Edited•
I built a 15ft “boat” from a wild polypore mushroom (Ganoderm sp.) collected near my studio in Los Angeles. A supplemented hemp substrate was used to propagate this mycelium inside a two part mold for about 4 weeks. After the gestation period, the mycelium was dried to render a strong, hydrophobic, and inert cork-like material. The boat was sealed with locally sourced beeswax. No rigid internal support frame or hardwood was used. The boat weighs about 135 lbs (my guess). Before the boat was dried, it weighed over 320lbs.
I plan to make more boats. I’m incredibly pleased with this prototype, but I have more ambitious iterations of this project ahead. My goal is to eventually cross the Catalina Channel on a mushroom (approximately 28 miles). With a little bit more time and support I’d like to publish everything I’ve learned.
Over the next few months I’ll be able to share more “aquafung” (coined by Phil Ross) projects I’ve been working on behind the scenes for many years. And yes, some of those projects involve surfing!
A used ocean fishing kayak was altered to create the positive for the two-part fiberglass mold. You are welcome to call this floating object a kayak, a paddle board, a boat, a baguette… whatever you’d like. And for those who will say 135lbs is impractical for a boat this size, I agree! Using a wild mushroom to build a boat is something worth doing, but highly impractical. This is “artistic research”, I’m not marketing or selling anyone on anything. There is enormous potential for these mycelium based materials, but there are also limitations. There is so much more work to be done if this is going to become a viable sustainable alternative to plastic… not just for boats.
Special thanks to: Phil Ross (@mephilross), Josh McGinnis (@everymanbio), Katy Ayers (creator of the first mushroom boat in Nebraska… we haven’t met but if you’re reading this, Katy, I admire you), Laza Panich (@son_of_branko), and Zak Sciff (@extreme_mensch), @blueridgehoneyca and Ian Byers Gamber (@bamblerdander)
