Szeto's Skateboard Stitch & Glue Kayak

This week we’re switching things up a bit (don’t worry, there’s still a floating object on water involved), and we’re going to circle back to a kayak build that started early last year!

It’s not often we get to highlight when the maker community and boating community collide, so we’re stoked to be able to feature this week’s video by Andrew Szeto. He introduced us to his wooden kayak build back in March of 2022 using the stitch and glue method, and after all the joints were secure, and the hull was fiberglassed, he tested out if the structure would float before moving on to finishing up the top of the kayak.

Now, more than a year later, Szeto finally had the time to craft the deck of the kayak, which features his signature recycled skateboards. To begin the final stage, Andrew started with crafting a structure to attach the skateboard panel to. To make it secure and sturdy, he used High Performance Epoxy and fiberglass to reinforce the deck.

The skateboard paneling was done by using a total of eighteen skateboards turned into a brick, then cut in the one inch slices.

When it finally came time to fiberglass the skateboard deck, Andrew encountered a snafu when the epoxy had an exothermic reaction, and the fiberglass around the cockpit cured too quickly and unevenly.

Tune in to this week’s video to see how Andrew salvages the skateboard deck of the kayak, and cheer him on as he takes it for a spin on the water for the first time to a secluded/secret 'skate spot' under a bridge.