They say the two best days of a boat owner’s life are the day that they buy the boat and the day they sell it. If you built your boat from scratch though, you might have a few more good days than that. [Paul] at [ElkinsDIY] is no stranger to building boats, but his other creations are a little too heavy for him to easily lift, so his latest is a fully electric, handmade boat that comes in at under 30 pounds and is sure to provide him with many more great days.
While the weight of the boat itself is an improvement over his older designs, this doesn’t include the weight of the batteries and the motor. To increase buoyancy to float this extra weight he made the boat slightly longer. A tiller provides steering and a trolling motor is used for propulsion. As of this video, the boat has a slight leak, but [Paul] plans to shore this up as he hammers out the kinks.
The boat is very manageable for one person and looks like a blast for cruising around the local lakes. Since it’s built with common tools and materials virtually anyone should be able to build something similar, even if you don’t have this specific type of plastic on hand. And, while this one might not do well in heavy wind or seas, it’s possible to build a small one-person boat that can cross entire oceans.
If you haven’t heard of or seen Paul’s other creations be sure to check out his YouTube channel. He has a lot of really great builds for bikes and shelters too. Great Stuff!
very nice :) but only use it where the swimming is allowed, otherwise, i guess, you need to have some permit for this
This could qualify as a bathtub, for which no permits are required :)
In most states even an inner tube with a trolling motor has to be registered and licensed.
Tried many variations over the years. Kayaks tied together by poles with cloth deck and trolling motor between, canoe with motors on outrigger pontoon(s). Double batteries. Sails. 5hp gas engine. It always boils down to the same thing… paddle or pedal as batteries, gas, and wind do give out. Best solution for fishing in middle of lake is wait till it freezes and cut a hole.
Yes, but sometimes you feel the urge to build something that is in your head. It’s best to go ahead and do it so as not to experience the terror of that mild tickling sensation just prior to exploding. I’m feeling that way about building a cedar wood strip canoe.
Yes. There’s a world of difference between slapping something together to support your fishing hobby, and your hobby being building and piloting the vessel. For me it’s to build another ice boat.
Oh, BTW, my son is a biomed in the Army Reserve. He recently came back from deployment in Honduras. He’s finishing his last year in Electrical Engineering.
Please pass on my thanks for his service. I’ve found it most pleasant to work with those that have served as they so well keep an eye on the mission goals and fullfill them above all… no matter what it takes… no matter what help they need… no matter what help they must give… no matter what. “Damn the politics! Full Speed Ahead!”.
It looks like the “1 sheet of plywood boat”, I’m not sure if I saw it here on HaD a few years back.
http://pakryss.se/mot-andra-sidan-jorden-med-fyra-kvadrat-segel-och-en-ara/
Use Google translate
This man will travel Galway round the world without landfall.
From Sweden to a point outside of new Zealand.
His cv indicates that he probably will succeed ????
I’ve been toying with the idea of electric-motorizing a sea kayak. Almost bought the shell this summer… Maybe next year.
I would think an “otter sled” TM would be a great starting point for an easy way to duplicate this. They are a plastic sled available in multiple sizes, the most common here are big enough to put a square bale of hay in to drag across the snow to the feed barrel. That size would have enough room to put a battery/troll motor on the back and making a cover would be straightforward.