Do It Yourself

Updated 31/8/11

These pages and links will, hopefully, give you ideas that can be applied to your own kayak.
If you have any ideas that you'd like us to add, please contact us.

Kayaking Gear

Camping gear ~ stoves, tents etc.

Dry bags ~ how to make one easily and links to other articles on making them.

Fitting a flag ~ how to make the mounting.

All Round Waterproof White Light MK7 (PDF 85 KB) by Peter Sullivan.

Not legal but available from the mega "Orange Shed" are glow-sticks which use LEDs and have a quoted time of 200 hours. They have a pen type clip so you could (illegally) clip one on to your PDF. They come in green and orange.

The Sea Kayaker's Ice Axe (PDF 149 KB) the tool you really need, digging holes, driving in tent pegs, fighting off polar bears in the Malborough Sounds.

Paddles

Greenland Paddle Construction Links to articles on making a Greenland paddle and instructions on how to do it with minimum wastage.

Trolleys

Kayak Trolleys How to make the T-bar trolley. A cheap and easy to build version.

Rudders

Rudders The evolution of the daggerboard rudder and links to other DIY rudder versions.

Rudder pedals (PDF 227 KB)

Pumps, Electric pump installation and Systems

Pump repair How to repair a commercial hand pump.

Kevin's Electric Pump (PDF 276 KB) Kevin built a removable unit using a Rule 1000 pump.

Electric pump installation Gnarlydog's system.

Another electric pump installation From the kayakfishing forum.

Switches A link to fitting switches for electric pumps.

Another installation and instructions (PDF 1.7 MB) WA Sea Kayak Club's site's version.

Pump construction (PDF 124 KB) Sandy's high capacity hand pump construction notes.

Spray skirts

Make your spray skirt release easier (PDF 200 KB) This article shows how to make it easier to grab your spray skirt's release loop by fitting a practice golf ball.

Cooking

This section has recipes and ideas on feeding the crew.

Build Your Own Sea Kayak

Includes S&G, Strip and "Skin" on Frame (SOF), Kits

New Zealand Kayak Building Website ~ from Grant Glazier of Waiheke Island.
NZ Kayak Builders ~ discussion group.
Pygmy Kayak Kits USA. Freight would be about $400 US.
SeaLand Kayaks NZ ~ Mac50 sea kayak, a New Zealand design.

Greenland

Greenland kayaks & paddling in NZ ~ discussion group.
Greenland kayak construction ~ Wolfgang Brinck
West Greenland Skin on Frame kayak construction ~ Anderson
Traditional kayaks ~ Harvey Golden
Qajaq, USA
The MASIK ~ Newsletter of Qajaq, USA
Arctic Kayaks ~ David Zimmerly

Kayak Plans and Software

Bearboat ~ good for strip built, round bilge designs
A PDF commentary about the Bearboat software
A description of Bearboat ~ and you can also download from here
FREE!ship ~ does flat-plate projection and will import Carene and Hulls designs
Hulls by Carlson
How to define what you are about to design in Hulls
JEM Watercraft
Free plans from JEM Watercraft
Kayak Foundry from Ross Leidy
List of software ~ mostly commercial
The boatbuilding community