Lower than a decade in the past, throughout an informal assembly, David, an newbie rower, launched to his good friend Kuba an thought that originally sounded absurd. He proposed that they design and construct a kayak after which paddle all of it the best way from Prague to Hamburg. As is usually the case with spontaneous concepts, the subject regularly pale, resurfacing solely often.
Nonetheless, 9 years later, the thought returned in a concrete kind. David and Kuba determined to deliver the mission to life and 3D print it. They turned to Prusa Analysis for help in bringing the mission to life. The kayak mannequin was developed in SolidWorks. Kuba and his spouse ready the whole design documentation, totally tailored for 3D printing.
The kayak was printed from PETG filament. It measured 5 meters in size and weighed simply 20 kilograms. The manufacturing course of took a number of weeks. The construction consisted of 23 particular person elements joined along with 225 screws and sealed with silicone.
The testing part rapidly verified the preliminary assumptions. The underside of the kayak required extra reinforcement with epoxy resin to stop leaks. Regardless of these challenges, on October 10, 2025, the kayak formally departed from the banks of Prague’s Troja district, marking the start of the deliberate expedition.
The primary kilometers revealed the cruel actuality of the endeavor. After roughly 20 kilometers, the tip of the boat indifferent whereas Kuba was pulling it out of the water, remaining in his fingers. It quickly turned clear that this was solely the start of a sequence of technical challenges. Soldering irons, bitumen tape, and improvised marina repairs turned a part of the each day routine.
Within the city of Děčín the struggles reached their climax. David needed to make a troublesome resolution; blisters, exhaustion, and important bodily pressure pressured him to withdraw from the water stage of the journey. He took on the function of logistical help on land, whereas Kuba continued the expedition alone.
9 days. Roughly 800 kilometers. The kayak encountered challenges resembling river currents, wind, fixed changes, and fatigue. In the end, the kayak reached Hamburg. Not as a result of it was a inflexible advertising goal from the beginning, however as a result of somebody as soon as stated, “Let’s do it,” and 9 years later, they really did it.
This story demonstrates that 3D printing expertise has moved far past easy prototyping or show fashions. It will possibly function a sensible device for bold, real-world tasks, even these spanning a whole bunch of kilometers and ending in a foreign country.
All photographs courtesy of Prusa Analysis.