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I began building my pirogue in March 1995. I had a fairly large shop but anyone with at least a two car garage would have plenty of room. I started with 1/4" plywood and went from there. The construction went easier with a large belt sander. All parts were easy to cut and glue together with screws attached. I probably got a little carried away with the fiberglass, adding several layers to the interior and bottom. Not knowing what I was doing I had a lot of trouble sanding the fiberglass so I suggest you get it as smooth as possible when applying and drying. I used some Bondo to smooth out the exterior since it was so rough. I added some bed liner spray for the interior seating area. I liked the water proof hatch I had seen on another version on the web site so I built one and added a hatch that I bought from a local boat shop. It has worked great and never leaked. I added some interior cleats and some on the front and back. This makes tying off when landing a lot easier. I have been through three seats over the years and finally got a comfortable padded seat from a local sports store. It is heavy but I have a bad back and need the extra support on long trips. Regular house paint works fine and I keep an extra can since the bottom gets scuffed putting in and out of the water and hitting submerged logs. The boat weighs a little over 50 lbs. It is a little over 12 ft. I would go lighter on the fiberglass on the next one but I have the security that no matter what I hit I don't think I will spring a leak. I showed my 4th grade class your web site today and told them it would be a great summer project for their family, a kayak the size of my pirogue would cost over $1,000, and I built mine for around $300! Jerry Hestand, |