A boat trip is indispensable for a hike in the water or for a walk on the lake. It can be purchased ready-made, or you can build it yourself from cheap materials. When deciding to build a pleasure boat in your home workshop, you should remember that the main criteria for choosing a boat design are its simplicity and safety in operation. How to build boats with your own hands?
It is necessary
Large quantities of old newspapers, waterproof glue, waterproof paint, slats, brushes, scissors, knife, old kayak
Instructions
Step 1
As with any business, the main thing is to start. Lack of experience cannot be a hindrance when building a small boat. That's right - start with the creation of a small vessel, you will take on large-scale projects later, after the accumulation of knowledge and skills.
Step 2
If you decide to get a light boat for pleasure or tourism purposes, you cannot do without a small industrial-made folding kayak. Yes, you heard right, we are talking about a factory-made kayak. But we will not sail on it, it will only be useful as a template for creating a boat with our own hands. It is not necessary to buy such a kayak; you can ask your friends or acquaintances for it for just a week. This period is quite enough to make your own craft.
Step 3
Of course, there is no point in completely copying a kayak produced at an industrial enterprise. To do this, you do not have the necessary materials, equipment, parts and tools. In other words, there are no technological capabilities. Therefore, you should choose a different path.
Step 4
Find a suitable place to accommodate your rented kayak. This can be a barn, a veranda in the country, or a home workshop. In this room you have to arrange a shipyard.
Step 5
Place the kayak on a flat surface with the bottom up and secure well. The boat should be stable, without the risk of capsizing.
Step 6
With newspaper sheets stored in advance, begin to carefully paste over the outer surface of the kayak, namely the bottom and sides. The upper part of the vessel does not need to be pasted over, otherwise the structure will then be impossible to remove from the template. Leave the top cover for last when your boat is basically ready. Use a waterproof adhesive commonly used in shipbuilding.
Step 7
You will need to stack at least thirty layers of newsprint to keep the boat structurally strong. After applying the next layer, let the paper layer dry. There is no need to rush here, the main thing is to ensure a good gluing quality.
Step 8
So, the required number of sheathing layers is glued on, the newsprint is dry. Separate the resulting hull from the template kayak. Now, using a sharp knife, carefully cut off the protruding edges to make the sides of your paper kayak straight.
Step 9
Now, if you wish, you can cover the top of your boat with newspapers in the same way, leaving open space for the rower and a compartment for stowing things. The resulting structure must be painted outside and inside with waterproof paint. Use several coats of paint, letting each dry thoroughly.
Step 10
Another trick is to give your boat extra stability in all operating conditions. The right decision is to build a catamaran out of two identical paper boats. For this, two vessels must be connected in the bow and stern with special slats. The structure can be made collapsible, for this the slats must be threaded into the "ears" made of dense rubber and attached to the sides of both boats. Such a catamaran will not care about any waves.
