Marc Wainionpaa stands poised at the edge of a new form of freedom: after spending 10 months building a wooden kayak, he was about to ride into the water for the first time.
Marc Wainionpaa stands poised at the edge of a new form of freedom: after spending 10 months building a wooden kayak, he was about to ride into the water for the first time.
Marc Wainionpaa stands poised at the edge of a new form of freedom: after spending 10 months building a wooden kayak, he was about to ride into the water for the first time.
Marc will be the first to tell you: Building your own kayak takes time. That’s why he named the boat “Malti” after the Finnish word for “patience.”
Marc estimates he put more than 300 hours of labor into Malti. Because his day job is as a 3M senior process engineer, he built Malti using at least 24 different 3M products – everything from sandpaper to protective films, safety glasses to hearing protection. Once word of Marc’s project got out, coworkers started suggesting other products from 3M labs.
“You sand it and get it nice, and the next thing you do is you epoxy it,” Marc says. “That was the toughest part, the finish.”
Marc did all of it with exactitude – and there’s one big payoff.
Marc will be the first to tell you: Building your own kayak takes time. That’s why he named the boat “Malti” after the Finnish word for “patience.”
Marc estimates he put more than 300 hours of labor into Malti. Because his day job is as a 3M senior process engineer, he built Malti using at least 24 different 3M products – everything from sandpaper to protective films, safety glasses to hearing protection. Once word of Marc’s project got out, coworkers started suggesting other products from 3M labs.
“You sand it and get it nice, and the next thing you do is you epoxy it,” Marc says. “That was the toughest part, the finish.”
Marc did all of it with exactitude – and there’s one big payoff.
Marc will be the first to tell you: Building your own kayak takes time. That’s why he named the boat “Malti” after the Finnish word for “patience.”
Marc estimates he put more than 300 hours of labor into Malti. Because his day job is as a 3M senior process engineer, he built Malti using at least 24 different 3M products – everything from sandpaper to protective films, safety glasses to hearing protection. Once word of Marc’s project got out, coworkers started suggesting other products from 3M labs.
“You sand it and get it nice, and the next thing you do is you epoxy it,” Marc says. “That was the toughest part, the finish.”
Marc did all of it with exactitude – and there’s one big payoff.
Once Marc pushed Malti into the cool water, he knew he had something special. That was the Fourth of July – and the view during a tranquil voyage still can’t be beat.
See the world from Marc’s perspective aboard Malti, below.
Once Marc pushed Malti into the cool water, he knew he had something special. That was the Fourth of July – and the view during a tranquil voyage still can’t be beat.
See the world from Marc’s perspective aboard Malti, below.
Once Marc pushed Malti into the cool water, he knew he had something special. That was the Fourth of July – and the view during a tranquil voyage still can’t be beat.
See the world from Marc’s perspective aboard Malti, below.