With summer upon us, it’s time for my favorite pastime (other than using SOLIDWORKS): Kayaking! And this year I have a brand new boat to play with.

See the entire design process of the TriMech kayak, from idea to production and launch, in our five-part video blog series. In this first video, I go over how to use SOLIDWORKS to create the initial concept of the kayak by using a historic design for inspiration. Watch the video below.

Initially, I approached TriMech with the idea to design and 3D print a skin-on-frame kayak, and much to my surprise, they enthusiastically agreed! Traditional skin-on-frame kayaks are a labor of love. With intricate geometry, they often require multiple attempts to get the fitting just right.

My theory was that with SOLIDWORKS solutions, designing and testing a skin-on-frame kayak would take far less effort than building and testing multiple versions of physical prototypes. This would allow for us to ultimately 3D print and build a full-size kayak with relative ease, to test on open waters.

Want to learn more about the ins and outs of SOLIDWORKS? Check out all the CAD training courses we have available.