Post by blackchocolate on Aug 7, 2011 21:28:57 GMT -5
So, I live with easy access to the Chesapeake Bay, which, for those who don't know, is a large bay on the east coast of the US. I love being on the water, as does my family. We have several kayaks, and we had a motor boat...but I was having issues with the outboard. While I can do a thing or two with cars, I'm not skilled with outboard motor repair, so I gave it to one of my brothers.
Now, while the kayaks are fun, 2 out of 3 of my kids can't handle them by themselves, so i needed something bigger. I've always thought about building my own, but I just never had the chance...until now.
I used a technique called "stitch & glue" to build a 15 foot flat-bottom skiff. As this was my first effort at fiberglassing something, it's not as clean as it could be, but who cares...I really wanted to get it in the water.
That's the little guy about to be crushed by the mighty vessel
Anyway, this thing took me about 2 months to build (on and off, a few hours here and there) My wife is quite happy it's done...I can't skip out to the garage when the kids are acting up!
I made the oars, too. This is my father-in-law and one of the kids behind the boat. We had quite a launching with family, friends, crabs and beer. It was fun!
This is me taking one of our friends out. Weather was good, but a little windy.
Well, that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed the pictures. I had a great time making this thing, and I've got a bunch of ideas for modifications for over the winter (including a sail!). The whole thing cost me less than $500, and all the kids helped at one time or another.
btw...the kids picked the colors, not me!
Now, while the kayaks are fun, 2 out of 3 of my kids can't handle them by themselves, so i needed something bigger. I've always thought about building my own, but I just never had the chance...until now.
I used a technique called "stitch & glue" to build a 15 foot flat-bottom skiff. As this was my first effort at fiberglassing something, it's not as clean as it could be, but who cares...I really wanted to get it in the water.
That's the little guy about to be crushed by the mighty vessel
Anyway, this thing took me about 2 months to build (on and off, a few hours here and there) My wife is quite happy it's done...I can't skip out to the garage when the kids are acting up!
I made the oars, too. This is my father-in-law and one of the kids behind the boat. We had quite a launching with family, friends, crabs and beer. It was fun!
This is me taking one of our friends out. Weather was good, but a little windy.
Well, that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed the pictures. I had a great time making this thing, and I've got a bunch of ideas for modifications for over the winter (including a sail!). The whole thing cost me less than $500, and all the kids helped at one time or another.
btw...the kids picked the colors, not me!
37th Knight of TITO
