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The Second Test Run of the Siskiwit Bay Design
After the deck line was completely installed, I wanted to test the comfort of using a canoe seat in a kayak, so on a beautiful November day in the Northland โ we only get five beautiful sunny days in November on average โ I took the kayak up to Two Island Lake, which is about 15 miles by road outside of Grand Marais. The lake was perfectly calm and clear and the sky blue and partly cloudy. There was a very light almost negligible breeze blowing. For this paddle, I spent an hour and a half on the water and paddled just under 3 miles (2.85 miles total.) The secondโฆ
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How long does it take to build a cedar kayak?
This is one of the last articles in my building log and represents the beginning of the end. Yet to come is an extend testing report, one article on the changes that Iโve made since I first built it and why I made the changes, but first a set of two articles that answer two question that a builder often asks before embarking on the adventure that is canoe and kayak building: a) How long will this take, and b) How much will this cost? When I first started this build, I made a decision; I would track my hours and expenditures on a spreadsheet in order to give myselfโฆ
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Cost of Siskiwit Bay Kayak
The table below is a breakdown of what I spent on the prototype of the Siskiwit Bay. There are a few items that stand out to me: I spent very little on wood compared to the cost of the whole project. First time builders seem to often want to cut costs in the wood, but wood is only about 5% of the overall cost. Itโs the little things that add up. I spent a ton of money on the little things like sandpaper, gloves, etcโฆ These things are often ignored when quoting how much money was sunk into a project. I spent around $250, which is around 24% of theโฆ
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Make Your Own Kayak Cockpit Cover
Having just recently finished a Skin-On-Frame Greenland kayak, Iโve been paddling it as much as possible, and it generally sits on top of my car when not in use. The other day a thunderstorm blew through and filled my boat up with water, so I decided that I better go get a cockpit cover. At the local outfitter, I discovered that they wanted $40 for a cover that probably wouldnโt fit my boat very well anyway, so I left and drove to a fabric store determined to make my own. I spent less than $5.00 there, and now after a couple hours of sewing and design I have a waterproofโฆ
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Bryanโs Homebuilt Boats from 2004 and back
Note: The plans included on this page are for historical reference only. Carlsonโs Hulls, a windows only program, is required to view them. These are the boats that Iโve built or designed for myself. Iโve helped on other boats, but I am not including them. Please, feel free to contact me to learn more about these. If you have built or build one of these designs, please, let me know, or send me a picture. I would love to hear from you. Freedom 17 The Freedom 17 canoe is the first boat that I built. I lived in an apartment at the time and built this in my living room.โฆ
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Layout Panels from Hulls
Note: I do NOT support any of the Hulls files on this website. If youโre interested in the plans that I provide, click to see my Canoe and Kayak plans. You donโt need to know how to use HULLS to use those plans. Hulls is a boat design program that is easy to learn and hard to master, but itโs grand fun to be able to design your own canoe or kayak, and then be able to build one. You can see some designs here. The main question I get from people downloading my designs is, how do you get the panels layout numbers. Hereโs how: The files I postedโฆ
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Wigeon: A Sailing Canoe
We need more recreational sailing canoes around. They seem to have gotten lost by the wayside when racing took over the scene back in the 19th century. And from what I can see, the current racing classes are too restrictive in their class rules to be of general interest for someone who wants a recreational canoe dedicated to sailing. If we could just open the door a bit...
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How to Clean a Drysuit
It's that time of the year to break out your drysuit. What's that smell. Well, here's how to clean a drysuit.
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Tarp Shelter Set-up
A lightweight weather-proof tarp set-up to use when you want to stay dry. This article was hidden for the last three or four years on a climbing website, so it's about time it migrates to Nessmuking. This is one of the best ways to set-up a tarp for camping under.
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Acorn Whistle
In this fun article learn how to make a whistle from an acorn. Might be handy someday.
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The Lightweight Secret
Most paddlers would sit up and listen when told they could actually travel the same distance without working any harder in less time. They'd lean in much closer when told that there was a secret that could allow them to travel an additional 24 miles in a ten day trip without any additional hours on the water, and most would be surprised to learn the secret is actually simple. Learn the secret in this article.
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Cell Phones in the Wilderness
For several years a debate has raged between two camps of people: Those who feel cell phones should be left home, and those who feel they should come on wilderness trips. People in the anti-phone camp cite everything from distraction from the trip, to a simple annoyance, or even a lack of respect and common courtesy. They go to extremes to make any philosophical point that they can to make sure cell phones stay out of the woods. The pro-phone camp cite many reasons to carry them, but it seems the biggest justification they use for cell phones in the woods is that they add safety to the trip. Theyโฆ
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Forward Paddling in a Kayak
Forward paddling seems easy, but there is room for improvement. Forward paddling is probably the most under-appreciated and under-practiced kayaking move. However, as you might imagine, this is the most important move that you can learn. Depending on where youโre going to be kayaking, and how long of a kayak tour you intend to go on, good forward paddling may end up saving you a lot of time, effort, and muscle strain. The most important thing to remember about your forward paddling, however is that you should only work on improving it if you feel that you canโt do everything that you want to be able to do while youโreโฆ
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BWCA: Insider Tips
Three tips that will make your next couple of trips to the BWCAW easier on the wallet and then mind.
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Lost and Found: What to do when you find something in the Woods
When you find an expensive item in the wilderness, you may be tempted to claim salvage rights, but to learn what you really should do, read this article.
