Arenal Kayaks Boatshop

Boat construction is considered by many to be the ultimate test of carpentry skills. Also a test of patience as many hours of work sometimes spanning years are required to construct a seaworthy craft.

Water test

Okay, so, it's not really a boat if it doesn't float, right? Well, here's where we load up and take it to the lake for the maiden voyage.

As you can see, it floats. Floats pretty well in fact. After some initial practice, the boat feels very stable. And fast. Almost no effort required to get up to speed. Staying on track is not hard while paddling but it seems to want to turn as soon as you stop to coast. Takes more effort to keep it going in a straight line but even that is coming more naturally as I practice. Since I don't have any foot pegs or thigh braces, I haven't pushed the stability envelope yet. I have put a fair amount of lean into it for making turns which it does quite well. Even up on edge for turns the boat feels very stable. I have flipped however when exiting. Entering hasn't been too hard but getting out is a little tricky. Once my weight is above the deck, stability goes away and flipping happens immediately. I've since figured out at least one way to get out without the flip.

At this writing, I've had the boat in the water at least 6 times. In the meantime I've put a top coat of epoxy on the hull but nothing else. Need to do some sanding and a little more epoxy work before applying spar varnish to protect it from UV damage. I want to put some deck rigging on and I still need to figure out something for a seat and foot rest. But, not having those extras isn't going to keep me out of the water!

I'd like to thank you for visiting Arenal Kayaks and showing interest in my boat building project. This isn't the end, however. This is really just the beginning. As I stated somewhere earlier on, this boat was for learning the process. Now I can start building boats for people who want something handcrafted, unique, a piece of art. I also plan to start an annual kayaking event on Lake Arenal. But, getting back to the next boat, I'm designing a hybrid, something that's between a kayak and canoe. There are designs and boats on the market that are in this class so it's nothing new, just new to here and I hope to come up with a boat that provides hours of pleasure for fishing, sightseeing, exercise, or just plain lounging around on the lake. Pura Vida