Thats amazing! so many cool ideas that spring from that
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Guilty as charged my friend.
I have to add hatches, deck lines, etc, etc. I am going to evaluate the positioning of these things and they might cover the worst spots.
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Exactly. I had a snowboard slide off the rafters of the garage and land on the newly painted hood of my restored Mustang.
Metal flake paint so a spot repair wasn’t possible. Not enough paint left to do the hood, but enough for a ‘ghost flame’ - that actually was the best part of the whole paint job!
(Never would have happened if not for the snowboard)
Moral is to use the problem as an opportunity.
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I have a Hobie Pro Angler 12, which is a sit on top kayak with those foot operated pedals from the on-water picture, and it is very stable considering. I have no real ability to balance and yeah it’s not as stable as a 17 foot row boat, but neither am I afraid of going for a swim.
The mirage drive (the foot operated pedals) is awesome. Unlike a paddleboat, where you’re exhausted after going all of 12 feet, the mirage drive sends you cruising along the water for what feels like no real energy expended. I love it. The only downside is it weighs a lot for a kayak. There are tricks to getting around this, but it is something to consider. If you’re interested at all your local Hobie dealer should be able to let you take one for a spin.
Note: the one pictured is not a Pro Angler, but that just means he paid less. And it’s lighter.
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I haven’t canoed a ton but they are definitely tippy to me. I had a Malibu X-Factor kayak (sit on top) that I put a lot of miles on; so stable. I could stand and sightcast to redfish in the bay. I think it was a 30" beam. I don’t personally, but I know a lot of people that take them out near-shore in the Gulf (from beach to 5-6 miles out). Once you’re through the surf/past the sandbars, it isn’t much of a problem with stability.
What an awesome project you’re doing. It’s beautiful!
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Thought I would share the latest updates. I still have the final sanding and finishing to do, along with adding all the lines, straps, etc. But the end is in sight.
These are photos of cutting out and gluing hatches.
No finish, and the hatch covers are off, but I wanted to see what it looked like by the water.
Here are the hatch covers.
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I admire your perseverance (and craftsmanship). It’s one of the things I’d like to do but I’m realistic enough to admit that I’d never get it finished 
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She’s gorgeous!
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Incredible! I would never have that much patience either! 
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Latest update. Here is a photo of what is called the “end pour” You have to put the kayak vertical, then pour epoxy inside. This makes a block of epoxy at the pointy end of the boat. This helps strengthen the ends for crashes and makes a solid block for drilling a hole through for attaching carry handles. Both ends need to be done. The end is sitting in a bucket of cold water. This keeps the epoxy from overheating as it sets up. Almost done now. I just have to let this set up, then it’s on to final sanding and finishing.
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Looking good!
so very cool.
It’s so beautiful! It will be heartbreaking the first time you crash into something, like door dings on a new car, but I suppose it’s inevitable.
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fascinating. Never would have thought to do that. Now I know (not that I make kayaks but I can imagine pouring a large amount of epoxy into something). This project is so amazing.
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Finished. Hopefully you can see that this post was not really about the build, but how I intend to use the Glowforge. For this design, I had to simplify the concept in order to use my knife skills. I plan to have more intricate designs that would not be possible with my skill set, but the Glowforge could easily cut for me.
Here are some pictures.
We get alot of barge traffic.
Anyway, on to the next project. Hopefully Glowforge value added.
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Truly very nice. It’s been great watching this progress over the months.
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Do you know about the Hoover Dam internal cooling system to keep the concrete from going blooey as it was curing?
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Did not know that. But makes sense. Thanks.
Gosh…it’s stunning. What a great job…you must be well pleased.
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cool. I did not know that!