DIY: Fly Fishing Kirigami Kit

Impress your friends and go all Edward Scissorhands with this DIY Fly Fishing Kirigami (read pop up card) kit from online craftmart Etsy. $3.95

Makers/DIY: Backyard Wooden Drift Boat

While surfing the Southeast Fly Fishing Forum we had the good fortune to come across photos of this magnificent wooden drift boat built by Allen Dozier of Weddington, NC. We were afraid that it might be too pretty for actual use but Mr. Dozier, who goes by FlyVet on the forum, assures us that it is as tough as it is beautiful.

"Used teak for most of the boat, has a plascore honeycomb floor and kevlar and linex truck bed liner on bottom. "











Kevlar? Not only is it functional but it also seems to be bullet proof. Thanks to Allen for letting us share pictures of his creation. The next time he is passing through Huntersville we hope he will stop by and let us have a look see first hand.

DIY Chum Boat

At Svensons.com you can find an excellent archive of free boat plans from magazines such as "Science & Mechanics" and "Boat Builder Handbook". They have some great designs with even better names such as the Chum (pictured here), the Playboy, and the Sea Babe. In addition to being functional the photos and plans have great art quality.

Anyone care to build one of these Three Piece Boats and review it for us? We think it just might be the perfect remedy for that fishing buddy that you can only stand for so long. If you get fed up towards the end of the trip you can simply detach him and set him adrift.

Brian Gillis' "Texas Teardrop"

El Paso, Texican Brian Gillis sent us these photos of his own teardrop camper project. He took the elegant and functional design one step further and turned his into a work of fishing art.

Brian says he can't wait to try his creation out on his yearly San Juan River trip. We can only wonder how Mr. Gillis plans on getting any fishing done with all the attention this sweet ride is going to get in the camp ground.

Teardrop Campers

Tail water Editor, Jeff Paisley shot a a couple of new pictures of his teardrop camper build. This time he has dressed up the front end with a diamond plate tool box. We are still pulling for a brown trout paint job.

Send us photos of your fly fishing / outdoorsy DIY projects

Jeff Paisley on the good kind of teardrops.

Many of you have followed Jeff Paisley's teardrop camper project on this blog. Jeff sends us this article that he wrote about the process:

TEARDROPS – THE ULTIMATE OUTDOOR RETREAT

I started discussing building a teardrop camper a couple of years ago with my old friend from flyfishmagazine. He liked to make jokes about "those little campers", but I had a feeling, teardrops would be the perfect camping machine for us fish crazy people. After researching a number of designs I was set to start building my first Teardrop.

The design I longed to build was the vintage 1937, 4’ x 8’ Teardrop. First I had to find a set of plans. Next, I reviewed them and customized the plans to fit my needs. Then I started out on the scavenger hunt of a lifetime. Once completed, I had all the needed materials to build my Teardrop. After three and a half months of working on the weekends and missing a few fishing trips, the Teardrop was ready for it’s first voyage. My wife and I loaded the little camper and headed for the Blue Ridge Parkway where we spent a couple of wonderful nights.

We setup camp in about five minutes. We just backed the Teardrop in and popped the hatch. Wow! How easy is that? As we set around the campfire, we discussed how effortlessly camping had become with the Teardrop. By now it was time to turn in for the night. The next morning was met with great enthusiasm. My wife loved the camper. It was warm, comfortable and relaxing. Making our trip most enjoyable. The amount of room in the Teardrop was amazing to. There was enough room to move in the cabin without disturbing each other.

The next night the temperature dropped to 35 degrees and the wind was blowing about 20 mph. It was very chilly so we turned in early. Once we entered the Teardrop and closed the door, it was like sitting in your living room. The howling wind couldn't penetrate the walls, leaving the Teardrop warm and relaxing. In minutes we were fast asleep in the comfort of our new little camper. The next morning when I woke up I knew the Teardrop was the ultimate fishing retreat because of all the advantages it brings to the table.

Teardrops are great little campers with many purposes but I would suggest them for the avid fisherman like myself. It only took one trip for me to understand how great these little campers are. There is little set up time involved, allowing more time on the water. The comfort is unparalleled by any tent, air mattress and sleeping bag. You wake up refreshed and ready to go fight those big fish again. Another advantage of this style of camper is it can be towed by small cars with little effort. Because the camper only weighs 700 pounds, it also doesn't impact gas mileage very much, if any? Maybe one of the greatest advantages is you can park it almost anywhere. The numerous advantages of the Teardrop sure outweigh the small size of these units. I’ll be a Teardrop owner for many years to come. Hope to see you out on the Teardrop trail one day. If you have questions about Teardrops please let me know and I’ll try to help if possible.

Here is a link to all of our coverage of Jeff's build. Remember if you are a fly fisher who is into DIY let us know about your project.

Paisley's Teardrop Project Update

Our long time fishing pal and FlyFishMagazine.com Contributing Editor, Jeff Paisley has finished his teardrop camper project. All it needs now is an appropriate paint job.

Be sure to send us pics of your best DIY projects.

DIY: Handmade Classic Motor Boat

Winchester, Virginia contractor Dave Hepler built this beauty of a motor boat from scratch. The picture comes from Mike Feinman who is the General Manager of The Contractor Yard in the same town. Mike is our parrott head co-worker pal and helped source some of the special materials for Mr. Hepler's excellent project.

Pimp my Trailer: Part II

FlyfishMagazine.com contributor Jeff Paisley emailed us an update on the status of his ultimate fly fishing teardrop camper project. He tells that he is putting the finishing touches on it this week. Once completed the camper will be put to immediate use on the banks of Arkansas' White River during his annual trip.

Paisley is already planning another teardrop. Since he is an alum of Appalachian State University and still reveling in the upset of the century, he said he intends on panting the next one black and gold.

Here is a link to our original post about Paisley's pimped out trailer.

Have a fly fishing or outdoor related DIY project under your belt? Drop us a note with your photos so we can share them with our readers.

Pimp My Trailer

FlyFishMagazine.com contributing editor Jeff Paisley sent us a visual progress update on his latest project, a pimped out - hand built - teardrop - fly fishing camper. When finished the camper will sleep two, have a full galley, built in fly tying desk, as well as an integrated fly rod storage system. Our contribution will be a FlyFishMagazine.com "Never Fish Vacant Water" license tag frame.