It looks rather like a patchwork quilt when seen in its full glory

Mar 18, 2014 16:07 GMT  ·  By

Kayaks usually have to be made with a lot of care and meticulousness, because they need to be airtight, completely. And 3D printing hasn't been a feasible means of manufacture, due to their sheer size. That has changed though.

3D Systems engineer Jim Smith who also happens to own the Grass Roots Engineering blog decided to completely ignore the normal limitations of 3D printing (which is to say, size).

So it set about building a kayak from 3D printed parts. 28 3D printed parts, which came together into a kayak 5.08 meters in length (5 feet 8 inches).

The parts were made of ABS plastic and assembled together with machine screws and brass threaded inserts. To ensure water tightness, the thin spaces between the parts were filled with silicone caulk.

It took Jim Smith 1,012.65 hours to make all the parts, which is the same as 42.19 tireless days. The total weight is of 29.29 kilograms (64.57 pounds), of which the 3D printed ABS parts are 26.48 kg (58.37 pounds).

Watch the video embedded above to see the 3D printed kayak float.

There's no do-it-yourself guide though, unfortunately, since Jim had to build his own large volume FFF 3D printer before he could set out on this time-consuming endeavor.