ROAR2 - Mods

I'm in the midst of doing some modifications to my ROAR2. I had some repair word to do so I thought that I would add a few new touches at the same time.

As shown to the left, I'm adding a permanent seat at the rowing station as well as a "glass bottom".

Until now I've used a little wooden stool as a rowing seat. This worked OK but it wasn't very comfortable. By adding the permanent seat I'll get rid of some hassle and gain comfort (and storage!)

I saw a kayak recently with a glass bottom and I was inspired to add that at the same time. I have grand visions for how cool this is going to be. Hopefully it doesn't just turn into a leaky spot in my boat...

My seat is almost done and I will add pictures some time soon. It is a basic stitch and glue construction.

I just bought my lexan for the glass bottom today. Hopefully tonight I will get some time to start cutting out the spot for it. My plan is to do a simple frame for the glass to fit into and to fit a hinged cover over it to prevent scratching when not in use. We'll see how that plan actually materializes.

Stay tuned...

Driftwood bench project

My wife found some driftwood at the beach and thought it would make for a nice bench.

This is what I came up with.

This is a very simple bench but very functional and heavy duty.

The driftwood included a large 8' 4" plank (2" thick and 15 1/2" wide), a couple of 6" logs and an old beat up 1x6 plank.

I simply cut the logs to 15 3/4" length and tied them together with the 1x6. These were fastened to the plank with 4" spikes.

The Thing weighs a ton but makes for a great rustic looking campfire bench.

Book Review: Lipsmackin' Vegetarian Backpackin'

I bought my copy of Lipsmackin' Vegetarian Backpackin' a couple of months ago in the Fundy National Park bookstore. I'm REALLY liking it! Great recipes and the format of the book is perfect. If you are a backpacker, whether of not vegetarian, you need this book.

All of the recipes are broken into the steps that are required beforehand and then the steps that are required on the trail.

Many of the recipes use dehydrated ingredients or your own dehydrator.

So far I've tried:
Spaghetti sauce - Loved it
Brunswick Stew - Loved it
Coleslaw - I'm not sure if something went wrong but it tasted terrible
Tofu jerky - Loved it
Chili - Made it with the scouts and they loved it