The Pigging Canoes & Stupid Idea

[No Idea]

I think Little Idea needs to practice the Royal Wave lol.

Then they went that way and er...rolled them.

They then raced each other round the bollards out there.

Big Idea had to do it backwards as he is a lot faster.

Heading out to the other one.

Biggest cheated and went round it forwards.

 

[No Idea]

Seems paddling backwards soon becomes boring...

So you throw yourself in a few more times...

Then try paddling backwards with it full of water.

It gets more interesting if you try paddling forwards with your feet over the bow.

 

[No Idea]

Obviously, there were a few er...unexpected by them...er...complications, to doing this...

It seems holding the bow below the water and paddling fills the boat up.

He was surprised.

After some carefull consideration and some more experiments...

er...

not all being that successful lol....

 

[No Idea]

It turns out that to keep the water out, you really need to paddle backwards while sitting on the nose.

er..

this took a while..

That polystyrene is working well.

He has sussed it.

Of course, you must go backwards under the pier...

[video=youtube;-V9o2Hv6ZAc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V9o2Hv6ZAc[/video]

I think they are nuts.

 

[No Idea]

Biggest found my new fence rails...

Looks like hes practicing his measuring...

For a few seconds there, I thought he was actually going to fix the fence.

Er...That was my new box of stainless steel screws.

 

[No Idea]

His first go with the router...

That thing makes me nervous

 

[No Idea]

Er...

I think hes built a ladder.

Not sure thats a Good Idea...Roof is too weak.

Er....

I knew he was going to do that!

Wonder why I didnt think of it.

Grrr...looks like Ive just found my new missing insulation mat.

Ive just decided that this rack was all my Idea!

Wonder if I can convince him.

 

[No Idea]

It was windy.

Stupidly windy.

So....my biggest wanted to go play with his canoe, so after a bit of thought, I took him and it to Wareham.

 

[No Idea]

I hadnt thought of putting these ones on the roof of the car before, as I havent got a rack.

Still... Its not exactly going to damage ti much, so up it went.

Trying to see where I was going was er...interesting, but other than that, it was fine.

It actually seemed to follow the contours of the roof.

Either that, or it just bent the roof to match.

 

[No Idea]

It was interesting watching him paddle off up river agianst the current, with a cross wind.

He was having to paddle twice one side to once the other. It didnt actually occurr to him to move a few inches further forward to get a bit more of the boat in the water.

I told him only to go up as far as the next bridge, which is about half a mile.

I felt reasonably confident that if he had a problem, the current would return him.

Still made me feel a bit apprehensive letting him go though.

Think Im turning into a little old lady.

 

[No Idea]

Forgot I had a couple of vids.

Uploaded the first.

You can just about see how each time he paddles, the front, which it up in the air swings, wasting his power.

[video=youtube;PxfLRDS5UDs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxfLRDS5UDs[/video]

 

[No Idea]

The trees are sheltering him from the worst of the wind.

 

[No Idea]

Waiting for him to return isnt my favourite pastime.

I walked all the way accross the road to the pub and sat out watching the river with a pot of tea and a book.

I think you have to make the most of these times.

Eventually he reappeared.

[video=youtube;rZrd4lY0aAc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZrd4lY0aAc[/video]

He still had the nose up in the air.

 

[No Idea]

I think he has to build a seat, so he ends up sitting in the middle.

 

[No Idea]

Spent some time looking at the kids boats.

I still hate them.

The polystyrene they are using as buoyancy is starting to disintegrate where they climb all over them.

Watching the way they use them, I think they need seat backs too.

Spent some time thinking about chopping one of their boats around and experimenting, but decided I didnt want to.

Wouldnt like to have to explain to them how come one of their boats suddenly died without them helping.

 

[No Idea]

Decided I really do need to get them to sort them out.

Decided I need another one I can experiment with.

It was Friday afternoon and I had a couple of hours before school kicked them out.....

 

[No Idea]

...And I was bored.

So...

I went and got some more wood.

I threw it in the gazebo overnight.

The kids found it.

Mamaged to stop them sawing it all up and turning it into tobbogans.

Why they want tobbogans at this time of the year....

I didnt ask.

 

[No Idea]

Staggered out of bed at the crack of ten so I could get an early start.

Er.....

The kids can read these plans without glasses...

 

[No Idea]

Tried carefully measuring out the lines.

Decided it looked like I knew what I was doing, but as I couldnt actually see the numbers on the rule...

I went back to basics.

I hacked 8 inches off the end of one of the boards and started mixing resin.

I coated the ends of the boards where I needd to join them and started adding microfibres.

Coated the bits....

Screwed the bits together as I couldnt find what the kids had done with my clamps.

Mixed up some more as I didnt quite make enough, sucked it into a syringe and filletted it.

 

[No Idea]

I carefullly smoothed the joint.

...and took the kids to the cafe for breakfast while it set.

Found my glasses. I left them in the car.