From Hammock to Hull: The Revival of Paul Jackman's "Swingers" Boat

If you've been here awhile, then you might remember our exhilarating 2023 TotalBoat Summer Make-Off Challenge: Boat Building Edition, and you remember the incredible talent that gathered in Bristol, RI. We brought together twenty talented makers, including woodworkers, DIY'ers, and engineers, for a weekend of intense boat building and camaraderie. Now, we're diving into the unique experience of one of our favorite creators, Paul Jackman from Jackman Works, as he shares his perspective in his latest YouTube video, "Building 2 Boats in 2 Days (and then fixing them)."

Paul Jackman, alongside his teammates Xyla Foxlin, Mike Clifford, and Bart Komar, formed the unforgettable "Swingers" team. The challenge was clear: build a boat in two short days and then race it. TotalBoat proudly provided all teams with essential materials, including three sheets of ¼ inch plywood, two 2x4s, two gallons of TotalBoat Flotation Foam, and unlimited Epoxy, paint, and Thixo.

The Swingers' Unconventional Design

Paul and his team took an unconventional approach, designing two kayaks that would serve as pontoons, connected by a frame, with a hammock suspended in the middle. This unique design, based on 8-foot long kids kayaks from Gilamont Kayaks, aimed for fun and creativity over pure speed.

The Build: Leveraging TotalBoat Products for Innovation

• Getting a Head Start: Realizing the complexity of their design, The Swingers utilized "day zero" to get a head start, an advantage that proved crucial.

• Buoyancy Boost with TotalBoat Flotation Foam: Early on, concerns about buoyancy led them to use TotalBoat Flotation Foam. They mixed the two-part foam and poured it into the second kayak as a mold, creating "surfboard shapes" to provide extra pontoons or fill cavities, ensuring ample flotation. A larger foam pineapple was even added later to further address flotation concerns.

• Stitch and Glue with TotalBoat Epoxy: The kayaks were constructed using the stitch and glue boat-building technique with plywood. Zip ties and CA glue tack welds initially held pieces together, followed by the application of Thixo Epoxy to create strong fillets for the seams.

• Waterproofing with Fiberglass: Xyla and Paul worked on fiberglassing the underside of the kayaks to make them waterproof – a generally desired feature in boats.

• Strengthening with TotalBoat Thixo: As the hammock stand came together, and especially to account for Paul's weight, a liberal amount of TotalBoat Thixo epoxy adhesive was used to strengthen the entire length of the stand.

• Personalization with Paint: Mike added a vibrant "pop of color" to the kayaks, and the hammock stand and a foam pineapple figurehead also received a nice paint job.

Race Day & The Podium Finish

The race involved one sailor per team navigating around an orange mark and back, passing a life jacket as a baton to the next teammate. Despite their unique design being "lapped by all the other three teams," The Swingers focused on their goal: not finishing last. They ultimately achieved third place and were notably awarded points for "Most Dangerous."

The Kayaks' Second Life: Restoration with TotalBoat Products

This story doesn’t end with the race! After sitting in Paul's yard for over a year, the plywood of the kayaks rotted and delaminated in several spots. This provided another opportunity to showcase the versatility of TotalBoat products:

• Repairing Damage with TotalBoat TotalFair: Paul used TotalFair, our two-part epoxy putty, which fills and sands easily, to fix all the voids and damaged areas.

• Full Encapsulation with Epoxy and Fiberglass: Crucially, the deck of the boats, which hadn't been glassed during the time-constrained build-off, was now fully encapsulated in epoxy and fiberglass.

• Finishing Touches: New cockpit combings were added, and the boats were finished with a mix of paints and varnishes (including TotalProtect for the cockpit, Wet Edge for the top exterior, and Gleam Marine Spar Varnish for the sides), completing their transformation.

Paul Jackman's video is yet another demonstration of his endless creativity, problem-solving, and the enduring quality of TotalBoat products, from flotation foam and epoxy to TotalFair and varnish. The completed kayaks found a new life, even taking a 5-year-old and TotalBoat crew members Justin and Phil on their maiden voyages (a must-see ending if we do say so ourselves)!

Ready to embark on your own boat-building adventure, perhaps with a hammock, perhaps without? Visit totalboat.com/jackman to save on everything TotalBoat and start building your dreams today!