Martyn Cruise, Author

While I am still having trouble getting back to my writing, I've been indulging in another interest of mine - small boats. I currently live within walking distance of the water so I've been experimenting. Having been intrigued by the designs of Paul Elkins and other trailblazers, I ordered a sheet of 4mm 4 x 8 Correx and after some careful measuring and scoring, folded it into a small kayak. It's held together with 6 cable ties and for the first successful test had a couple of strips of electrical tape at bow and stern. For the next outing, I covered the bottom with duct tape to give some protection when landing / launching and built a small internal frame to stiffen up the hull and give some back support. It is only suitable for sheltered waters but is fairly stable, sits nicely and can handle some larger waves and chop without giving cause for concern. Next experiments are to fit some kind of oarlock, try a drill powered propellor and fit a very small sail and rudder! In ...