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DIY Foam Kayak Build

Sheldon

Sheldon

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2018
Messages
591
Last edited:
Pretty cool concept, what’s the approximate cost of building one of these?
 
Nutterbuster said:
Thanks for the info! I may could be talked into loving a sit on if I could make my own at 28" wide and 12' long. Something like that should be nice and light, and easy to paddle.
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I haven’t been “into” kayaks in quite a while. At your size their are a pile of sot kayaks that come at a decent price. For fishing you generally want a kayak with double your weight as the capacity. Maybe they have gotten better but ten years ago the weight capacity meant they would float at that weight. That didn’t mean the cockpit wouldn’t be flooded. When you get my size you are limited to just a few models and they are all expensive and pushing a hundred pounds rigged if not heavier. I can put two guys my size in a lighter canoe. I like the looks of that kayak. I would have to stretch it to 14’ by about 33”. One thing about it if it doesn’t track or glide well it will be your fault.
 
KYHunter said:
Pretty cool concept, what’s the approximate cost of building one of these?
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Probably $150 or so depending on how much stuff you have laying around. Been keeping a breakdown:

This one is 10’ by 32” and takes 2 4x8 panels of 2” XPS foam which ran $64 dollars. Some luan strips for the gunnels I think they call them, $14 a sheet but could use scrap, 4 x tubes PL premium 3X construction adhesive was $20, gallon Titebond II $17, Kevlar I had, bamboo skewers $2. Have paint left from the house.

Basic hand tools- jig saw works best for cutting but also did some with a fish scaling knife, sureform type rasp, sander and paper. The guy that made the original used a spiked wallpaper removal tool but say someone else took a scrap of plywood and put a bunch of drywall screws in it to make holes for the glue to bind better. Paint tray, roller and brush. I picked up a power planner from harbor freight for $35 made the shaping go much quicker but could do it all with the rasp.

Spend most of your time waiting for glue to dry, can cut and build easily in a weekend. Sorry long answer to short question.


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That battleyak is nice. Probably a little overbuilt but nice.
 
@Sheldon wow that’s cheap! And that’s good info, I’m excited to see the finished pics. I’m also curious to see how stable it is and if you can fish standing up from it.
 
Got some work done hope to have it finished soon. Would be a waste of time to repeat the build instructions from the Sawfish Instructables. He does an excellent job explaining it. Would like to add my experience using his build and the Kevlar fabric though.

First off I have been in a kayak one time so not my forte, @Nutterbuster put out a good video explaining different kayaks and techniques so check that out. Been looking at this build for years and just finally got around to it. Looking for a fishing type boat to use on the small lakes we have here. Undoubtedly this boat will be slow but my goal is that it is stable. Have a small river where I hunt so IF I am comfortable enough with it I may use it for that.

Here is the concept when finished. Using the ol Turkey Lounger that every old, fat, Turkey hunter like me, likely picked up at some time. They are running $20 at Wallymart and pretty comfortable.

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My biggest lesson learned so far is, DO NOT skimp on the glue. Use this stuff from the orange box store
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If you go to Wallyworld and try and be cheap you will still be waiting for this glue to dry come the turn of the century. DO NOT USE THIS STUFF!!!
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The Kevlar fabric goes on well and is setting up well. Key thing to remember here: you are using Titebond II wood glue to attach the fabric, whatever type of fabric you choose. The glue hardens but it is not like using fiberglass. The beauty of this is in you can remove and replace/repair your fabric if necessary. Heck, think you could cut the boat in half, add two feet and glue it all back together and you'd be fine. What helps is adding more surface area for the glue to grab. I used a carpet seam roller tool and seems to work. Also tried out the DIY plywood and screws method it you don't want to buy a tool. Both worked.
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The glue is applied with a paint roller. Put a coat on, wait a few, then another. Key to ensure all the holes you made are full of glue. Let the glue set up for 5 minutes or so before applying the fabric. Sticks better and you can work out the imperfections as it is drying.

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I am no craftsman by any stretch nor do I have the patience for filling and sanding. As you know you will get creases putting fabric across curved surfaces. Couple that with the fact you are using XPS foam that doesn't sand great you will have to accept it will be rough and not a show piece. I was able to work a lot of the bubbles out after the pic.

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Next up interior and paint.
 
@Sheldon that looks awesome. That price is super tempting as well.....

When I initially looked into the sawfish type build, I really wanted to run integrated wiring and foot controls for a future motor and/or LED running lights. How hard do you think it would be to integrate something like that?

Also, how hard was it to clean up the mess of shaving/sanding down all that foam?


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IkemanTX said:
@Sheldon that looks awesome. That price is super tempting as well.....

When I initially looked into the sawfish type build, I really wanted to run integrated wiring and foot controls for a future motor and/or LED running lights. How hard do you think it would be to integrate something like that?

Also, how hard was it to clean up the mess of shaving/sanding down all that foam?


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Am thinking about doing that down the road if it works as I hope it will. Watched a lot of build videos and seems most were going with auto brake line and fishing cable thru it for the foot controls and pvc for the wiring.

What I have found is that the foam is incredibly easy to work with in terms of shaping and cutting. Think you could easily cut a shallow space for the brake line then just cover it with the fabric once in place. For wiring been thinking of using the smallest two piece channel used for TV cables and such as it wouldn’t be as bulky as as pvc. Think it could work the same, shallow ditch and cover with the material to keep it out of the way.

Heck, the stuff is so easy to work with this is what I used to drill out the holes for rod holders based on the suggestion from one of the builders. Worked great.

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As for the mess, yes it is. I have doing all the shaping and sanding outside. Even with that had my wife show me our black lab had pink stuff all over her. Suggested I could vacuum the dog and she shook her head and walked off. Haven’t tried it yet but have seen guys hook their shop vac to their planner and sander.

Did you mention earlier that you had built the boat from the Texas fisherman site? Went thru that thread several times looked nice.


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Sheldon said:
Am thinking about doing that down the road if it works as I hope it will. Watched a lot of build videos and seems most were going with auto brake line and fishing cable thru it for the foot controls and pvc for the wiring.

What I have found is that the foam is incredibly easy to work with in terms of shaping and cutting. Think you could easily cut a shallow space for the brake line then just cover it with the fabric once in place. For wiring been thinking of using the smallest two piece channel used for TV cables and such as it wouldn’t be as bulky as as pvc. Think it could work the same, shallow ditch and cover with the material to keep it out of the way.

Heck, the stuff is so easy to work with this is what I used to drill out the holes for rod holders based on the suggestion from one of the builders. Worked great.

821a72e02ed85933d1646968b3e1bfbd.jpg
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As for the mess, yes it is. I have doing all the shaping and sanding outside. Even with that had my wife show me our black lab had pink stuff all over her. Suggested I could vacuum the dog and she shook her head and walked off. Haven’t tried it yet but have seen guys hook their shop vac to their planner and sander.

Did you mention earlier that you had built the boat from the Texas fisherman site? Went thru that thread several times looked nice.


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I didn’t build that one, but have followed his builds religiously. I’ve talked back and forth with him a couple times on some questions.


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Took it out for the maiden voyage. Sorry no pics. Boat felt good in the water and everything held up well. Sits high in the water and effortless to paddle. First trip was to get the feel for it as I have zero experience in these things. Added a few things after the trip based on what I learned. With additions right around 30 lbs very easy to load/unload and carry. All said right around $175 - 185 in the water.

1. Adding an anchor trolley. Was a bit windy and the way it rides have to have an anchor. Was interesting though that a pile of moss was enough to keep the boat from moving so not going to need a lot of anchor for my purpose.

2. Using an old golf bag pull cart to move it. Sucks with no handle . Handle is also used to mount a pull up strap since I ain’t as agile as I once was. Not so heavy you need it but works to load all your stuff and make one trip.

3. You can stand in it however kinda spooks me as I am new to this. Adding some removable pontoons to see what difference it makes. Added some 3/4” ply to mount the pontoons buy may use it in the future to mount a small trolling motor.

4. The gamma seal lid makes for a great dry storage area.

5. Adding paddle storage brackets made from pvc to give it a home while fishing and prevent losing it.

6. Raising the seat up a bit. Was plenty stable with it higher and easier to fish.

Also caught my first fish in it by just throwing a line out and trolling as I was paddling around! Mission accomplished.
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Peterk1234 said:
@Sheldon that is really impressive. What is the green on the hull? Paint?
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Exterior house paint. Attach fabric to the foam using titebond II then multiple coats of paint to seal it. Fun and easy project. Making one for my 9 year old son now that I see it works.


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Sheldon said:
Did you mention earlier that you had built the boat from the Texas fisherman site? Went thru that thread several times looked nice.


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I did. I cannot find any of the good pictures of them.
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ImThere said:
I did. I cannot find any of the good pictures of them.
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Nice, how did it work for you? After messing with this think it would be cool to build a small pontoon using the foam and run it off a trolling motor. Saw a video awhile back were a guy was doing it but part 2 of the video never appeared. Looking for something I can throw in my truck. Really happy with this kayak but have a buddy who wants it...room for another effort.


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Sheldon said:
Nice, how did it work for you? After messing with this think it would be cool to build a small pontoon using the foam and run it off a trolling motor. Saw a video awhile back were a guy was doing it but part 2 of the video never appeared. Looking for something I can throw in my truck. Really happy with this kayak but have a buddy who wants it...room for another effort.


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There ok. Heavy and clumsy through the water if your paddling it. With the trolling motor and battery it was even heavier. I think for a small lake, ponds and decent size creeks and rivers there fine. But I wouldn’t want to pull it over sand bars all day.
They are wide and stable.

If you have a TSC near by they will have the big foam blocks I used and they will give them to you.
I used expanding foam to connect it all together with the chemical reaction of the expanding foam and clamped them together. Worked great you will break the block before you break the joint.
I would use less conduit if I did it again. It protects the foam from rocks which helps but not sure it’s needed if you wrap it maybe one runner front to back on bottom and a transom for the motor


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