Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

The next day at daybreak, Gu Lang immediately began working on making kayaks.

He searched for "Yegorov" on his phone and found the video he had downloaded and saved before.

The author is a well-known DIY blogger from Russia, and the video tutorials are of extremely high quality.

Gu Lang is a loyal fan of it and has learned a lot of manual skills from it.

Open a video titled "DIY Kayak for $1".

After reviewing it once, he immediately began searching for raw materials.

He went straight to the warehouse of the aquatic product processing base and quickly found the shelves where packaging materials were stored.

Rolls of cargo storage packaging film are laid out on top.

These transparent industrial plastic films look just like oversized household food wrap.

Made of PE (polyethylene) material, it has excellent tensile strength.

It is also very sticky, and you only need to wrap it around the surface of the goods a few times when using it.

It has good anti-loosening, rainproof, and dustproof effects.

Simply wrap several layers around the surface of the kayak frame to create an extremely lightweight, waterproof shell.

Having solved the problem of finding materials for the outer shell, the next step was to find raw materials for the frame.

According to the video tutorial, the frame is made of bent branches and planks.

A kayak requires two round ribs, three oval ribs, and eight keels.

After trying various types of wood, the video blogger concluded that fir wood was the most suitable.

Gu Lang checked the information and found that the distribution area of ​​Liaodong fir was exactly the same area where he was now.

This plant prefers cool, humid climates, is highly shade-tolerant, and is commonly found in mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests.

He drove his agricultural tricycle back ten kilometers inland and launched the drone in a hilly area with low radiation levels.

The fir tree has a very distinctive appearance, with a straight and round trunk, like a pillar in a palace.

The bark is usually smooth, grayish-white, and has horizontal stripes.

Overall, it presents a solemn and orderly pagoda shape.

Simply put, the tree that looks most like a Christmas tree is the fir.

Gu Lang operated the drone, flying rapidly along the shady slope on the north side of the hill for more than ten minutes.

Finally, in a fertile area of ​​a valley, he found a fir forest.

Gu Lang wandered through the woods, searching for usable timber.

Liaodong fir is a tall evergreen tree, with mature trees reaching a height of 30 meters.

Gu Lang has no interest in these towering trees for the time being.

After some time, he finally found his target—a fallen fir tree.

This type of wood, which is naturally separated from the tree trunk, is the best material for making kayak keels.

Because the grain that grows out has not been cut, it is very strong.

Its weight and strength are almost comparable to carbon fiber.

The reason for not choosing bamboo is that it is less common in the north.

On the other hand, it is also because the edges of bamboo are too sharp and can easily tear the membrane.

Furthermore, when adjusting the curvature, an additional step of baking and shaping is added.

In comparison, it is much more difficult to handle than fir.

Gu Lang jumped off the farm tricycle and took out a chainsaw from the back of the vehicle.

They cut back and forth on the fallen fir trees and quickly obtained enough planks.

Next comes the raw material for the kayak ribs; fresh fir branches are the best choice for making curved ribs.

Gu Lang picked a few tall fir trees nearby, climbed up them, and sawed off a large number of branches of suitable length and thickness.

After collecting the necessary raw materials, Gu Lang returned to the aquatic product processing base.

He plans to build three identical kayaks.

The first step was to make the ribs for the kayak, by using a dagger to cut off the branches and bark of the tree.

Cut the prepared branches to the appropriate length and carve mortise and tenon structures at both ends.

They are snapped together to form a circle and fixed to the molding die.

Six of the branches, each 127 centimeters long, were fixed to a circular pillar in the factory.

Used to make round ribs with a diameter of 40 centimeters.

The other nine wooden strips, each 194 centimeters long, were used to make the oval-shaped ribs.

The major axis of the ellipse is 80 centimeters, and the minor axis is 40 centimeters.

On both sides of the identical circular pillar, Gu Lang used wire to tie two steel pipes diagonally, and then wrapped tree branches around them to fix them into an oval shape.

These peeled branches can naturally air dry and take shape within a day.

Not only is it lightweight, but it is also durable.

Next, the keel was made. The keel was 3.2 meters long, 4 centimeters wide, and 5 millimeters thick.

A total of 24 keel pieces need to be cut from the wooden board.

The next day, once the ribs had fully taken shape.

Gu Lang began assembling the kayak frame.

He used duct tape to secure the keel to his ribs.

Once everything is connected, the frame of a spindle-shaped kayak is complete.

The finished frame is 3 meters long, 45 centimeters wide at most, and 40 centimeters high.

Gu Lang tied the two ends of the frame with rope and hung it up.

It was suspended at chest height to facilitate the next step of lamination.

He gently pulled on the PE encapsulation film while rotating the frame to tightly wrap the film around it.

If you wrap several layers, the plastic film will automatically adhere together.

The seal is achieved without any glue.

At least three layers of plastic film are enough to achieve a waterproof effect.

Because there were plenty of materials, Gulang wrapped the cloth in six layers before stopping.

Considering the rough seas, he also used tape to cover the protruding parts of the keel.

Reinforce it to further improve its strength and waterproofing.

Finally, use a knife to cut open the plastic film at the top oval rib location to create an entrance for passengers.

An extremely lightweight yet sturdy kayak was thus completed.

Over the next two days, Gu Lang made two more kayaks of the same design.

For the third kayak, Gu Lang also added an extra layer of high-strength waterproof fabric to the outside.

The waterproof fabric was taken from body bags obtained from hospitals to enhance its abrasion and puncture resistance.

The completed kayak is very lightweight and can be easily carried by a single person.

Compared to building a raft, this method not only saves a lot of time but also reduces the difficulty of transporting it to the sea.

Gu Lang transported the three kayaks to the beach one by one using a three-wheeled vehicle.

Then the final finishing touches began.

He placed the reinforced kayak in the middle, with the other two placed side by side on either side.

After the planks are joined together, a trimaran kayak is completed.

The kayaks in the video tutorial are designed for use on inland rivers and lakes.

Its wind and wave resistance is very low, making it unsuitable for direct use in marine environments.

Trimaraners can significantly increase cargo capacity without affecting the use of wooden oars for rowing.

It can also greatly improve the stability and seakeeping of ships.

On the morning of the fifth day, taking advantage of a lull in the wind at sea.

Having rested and recuperated, Gu Lang arrived at the beach and unloaded the weapons and supplies needed to go to the island.

Then, they stuffed the plastic seats into the kayak, picked up their homemade paddles, and officially set off for Dalu Island to the south.