Kayak Spray Skirt/Spray Guard Thing

As of my lunch hour, today, I've completed my idea for a spray skirt or splash guard on my kayak. The kayak, with it's open cockpit and my complete disregard for the designer's suggestion of not using a Greenland paddle with said open cockpit kayak, gets a few drips in my lap. That's fine for summer, but with fall and winter approaching, I decided to make a little modification.

(On the disregard thing. I just REALLY wanted to make a Greenland paddle. I'm stubborn, slightly obsessive compulsive and probably a little stupid at times.)

Anyway, I started by sewing a leftover piece of 8 oz. polyester fabric. The same stuff we skinned the kayaks with. Luckily my buddy Brian kept a bunch from the builds. I sewed seams along all four borders, in kind of a tapered rectangle shape, doubling up the seam that was to be closest to my body. Hopefully making it so water will shed to the sides and not into the boat.

Then I coated it with the same varnish as the build. Luckily there's about a pint leftover.

It's really hard to find silver colored or stainless grommets. Not wanting brass, I opted to sew some in. I should have done this before coating the fabric, but I didn't think of it till afterwards. It would have been easier and probably more structurally sound in the long run. I made a practice run of the procedure with some hemp I had in the garage, working from a diagram in The Arts of the Sailor by Hervey Garrett Smith.

Finishing things off today with some shock cord and carabiners. I may switch them out for hooks when I find some.

It's untested, I should get the chance to see how it works sometime next week. Hopefully it will keep the drips out and me dry.