My quest for the optimal "surf & freestyle" kayak blend is continuing. This is an evolution from the previous shape from 2016, which was already much better than the first one in 2012. The picture below shows the new profile (brown cardboard template) compared to the previous shape (black dot line). This time I mainly want to reduce the volume in t

Since the birth of Raphael 2 months ago, we've been using mainly cloth diapers instead of disposable ones. There are different types of cloth diapers but we use mainly flat ones, the most simple type. Here is a short how-to manual for folding and swaddling, with a few step-by-step pictures. First, fold the cloth in the middle: Second, take one of t

Cet article décrit la construction d'un kayak de surf court (190 cm), inspiré de kayaks tels que le Element (Fluid), le SRR's et le Max (Mega), ou le Squashtail (Dragorossi). Comme c'est le premier kayak de surf que je concois et que je n'ai jamais testé un kayak de ce type, je me suis inspiré de photos et de mon expérience. Mon approche a ét

Allan Savory & The Savory Institute (http://www.savoryinstitute.com/) promote Holistic Planned Grazing: a cattle intensification and planned grazing managemant, to stop desertification and regreen the arid regions of the world. Since I started my scientific curriculum, I noticed that there is no single method that can be used all over, but that ada

It's time for updates about longboarding (meanwhile rather shortboarding, because of the turn :-)). Nothing revolutionary has happened since the last article which I wrote after discovering the carver surfskates. This year (2019), I've just been doing some more experiments and adjustments. Firstly I bought the Carver CX truck (which I mounted on a

The season 2016 was quite exciting. Many things happened after riding more or less the same board (Bastl Bolero / Caliber 50 / Orangatang The Keanu) for almost 3 years. First, I discovered the Hoots wheels from Remember. These wheels slide like butter and so they are real fun even at low speed. Second, I discovered surfskating and that's where a ne

Here is a photo of our good old tree-bed which we demounted with a lot of nostalgia... ... then we started installing the new mezzanine bed (2m10 * 2m90): Here is a try to give a global view of it: Now there are hooks for hanging hammocks: How to climb on the bed? - The long story of the ladder It started with a helical ladder (about 4-5 days of wo

Since I started longboarding in Sept. 2012 I have almost stopped paddling... This is a bit strange for me because I had been so focused on kayaking for almost 20 years. But honestly I was more and more frustrated with kayaking. The last few years I had spend more time building kayaks and paddles than using them, because I simply found it too boring

After the experience of 2012 when I first built a surf kayak, there were many errors to be corrected on the shape. Overall, the cockpit and the seat were too much in the front, and I also wanted to reduce the rocker and the volume on the stern. That's why I shaped a new kayak in 2016. I don't write many details here about the construction. It is a

This is a 160 x 50 cm kayak I built for the children. The weird thing is that I can't try it...