Allen,

This is how I first got interested in building kayaks. I have yet to build a paper one, but I will give it a try some day. So far I have built 2 plywood and fiberglass, one canvas skin-on-frame, and am currently building another skin-on-frame and a strip-built. Paper boats have a good history. Here are a couple of links for paper canoes. http://www.home.eznet.net/~kcupery/PBArtic/TandC.html and http://www.teleport.com/~andermar/paperboat/paperboat.htm and http://www.canoe-kayak.org/pages/h25.html

Mike

: I thought I read somewhere that it was feasible to make kayaks out of fine
: papier-maché (of the type that was once used for making expensive
: furniture, not the stuff that we played with in kindergarten). Since
: traditional papier-maché takes on the properties of wood after it hardens
: (except you don't have to worry about it cracking or warping, since it
: doesn't react to changes in temperature or moisture), it would seem that
: this would be a workable material: it's cheap and lightweight, and when
: wet, it can be shaped (much like clay or mortar) around a mold to any
: desired thickness, and it gains the tensile strength of wood once it
: hardens. Am I on the right track here, or am I missing something?