Well, it is totally off topic, but I thought some of y’all might be interested in what I love to do in Alaska. The summers make Fairbanks North Star Borough into the jeweled navel of the Northern Hemisphere. I might as well enjoy it while I can, as the winters are the frozen armpit…
The “adventure” parts are glossed over for family who might be bothered by us in the middle of a black spruce bog, dragging our boats and kids for a mile… But we were grinning about it. I could tell you stories about what Alaskan Women are made of, but you’d all just envy me.
So, I look forward to being able to do this again some time soon. If not, next summer will be a lot of paddling and some more boat building, I suspect!
I love the boat! I assume you use marine plywood. What do you use to waterproof the seams\joins? Any additional sealant or finish on the plywood?
Looks like the perfect little boat for doing some lake fly fishing and cheaper than a float tube.
By the way, I am green with envy. It has either been so stinking hot or pouring rain every weekend we had free this summer. Only got the family out camping once
I also love that you took the kids with you. Seeing the same old stomping grounds through their eyes makes every trip an adventure. Too many people see their kids as a burden when going adventuring. Not us, Both our kids were tent camping at 3 months old.
Cool mouse boat and great pictures. I saw the boat and thought if you bought a sheet of construction styrofoam, like they use in houses, for 5 bucks you could line the inside (bottom and sides) and make it a little more unsinkable. It would also be less likely to cause bruises when you fall and smash your knee as you try to keep the kids from falling.
And of course you played a tune or two out on the lake so the kids could enjoy the acoustic effects of sound over still water.
BTW you might want to update the topic with “mouse boat” so granny and dakota can take a look.
The boat is one sheet of ordinary AC fir plywood, constructed with 3/4" screws and PL Premium structural adhesive. The waterproofing is exterior latex house paint. The cost was under $35 total, while one sheet of marine grade plywood would be $40 in Fairbanks.
So, someone else knows Mouseboats, eh?
Haven’t taken them camping, yet. Something comes up every time I want to go. My wife doesn’t really like sleeping outdoors, so it is easy to get trips called off. Sad, really, as I love it. Oh, well.
For now, I am afraid the weather is turning. It was in the 40s today, so it looks like boating season is over.
