Hayden giving Ashby some paddling tips at AM Beach in Sudden Valley

Answer:
Hi Skip,
Thanks for your e-mail! I’m flattered that you’d want to build a boat similar to Hayden’s. It’s cool that it resonated with you.
That said, Hayden’s boat is really sized as a person’s first boat, from 0 to 2 years old. I’ve seen some slightly bigger kids try to get in it, and it’s just a little small for them. If your niece is going to be 3 before she’s using it, she’ll have outgrown it by then.
I’ve had a number of requests from people to design and make available a kit for the next size up, and it won’t be long until Hayden’s ready for that himself. It MAY be something I could get to this winter when real estate slows down a bit. I’m certainly open to it.
For right now, I would point you towards Yostwerks kayaks. The owner of this site, Tom Yost, has designed a whole fleet of skin boats, and makes the plans available online for free. There are step by step slideshows taking you through the whole construction process. Here’s a link to some photos of his kids boat, the Sea Flea. http://www.yostwerks.com/RomainSeaFlea.html I’ll be building one of these for Hayden soon enough.
You may have to e-mail Tom Yost for the link to these plans. I couldn’t readily find it on the site, and he may’ve moved it or pulled it down, etc. There are a lot of these out on the water, though, so it’s fully legit. You can easily add the outrigger type float like Hayden’s boat has… of course you can add that to any boat. Best of luck with your project, Skip. And as you’re building this or any boat, in any medium of construction, I highly recommend Nick Schade’s boat builder’s discussion forum. You can ask any question and have a slew of intelligent answers within minutes, usually. Here’s the link: http://www.kayakforum.com/KayakBuilding/index.shtml

~In the Spirit of Compassion and Adventure~
Heather, Brandon and Hayden