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| Bamboo-Nylon Kayaks |
| For four years Turtle Island Peace Camp has been making super-lightweight kayaks out of Mexican bamboo (carrizo) with canvas or ballistic nylon skins. The plywood frames are copies of Klepper Folbot or Hammer Faltboot patterns. The scalloped skeg design is taken from the Inuit model used by Corey Friedman of Anacortes, Washington in his Baidarka Workshops (www.skinboats.com). We are now setting up around Lake Patzcuaro to accommodate workshops to build and launch these sleek and ultimately portage-able craft. |
Construction is fun and easy, and involves no metal fasteners of any kind. Lashing and sewing, with a little contact cement on the seams and bike-tube bumpers, that's it! After commpletion, we paint the skin with the best poly-elastomeric impermeable coatings. These hulls have survived four seasons of use in salt water without leaking. |
| When appropriate local materials are available, we supplement the carrizo and plywood infrastructure with twisted branches. Shown at right is the hull next to an overturned Klepper Folbot. For more information, please contact us at: [email protected] |