current, and the current caused the LEDs to flash after each pass.unfortunately, the bracket wasn't very strong and mine got sucked into the spokes and destroyed. at least it didn't destroy my spokes.I think my dad still has the one I gave him, called a spoke lite or something like that.

titebond III will work, it will not be quite as easy to repair. you might also see if glidden gripper primer is easier to get, it also works just as well.

Any formula is good, as long as the foam has an R value, the density doesn't matter that much

They must have found a formula that doesn't cause cancer in California

It will actually bend too much. Most people building with thin foam instead of plywood, have to coat the foam with fiberglass and epoxy to get it stiff enough

It shows up in the comments I see for my page but not here, weird, congrats on hull number 78! If you are on Facebook look for my page Rowerwet and share there, or email me at rowerwet@gmail.com Thanks!

I've never created a plan like that, instead I give the way to create any boat you want.I do give the way to create a 12 foot boat, but the beauty of this is you can make any length and width you want. It's really more of a tutorial than a plan

As I mentioned, 8 foot boats are slow, however if you really want a bunch, build the hull with no bulkhead, then test the boats in the water until you find the position that puts the bow out of the water and the stern in slight. Once you have this position, install bulkheads This will give the best tracking. Good luck!

I don't know, if I figure it out I'll let you know

I actually only use PLp for embedding straps into the foam in the instructions, I've never joined foam to foam with it.My biggest issue is that it is too thick to spread well into the joint.

Step 8, no video of that yet

The door frames have wood framing also the galley edges, the front corners got vertical wood posts to attach the front cabin door hinges to, otherwise they wouldn't need any

Very, a sharp edged rock might cut the fabric and a sharp ended stick can puncture the skin and foam, but only with a high amount of force applied. my whole family ran a rocky class 2 and three river in sawfish and a seafoam, no holes, no cuts, no leaks, just small grooves in the skin. I left the kayaks upside down in the sun, and they dissapeared, as the heat caused the foam to swell back into place.best part is, even full of water, or broken in half, they still float high, and can be paddled when swamped

It should still work fine as long as you have the edges lined up correctly

Yes, 3 points determine the hull shape, other stations are used to check for symmetry, but not needed for basic length and width to be set

The foil faced foam has better heat resistance, the solid yellow type is the closed cell waterproof type, be aware that all foams melt above 190 F. All foam needs to be covered with a fire resistant material, as the low melting point makes it a fire risk

XPS, brand doesn't matter as it is made to an industry standard

Fabric makes a big difference, I use bedsheets on the kayaks to save weight, but on the teardrop I use 10 oz canvas for durability. I have never damaged the foam in my teardrop because of the tough PMF skin.If you punch it. It sits outside year-round and my kids climb on it fairly often. You'd probably split your knuckles and only leave minor dents, at most. And those dents would dissapear in a short time because of the self healing nature of foam.My foam kayaks got grooves in them from running a rocky river a few years ago, no fabric torn or punctured, though, and that was only bed sheets, I left the boats upside down in the sun, and the grooves disappeared in a couple hours.

I did use 1x3 boards on the outer front corners, only because I was attaching a door there and needed a spot to screw the hinges to. Otherwise the only wood framing is around the galley hatch.Personally I recommend a foam teardrop builder start with a foam kayak like my sawfish foam kayak instructable. I learned most of what I needed to know for building the teardrop from building my foam mouseboat Seafoam, and then creating Sawfish. Good luck and be sure to share pictures!

The pair t in the fabric is the waterproofing, the TBII is just for glueing the fabric to the foam.TBII is best for this because it is softened by heat, allowing any delamimated areas to be readherred with a steaming iron. TBIII is not heat activated, so it won't readhere

Absolutely, I've gone through the construction process a few times in my head.I would use 1/4" plywood for the bottom to distribute the weight to the roof rack.Probably attach it with U bolts around the bars.The rest could be foam reinforced with nylon straps for better strength. By sculpting the foam the way it is in my sawfish foam kayak, the ends could be very aerodynamic.

I would suggest another layer of foam in the cockpit floor if you don't do the chipboard, I'm not sure canvas alone would be enough

Gorilla glue for foam to foam, Titebond II for fabric to foam

All from the centerline

I've built two teardrops, I like your ingenuity, but most of us don't have all that spare steel lying around. For anyone considering a teardrop or kayak hauling trailer I would recommend finding an old pop-up camper. Both of my teardrops ride on old pop-up camper frames.

It will depend a lot on the type of paint, I can't really give you an answer other than make a sample piece and test it

The foaming kind

that is how they pay for this site, besides advertising.you really don't need the whole download to build a boat, the critical dimensions are found on a single page or two. you can write down the station dimensions, or use the screen shot function on any android or windows device, (possibly ios also)

I added a video to the instructions that shows what I'm talking about

you might notice bubbles under the fabric, or end up with sections that come unstuck after being dented. the whole reason I use TBII is because it is able to be reactivated with heat.prick any bubbles with a pin, then lay a cloth over the delaminated area, apply a steaming hot iron to the area and apply heat until any dents in the foam pop out and any unglued areas are restuck.

TBII Doesn't Cure Very Well Between Sheets Of foam.

Once the fabric is sealed with paint, you can sand it the same way you can sand regular fiberglass smooth.Some people have sanded between each coat of paint to achieve a smooth finish

Update : a recent foam boat builder used polyester resin to coat his XPS foam catamaran. The polyester resin melted the foam, but only slightly, overall the melting was so small that it didn't ruin anything. I would experiment on a sample of foam before trying it on a finished kayak, but you might be able to use polyester resin

Looks great! Hopefully you'll share more pictures.

GS is very soft, and absorbs water, which will cause rot in the plywood. You could do the cut away corners idea with strips of XPS, but be sure to seal the edges of the plywood with epoxy

It will vary depending on how wide, how long, and how tall you make the hull. I would say 400 lbs would be a a safe maximum for a sawfish 12.One builder said he was close to that weight, so he built his 14 feet instead of 12. The kayak is floating just fine with him aboard in the pictures.

Definitely, though it might be easier and more useful to add a socket for a 5 gallon bucket for the live well, and leave the rest of the cargo area for gear, pump, battery, etc.Also don't forget that the water in the well is heavy and will affect your trim and balance. If you look on the kayak DIY project and tutorial page, there are many examples of pet food storage bins with the same screw hatches being converted into live wells

Another builder has added a sail, mostly you will need wood to spread out the loads from the sail attachments

I've mixed materials when I only had eps on hand, it is ok, as long as you keep it sealed

Let us know how that goes, I don't think anyone has tried it yet

I don't see any advantage to adding aluminum strips or angles, getting the aluminum to stick would be hard to do.You also might have corrosion issues. TBII is very base on the acid scale, causing corrosion and rust on metals

I like the parts tray idea. I was not sure about the extra bits of metal around the seat, but it turns out, after a few days of use, they are never an issue.I've never felt them, pinched anything, or even had my pants catch on them. Thanks for your ideas about how to make it better!

if you sheath the whole rack in marine epoxy and layers of fiberglass it will be many times stronger, and still retain the classic looks.study how sailboat fittings are reinforced with fiberglass at every joint and seam, and add multiple layers of epoxy encased fiberglass at the multiple joints in the rack.bore out the bolt holes in the mounting blocks and fill them with marine epoxy, then drill the epoxy to match the bolt diameter.you will end up with a composite rack with classic wood looks, that is stronger than any metal rack ever could be, if done correctly.Gougeon brothers is the company behind the west system epoxy brand, they offer a free manual that will show you what products to use, and procedures to follow, to make these racks not only great looking, but safe.

I can, but will be very time consuming. I've recently bought a uncapping roller, a tool from bee keeping. It is much cheaper, and does the same thing

Are you talking about having a foam box inside, or putting foam or fabric over an aluminum roof

If you are in the US titebond II is easy to buy from Amazon or the home depot website. Outside of the US you have more of a challenge. I posted the link to the manufacturers page so you can get a rough idea of what the glue is chemically. More than one international builder has found a suitable substitute by asking around on local boat building pages, or even carpentry pages dealing with outside projects. The paper coating idea sounds like a lot of work. You might look into the shellac coated paper boat building ideas from around 1900.

If you are on Facebook, there is a mouseboat page, gavin Atkin will give you the link.Otherwise look for his book on amazon or similar, th plans are in the book.

If the kayak is symmetrical bow to stern, the paddlers seat needs to be just behind the center of the hull for balance. If you make the widest point immersed in the water end up further back, you can move the seat back as well. Your center of mass when sitting, is just forward of your belly by an inch or two, because of the weight of your legs

I'll be adding more updates some time this winter, but until then, the revised version is fine. Mostly I plan on making a video tutorial out of each step with links to youtube

Congratulations! A nice looking boat.Soundslike you went for extra strong, on the build. Thank you for the pictures! Enjoy

I don't know if you know about the website duckworksmagazine, but you should send this instructable in as an article. you did an excellent job and the people there would love to publish your build and pictures. just search for duckworksmagazine then look for the submissions tab.

I think the original design would safely carry 300 lbs with no issues. 400 or more in very calm water, the new design will carry more , probably 4-500 lbs with no issues. If you want to carry more weight you can easily make the hull longer, I'm finishing up a 16 foot tandem sawfish kayak right now, the extra length will carry much more weight. For more stability under load make the hull wider. My plan gives you a boat 28" wide minus a little on the water line. Adding a few inches increases the weight capacity and stability, at the cost of a little speed.You can go up to 36" wide before you can't paddle a kayak.The battleyak is 36 inches wide, and Josh Bryie is a big tall guy, he easily stands and casts from it, and he takes his kids with him, along with a battery, trolling …

I think the original design would safely carry 300 lbs with no issues. 400 or more in very calm water, the new design will carry more , probably 4-500 lbs with no issues. If you want to carry more weight you can easily make the hull longer, I'm finishing up a 16 foot tandem sawfish kayak right now, the extra length will carry much more weight. For more stability under load make the hull wider. My plan gives you a boat 28" wide minus a little on the water line. Adding a few inches increases the weight capacity and stability, at the cost of a little speed.You can go up to 36" wide before you can't paddle a kayak.The battleyak is 36 inches wide, and Josh Bryie is a big tall guy, he easily stands and casts from it, and he takes his kids with him, along with a battery, trolling motor, fishing gear, etc. and can still almost paddle as fast as his friend in a plastic fishing kayak.

Glad you made it all work out, hopefully you can enjoy many years of use without any issues. You get hull #24, congratulations!

you can find them on Ebay usually

if you search for nor tech screw splitter you can find the video on youtube

I like the electric motor much better than the Briggs and Stratton 9 horse that powered mine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V3gFmnpeYU I was always a little afraid of getting wrapped around the screw myself.

TitebondII is very base on the acid scale, if you get any on steel it starts to rust overnight.I use the cheap scissors from harbor freight and change my razor blades often because they are rusted after touching TBII. I don't think you'll have that problem with the expanding foam, people use that for car body repairs often.

Add water, not more than 5-10%, personally I hate the way it acts thinned. It doesn't tack up as quickly, takes longer to dry, and runs easier

Awesome! I always thought it would be easy to make some this way, I just don't need any myself.If you don't mind, i would like to add a page to the instructable showing how you did it.I think outriggers are a great way to have a fast kayak and then also have stand up stability for fishing

You can make any shape out of foam, it may need some wood reinforcement to keep its shape. Im not sure why you'd be afraid your foam Canoe would be light, i prefer my boats to be as light as possible :^) As far as being tippy, that just takes a little adjustment to the design. Heavy materials are best for a hull with a V bottom that settles into the water.Foam barely draws any depth in the water, so a flat bottom with rounded edges will give a stable footing. Just make the bottom as wide as you want the hull, and it will be stable. Sawfish is 28" wide, and I can stand in it easily on the water. The guys who want a design for standing to cast widen that out to 36 inches

24" is a bit narrow, i tried it on one hull and don't recommend it. You would have an easier time by glueing onto the edge of the section you have now.I use a very coarse demolition blade in my skillsaw, they tend to be longer and thicker and resist bending better.

Nice! And don't forget to share pictures!

GS tends to foam up as it cures, and it tends to leave pockets underneath. You may have to repeat the process a few times to get it all solid. On the teardrop site, many builders use the vinyl spackle, it comes in a tub that feels empty compared to regular patching plaster.

Josh added the wood to the battleyak because it has a motor on the back, i don't think any wood is needed for the floor at all.Remember the fabric skin is the real strength of the hull. I stand in my kayak all the time, it doesn't even dent the foam under my feet. I use thick canvas for the cockpit floor and that is all the reinforcement it needs, unless you are wearing spike heels

there really isn't much reason you couldn't use expanding foam. I actually used it as the glue for my foam mouseboat (google "seafoam kayak") I think it might cost you a bit more, and might not be as strong as gorilla glue unless you follow the instructions in the seafoam instructable to fold the foam before gluing with it..i believe there is a guy in the Ukrane building one with expanding foam right now

http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?9074-Shellac-for-canoe-bottoms this thread gives the best details I've found