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Child kayak


Kudzu

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Jordan has been doing fine in his FreeB12. He's 12 at 64" & 125#. It was like putting a duck in a pond. Two trips on the Harpeth at 11 miles each and he's done great. It's a great river to start on, only about 24" deep. His sisters now want a boat but I thought the FreeB would be to big for them. They are 12,10,8 and very athletic. I told them they would have to get a little bigger before they got a boat. Now if a smaller design were available, who know's.

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My grand kids were here last week and my 8 year old grandson just had to help with the kayak. He decided that he wants to build a kayak next summer when he comes to visit. So here are my thoughts. Yost has two small boats the Sea Flea and the smaller Sea Pup and both look like pretty straight forward builds. As a retired teacher, I would like to see a set of offsetts in lieu of plans since working with off-setts would be a great learning experience. Yes, I would be willing to pay for the off-setts and an instruction manual.

If the boat could be completed in about 30 hours of construction by the kid with an adult helper it would be great. Obviously the table saw and jointer work would be completed by the adult. In fact the jointer work could be eliminated and could be accomplished by sanding by the kid.

BTW Castaway should be skinned by this afternoon (lost some time messing about with the kids).

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If the boat could be completed in about 30 hours of construction by the kid with an adult helper it would be great. Obviously the table saw and jointer work would be completed by the adult.

You mean after you do the cutting of frames and stringers and rounding over the kid would spend 30 doing the rest? Even so, this may be a little optimistic.

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........As a retired teacher, I would like to see a set of offsetts in lieu of plans since working with off-setts would be a great learning experience. Yes, I would be willing to pay for the off-setts and an instruction manual.

If the boat could be completed in about 30 hours of construction by the kid with an adult helper it would be great.

Thanks for the input.

OFFSETS: I have always hesitated about selling just the offsets because in this digital age it is just to darn easy to post a file on the web where anyone can 'steal' it. For that reason I never expect to offer digital files. And yes I get people regularly trying to get me to send them a file because they have their own plotter or whatever.

I have been thinking about what you said and working from offsets would be a good learning experience but I question just how young a child this is really practical. The boats I have in mind are for younger kids and most would be to young to be able to do a layout I think.

Even so, I am considering this for the kids boat(s) I am working on. For teenagers there are two boats in my books with offsets, Curlew and Poco Barta.

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After helping lead some adult and youth kayak trips for a local non-profit, I'd lean toward a 12'+ light boat with good stability but enough performance so a young paddler, with a good mentor, will grow into its capabiliities and keep up ok with patient parents and those with more performance oriented boats on early "adventures". Short, fattish, rec-style boats are ok for first timers and just playing on a pond (but probably not worth building). Children (and interesed adults :-) learn fast and often quickly outgrow them. Greal mult-generational family/community building project. Just thoughts, Rick

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I was thinking more in the 10 -11.5 range. As a plotting learning experience, how about offsets for the bow or stern. Something to challenge the kid and show him that the math they teach in school has practical applications. Seems to me they do some X-Y coordinate stuff in the second or third grade.

I thought I'd work with him to cut out the frames with a scroll saw. He's pretty good with that.

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