If I hadonly...

1.Known
2.the know how to pull it off
3.the space to build

Found this a while back at JEM Watercrafts site…Absalutely amazing what a man can acomplish when he really wants to do something!!!

I hope this link works!!!

http://www.picturetrail.com/tx-kayak

This guy should oughta work for NASA!!!

And Bingo!, It does…A wooden SOT yak with Hobie Mirage Drive…The whole Rudder system, steering lever,Even the seat is hand made of plywood and fiberglassed, over 300 pics of the whole process…AMAZING!!!

If this dude were only my neighbor… :smiley: 8)

Bill,

I agree, the guy can build a boat. My concern would be the weight of it. Witih all that glass and resin, it must weight a bit.

Since I know nothing at all about these things, what is a Hobie Mirage Drive?

REE

Weight would be my concern also. I had a hand built canoe some years ago – and it was heavy! Great craftsmanship, though.

Maybe Bill won’t mind if I jump in and provide some information about the Hobie Mirage Drive. Here’s a link:

http://www.hobiecat.com/kayaking/index.html

It seems to be based on the “seal fiipper” principle, powered by pedals. Bill has a Mirage Drive kayak, and I wish I did. I’ve tried one out, and they provide some thrust! Anyone with reasonable leg muscle in one of those kayaks can outrun top competitive kayakers. Pretty amazing.

My Outback is 12’1" and weighs in at 57 lb’s…The one in the link is built to 14 ft…he kept it under 60 lb’s fully finnished out…I’m guessing thats without the drive set in place???

Either way it’s quite an achievement!!! He gave commentary throughout the build…and did it pretty quickly…was also his first boat build…

Oh, and the Hobie Mirage drive weigh’s under 7 1/2 Lbs…so that’d be only ten pounds for the extra 2 foot in length…totally worth it in my book…But I was very comfortable lugging around an Old Town Discovery 16 Canoe which was around 80 lb…

Miss that boat for some things…really would be handy now with the wife and kids…I will outfit us all with watercraft if I gotta buy one every couple years to do it…Either Native Ultimates or Hobies…I want a hobie with Mirage drive for the wife!. Who does not Flyfish, But I wanna FIX that…LOL