Do you have paddling related projects lined up for the winter? Or something to keep you mentally stable?
I keep thinking about a Florida trip which would definitely be a project.
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Thinking about making a greenland paddle.
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I have two paddle related “winter” projects that will likely be delayed by every thing going on. Our winter is paddle season. I also have other projects looming with bigger priorities.
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I have to complete sail rigging on a Jimmy Smith II , 13’ skiff.
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I have a strip built Petrel Play , 14’ performance Sea kayak, on the strong back just about ready for the first strips.
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I have some paddle blanks glued upon the corner.
DC ,Go for it. Depending on your winter it could be 2 or 3 GP. Several variants to try like shouldered or not, tip rounded or flat, different lengths, and different materials.
I’m making a skin on frame.
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John, I finished one in the living room. Put the frame together and sealed it outside. My wife helped me get the skin on by doing the sewing on the front and rear deck. Did the heat shrink inside
Then back outside to paint the fabric.
Good project.
Hoping to, but you know how it goes. Different things come along and fill up that time. For example, I just ordered a new sleeping bag good to -40! Doubt I’ll be doing that much winter camping, but it will be part of the winter down time.
I have a basement with a 90 turn at the top of the stairs. I guess it is paddles for me, not a kayak. Boo…
So do I, but a kayak is 21” wide and 10” high and my basement windows are 26x16”. Got to love old houses 
Paddle more = summer heat is over.
I am refinishing the carbon fiber oars on my drift boat.
Next I am going to get some white ash and rebuild the inner gunwales on the w/c Old Town.
I am using hand planes and marine hardware to fabricate a total of 11 board and batten shutters for the house for additional storm protection. They are being hung with Bahama hinges. I walk past the kayak in process.
Andy, given your location, those could come in very handy.
There’s a way.
I had forgotten about that boat! But don’t tell @Lillyflowers, I want to build a garage/workshop.
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Going to do a clean up/fix up restoration on a 12 foot, Blackhawk Shadow I recently bought. Going to clean hull and attempt to buff out some minor scratches. Also sand, then give wood trim several much needed coats of teak oil. Boat was kept in dry/heated basement for decades, and very seldom used.
Haven’t even gotten around to taking photos of canoe yet.
Am also in the process of doing some restoration on 2 vintage axes, and 2 vintage hatchets. One axe and one hatchet belonged to the grandfather of the guy I purchased them from. Seller was in his 60s;, so they have to be at least 50 years old, probably closer to 75.
Constructive time killing. Love to see old, rusty axe get a new life.
Was particularly happy to get vintage Norlund Voyageur hatchet with original edge cover.
Vintage axes from Kansas|666x500
Plumb axe marked Plumb and 2 over 3|375x500
Also pictured:
My wife wanted a bookshelf to hold boxes of quilting scraps. I found one that needed a little work, and bought it for 5 bucks.
All parts sanded and renailed. Backing added for stability & to keep things on shelves. Ginger bread trim added to top/ front of shelf. All parts stained. Really enjoyed that project; she did most of work, and I did a lot of “supervision”. Love those type of projects!
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Wife and I just moved into a newly built home in October so have a bunch of things I need to build/ upgrade from the builder grade items. Just finished a mantle for the living room. Paddling related I do have a set of plans from Ashes Stillwater Boats for a 13ft cedar strip kayak though not sure I’m going to get to that this year.
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just curious ppine, what’s the difference between a drift boat and a dory? Are the terms interchangeable? I think what you call a drift boat is a dory in my neck of the woods.
Good question tdaniel. The original dories were used for fishing off the East Coast, they had sails and oars. The drift boat was invented around Eugene, OR specifically for running rivers. They have a flat bottom with a flared hull with a lot of rocker on both ends. They are now built of wood, fiberglass and aluminum.
Modern dories look a lot like large drift boats. They tend to be built of wood with fiberglass covering and wood trim. They are commonly used in the Grand Canyon and some big western rivers.
All of the projects that I have undertaken thus far have been distinctly uninteresting. That is why I have put them off till now.
I have repaired a couple of paddles that needed a thin fiberglass sheath applied to the shafts, varnished some wood paddles, seam sealed a tent, oiled the gunwales on a couple of wood-trimmed canoes, rebonded some vinyl D ring patches that have come loose, recaned a seat, etc.
Basically, I have just been trying to deal with the ravages of time and use, nothing creative whatsoever.