An 18' kayak, in a 6' long truck.

My New Boat. By, Captain F. Michael O'Lary (Captain Fuzzy) no! really!

Click on any image for a larger view. Here starts the odyssey. Or perhaps the idiocy. I guess time will tell. On the following pages I plan to chronicle the development of my first self-made touring kayak. I didn't say homemade because I doubt it will be constructed completely at home. The guy that actually knows how to do this stuff and has agreed to act as consultant, lives about 15 miles from here! Because he is in the custom boat building business, I'm not so sure he is going to like my referring to him all the time by his real name, especially if my boat turns out like crap. So I'm going to just make up a name, and I'll use that whenever referring to him so no one will know his real identity. Let's call him . . Michael. Remember, if the thought ever crosses your mind this might be the Michael Lampman of Boats by Solitaire - Woodstrip Kayaks, Canoes, Sculling Shells, dismiss it completely. In case you can't tell from the picture above, this sea kayak is a Steve Killing designed Endeavor 17. I intended to stretch that design one foot to make this an eighteen foot kayak (I have no idea how many meters that is) but after paddling an Endeavor that Michael built, I have decided it will not be necessary. Oh, in case you are wondering, I am a pretty . . . healthy . . sized man. Suzanne says: "remember to mention that you pack a lot of junk along too". Below you will find some more photos of the molds. I cut them out myself. The two other people that looked and sounded like they were cutting and sanding, Suzanne, and Michael, were actually just giving me support and counseling. You believe that right? You will also find a picture of a completed kayak I stole off the http://www.bearmountainboats.com/ web site. This kayak photo is important for a number of reasons. Not the least of which is that John O'Connor, Bowling Green, Kentucky, U.S.A. did a wonderful job on it. This photo is also important because at this point in time, this is my template. This is The most beautiful Endeavor 17 on earth, and I fully intend to copy it to the best of my ability . . . again . . at this moment. Lord only knows what will be the final result when all the wood chips are down. Take a look at the pictures, and then I'll talk some more. And remember, Click on any image for a larger view.

Click here for page 2.