kayak

Can You Make A Wooden Canoe, Without The Wood?

Can You Make A Wooden Canoe, Without The Wood?

When an engineer gets curious about whether or not a thing can be done, typically we get some interesting results. Xyla Foxlin had previously made some fantastically beautiful wooden canoes and found herself wondering, at the fiberglass covering step, if she could forego all the fancy woodwork and end up with a somewhat clear fiberglass […]

Continue Reading
Building a Traditional Kayak with Polyester Skin and Plywood

Building a Traditional Kayak with Polyester Skin and Plywood

Maker Trevor Akin has been building boats for himself for years. Now with the “Kidyak” he’s built a child-sized, skin-on-frame kayak for his daughter.

Continue Reading
A Folding Kayak Made of Corrugated Plastic?!

A Folding Kayak Made of Corrugated Plastic?!

New uses for existing materials can fuel hardware innovation. Such was the case for Anton Willis who after moving to a San Francisco apartment had to put his beloved kayak into storage. No room for big toys. By coincidence around that same time he met Robert Lang, a physicist and renowned origami expert. The ideas of kayaks and origami fused in Anton’s mind and lead him on a journey that resulted in the Oru, an innovative folding kayak.

Continue Reading
Oru – The Origami Kayak

Oru – The Origami Kayak

Last week, I had the pleasure of testing out Oru Kayak, the world’s first origami kayak. It was wonderful! Anton Willis, the designer, and I met at the Berkeley Marina to put his latest iteration to the test. I had been watching Anton construct the kayak for months at TechShop and had always bugged him […]

Continue Reading