Rolling Your Own

I’ve been toying with the idea for a while. It’s been rolling around in Don’s head, too. When we communicated the harbored thought, it was enough to catalyze action. We’re going to build some boats!

Sea kayaks to be precise. Of the skin-on-frame (SOF) variety, as the originators of the craft paddled. Don’t worry, no animals will be harmed. The “skin” is a tough fabric in this case.

Why do it? There are plenty of ready-made boats around (and I may own most of them). Hull design details that can be molded in plastic or composite are impossible with SOF. And, let’s not forget the investment of time and toil.

SOFs take you back to the roots of classic paddling. I’m not a purist, but it does have some appeal. Like driving a Model T or pedaling a Schwinn Hornet. And, in building the kayak, you can size it and vary some design aspects to suit your preferences. But, those aren’t compelling enough to motivate me to take this on.

There’s something about piloting what you built. I’ve experienced that only twice and would relish doing it again. The first time was the emergence of the Stingray bike in 1963. Those were the way cool small framed bikes with the banana seats and ape hanger bars. They skyrocketed in popularity and price. No way I could afford one.

One day, I was walking to school on garbage day. Wedged between two trash cans for pickup was a rusted over bike of the 20” wheel variety. Hmmm. I hurriedly pushed it home on flat, dry-rotted tires and spent the school day constructing a plan in my head.

First, I stripped it down to the frame, which was all that was salvageable and the only thing I needed. Then, it was long hours with paint remover and steel wool. That was followed by a nasty rust removal gel. The initial investment was in spray cans to do a candy apple paint job. Voila! The foundation of a masterpiece.

I was able to scavenge and recondition wheels and crankset. I did have to buy the seat, bars and tires, including a slick for the rear. I now had a replica of a Stingray to ride. Better yet, I had built it.

Not long after that, I acquired a battered 1952 Chevy for $19, which I wrote about in a previous blog. I was well below driver’s license age, but that didn’t matter. This would be a project that spanned years. Like the bike, it began with a total strip-down and would end up with a candy apple finish. And, was my pride and joy to drive.

It’s been a long drought since then. So I’m thirsty to get it on.