kid's kayak

October 2, 2006

I built this children's Greenland kayak for my daughters, modelled after the Danish National Museum's "a small kayak with ivory ornamentation," surveyed by John Brand in the Little Kayak Book.

It took me a lot longer that I had hoped. Almost two years from start to finish. I got most of the work done during the summers. It almost was too small for my eldest by the time she tried it! It was supposed to be a warm up project for my own Greenland kayak, which I haven’t started... yet.

The kayak, spring 2006. I made the deck from October to November, 2005.

Rib length was the width of the kayak, plus 3 fingers.

Ribs were made from yellow cedar driftwood, that I collected from the beach. I split the wood with an old axe to get straight grain for steam bending later.

I finished the frame, at the end of summer 2006. I did the last lashing the day before I had to go back to work after 1 and a 1/2 weeks off.

The kids with the frame. I built the paddle a year earlier when I tried to build the kayak for my oldest’s 7th birthday. It turned out to be a whole year late.