Miracle of Science! College Kid Turns Mirage Into a Playboat!

-

- Advertisment -

So you say you can’t afford a new playboat? You can always take matters into your own hands like contributor Wyatt Roscoe did when converting his dad’s ancient Perception Mirage into a 6’5” playboat. So it looks like the bride of Frankenstein? Who cares when you’re surfing something full of soul (kids, try this at home!)…

In His Own Words
With some thorough searching I managed to locate a fabulous picture on my grandmother’s refrigerator of me kissing my father goodbye on the Russian River in Northern California. My Dad was about to depart in the same blue Perception Mirage that 17 years latter his son would change from one of the first large plastic kayaks made into a 6’5” play boat.

It has always been my father who has inspired me to be a boater. Growing up the stories of poaching on the Yellowstone River, broken Plexiglas kayaks duck taped together, and getting and pinned on a rock that would become named after him on Bitch Creek in Idaho, all surrounded me.

Growing up in Wyoming and being the cheap college kid that most of us at some point are I asked permission to chop up the old boat that was not being used anymore and turn it into something that would be fun and useful these days. With a smile, permission was given and the big conversion began.

Steps:
1.The desired shape of new play boat was dawn in Sharpe on the old Mirage

2.Brought the boat into the garage and hacked of the ends with a jigsaw

3.Clamped top and bottom together, drilled holes and bolted the front and back together using 1” bolts and big 1 ¼ in washers.

4.Found some unused Bituthene (a tar-like material that comes in rolls and used to waterproof roofs) on one of my father’s construction sites and took it back to the garage. It was cut to size and firmly wrapped around the front and back covering the seam and the nuts and bolts.

5.I was given some hot glue used to make climbing skins for backcountry skiing, from a friend of my parents melted it and poured it from the inside onto the seams to finish water proofing the boat.

6.Added some foam for hip pads with a little epoxy.

7.Threw on a gray racing stripe for good measure and headed to the water.

A week later I entered a surfing competition on the Snake River in Wyoming and had one of my best days on the water. The competition was held in a rapid call Lunch Counter in the Snake River Canyon. The boat was fun to paddle, but has a very round bottom and is hard to ferry and make sharp cuts. The boat weigh no more than 15 lbs., it is almost 100% water proof, continues to be used, and is an exhibit of the transformation of boat styles from one generation to another.

Thanks, Dad!

Staff Post
Staff Posthttps://paddlinglife.com
Paddlers writing about all things paddling.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

- Advertisement -

Latest news

Level Six Hires 3 New US Sales Reps

OTTAWA, CANADA – LEVEL SIX ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT THEY HAVE HIRED THREE NEW SALES REPRESENTATIVES IN TWO KEY US...

Finding the Jaguar Within: Kevin Cripps Goes Inside His Podcast #9, with Tribute to Andre Coto Robles

No cash? No problem for Costa Rican kayaker Andre Coto Robles, who recently set up his Jaguar Kayak School...

NRS Catalog Knocks It Out of the Park

Is that an eye-candy glossy magazine or a catalog? Yep, this year’s NRS catalog is that good it’s hard...

Tales from the Cripps: Episode 11. Part 2 with Gareth Fryer: The Safety Chronicles

Episode 11. Part 2 with Gareth Fryer: The Safety Chronicles MAY 14, 2023 EPISODE 11 What do you do when you find...
- Advertisement -

Idaho Rivers Getting Ready to Rage; Bruneau/Owyhee (285%!) Leading the Charge

A massive snowpack season has created a banner season in store for paddling Idaho rivers this summer. Snowpack levels range...

American Rivers Announces Most Endangered Rivers List for ’23

AMERICA’S MOST ENDANGERED RIVERS OF 2023.  From dams and outdated water management to toxic pollution and development projects that would...

Must read

Level Six Hires 3 New US Sales Reps

OTTAWA, CANADA – LEVEL SIX ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT THEY...
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you