How to Make a Kayak for Kids

A kayak is a long, human-powered boat that is quite different from a canoe. A kayak is driven and controlled by a double-bladed paddle. The boat includes a covered deck and a hole for a cockpit or two, depending on the kayak. Traditionally, a boat from the sub-arctic regions of North America, Greenland and Asia, the kayak continues to be one of the most popular water crafts. A kayak for children requires a few inexpensive materials.

Things You'll Need

  • 40 to 50 feet of green willow shoots for stringers and ribs
  • 12-by-9 feet tarp
  • Binding tool and binding wire, or nylon cable ties (at least 15 feet of binding wire or 20 cable ties)
  • 6 to 8 grip clips for the tarp (optional)
  • 6 to 8 rocks for the tarp (optional)
  • Vise grip
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Instructions

    • 1

      Create the frame by cutting two 15-foot willow shoots, which will be joined at both ends and expanded in the middle. Join two side stringers with binding wire or nylon cable ties. Ensure the frame is the shape of a kayak. Use a picture of a kayak to get the shape.

    • 2

      Gather six ribs -- the willow shoot circles that provide the kayak's structure. They must be flatter at the bottom and the top to ensure the kayak doesn't tip over. The two center ribs should be around 27 inches wide and 16 inches deep. The two ribs in front and behind the two central ribs should be 19-by-14 inches. The two smallest ribs, at either end, are 12 inch circles. Use binding wire and a binding tool or vise grip to tie the ribs together.

    • 3

      Tie the ribs to the two stringers at 17 inch intervals. In other words, the smallest rib is 17 inches from the front of the kayak, then the 19-by-24 inch rib is tied 17 inches away from the smallest rib, followed by the biggest rib, 17 inches away from the previous rib. Place the three remaining ribs 17 inches apart. When fastening the ribs to the stringers, ensure they are secure and all of the ribs' bottoms -- excluding the smallest circles -- are slightly flatter. You can change the shape with your hands.

    • 4

      Create the frame for the rest of the kayak with six to eight 15-foot stringers that go along and around the ribs to connect from the front and the back of the kayak. Keeping a space at the top, where the cockpit will go, wrap them around the ribs to maintain the structure of the craft. The ends of the stringers will overlap, but just tie them up tight. Make sure every touching stringer and rib tie are secure where they are touching.

    • 5

      Cover the frame with a 12-by-9 feet tarp all the way around, but leave a space for the cockpit. Tie the tarp up with grip clips on top to make sure the craft is watertight. If you don't have grip clips, you can place the two ends of the tarp you want to tie around a small rock and then tie the rock and the tarp together with string.