As seen in the Naples Daily News:

Boy Scouts test Imperial River waters on homemade kayaks

Thaddeus Mast

The relatively calm docks along the Imperial River echoed with laughs and volleys from squirt guns as 27 Boy Scouts from Troop 109 tested their homemade kayaks for the first time.

The youngsters dropped into the serene waters from Riverside Park in downtown Bonita Springs on Sunday. Their collapsible kayaks were held together with wood, canvas, glue and elbow grease.

“This was supposed to be a three-weekend project,” Scoutmaster Mark Cecil said. “It turned into a four-month marathon.”

Between adults cutting wood bases and all the gluing and painting, each kayak took about 30 hours to finish.

But they needed a good test, and what better than the local river. Scouts jumped into their kayak and slipped into the dark waters. Not one kayak had a leak.

Each kayak was the same design for simplicity’s sake. The Scouts, who ranged in age from 12 to 18, might have come up with some ingenious, yet unsuccessful, kayak designs. Adult supervisors wanted everyone to have everyone float.

Races began after a group photo in the water.

“No hitting each other’s boats or slapping with paddles,” said 14-year-old Kristian Hustrulid, the troop senior patrol leader.

The two dozen kayakers ignored the advice after the starting whistle rang. The group started at the old railroad bridge and raced to the Old 41 Road bridge.

Kristian’s brother Stefan, paddling a banana-yellow kayak and sporting a tricorn pirate hat, won the first race. Only a little water sloshed in the kayak’s bottom.

“The water is only from the paddle splashes from the others,” Stefan said. “(The kayak) handles really well.”

The square-ish boats were shorter and squatter than normal kayaks, helping them turn easily in the calm river waters.

The control came at a cost. The boats’ instability was clear as the Scouts pushed and shoved each other into the water on the way back to shore. Nearly everyone in the boats and on shore held a squirt gun, only adding to the water-filled chaos.

Troopers personalized the boats with paint. The S.S. Goofball was near the top of the leaderboard. Many kayaks had racing stripes that surely made them faster.

Members of Troop 109 are a “water tribe,” Cecil said. They spend most of their time on the water. Their last trip was to Panther Key, more than 10 miles away from Marco Island in the Ten Thousand Islands.

Members are also signed up for a summer at Sea Base, a place of snorkeling, diving and other aquatic activities. Kristian signed up for Sea Base as well as a weeklong hike along the Appalachian Trail.

“We have a lot of opportunities,” he said.

PHOTOS: Boy Scouts launch their homemade kayaks into the Imperial River

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12 PHOTOS4:27 p.m. EDT Mar. 24, 2019

Boy Scouts from Troop 109 launch the kayaks they’ve been working on since September into the Imperial River at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs on Sunday, March 24, 2019.

Boy Scouts Noel Zelaya, from left, Alex Gustin and Greesh Paruchuri splash each other after launching the kayaks they’ve been working on since September with their troop into the Imperial River at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs on Sunday, March 24, 2019.

Boy Scouts from Troop 109 line up in the kayaks they’ve been working on since September on the Imperial River at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs on Sunday, March 24, 2019.

Julian Gustin shoots a water gun while he and other Boy Scouts from Troop 109 launch the kayaks they’ve been working on since September into the Imperial River at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs on Sunday, March 24, 2019.

Larson Dyer pulls his kayak out of the Imperial River at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs on Sunday, March 24, 2019.

Scoutmaster Mark Cecil organizes his troop for a relay race at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs on Sunday, March 24, 2019.

Kristian Hustrulid, left, helps launch Xavier Casanova’s kayak into the Imperial River at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs on Sunday, March 24, 2019.

Kristian Hustrulid relaxes in his kayak at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs on Sunday, March 24, 2019.

Boy Scouts from Troop 109 race their kayaks down the Imperial River at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs on Sunday, March 24, 2019.

Eric Kohler paddles toward the other Boy Scouts from Troop 109 as they line up for a group photo in the kayaks they’ve been working on since September into the Imperial River at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs on Sunday, March 24, 2019.

Greesh Paruchuri puts a sticker on his kayak at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs on Sunday, March 24, 2019.

Jeff Gustin helps launch Julian Gustin’s kayak into the Imperial River at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs on Sunday, March 24, 2019.