For many, a journey across 26 miles of open ocean in a tiny kayak would be a challenge. Their worries would no doubt mushroom if they were given the boat Sam Shoemaker just used to row from Catalina Island to San Pedro, California. His kayak was made entirely of fungus. Shoemaker is an artist. Mushrooms are his medium. He also has a passion for environmental causes. One of them is finding alternative materials to replace ocean-polluting plastics. In 2024, Shoemaker embarked on a quest to create a boat entirely out of mycelia. They are the strong, durable fibers of mushrooms and other fungi. They use mycelia to take root on logs or the forest floor. After a few trial-and-error attempts, Shoemaker perfected his technique. He used a fiberglass kayak as a mold. He filled the vessel with 520 pounds of hemp soil. He planted mushroom spores inside. They grew for six weeks. Then he cut away the frame and dried the mycelia with fans. That took three months. The result: a kayak made of fungus. It is buoyant, durable, and biodegradable. Shoemaker tested his kayak on the Pacific Ocean. He completed his trip in 12 hours. He is proud of the way his boat advances the use of fungi as a potential plastic replacement. He’s also eager to see if his efforts inspire others, too. “There’s probably some 19-year-old kid out there who thinks ‘I could do that,’ and they can,” Shoemaker told The Guardian. “The biggest compliment that they could pay me is to go and build a better boat and attempt a crossing even more ambitious than mine.” Thought Question: If you could build something important or useful using only natural materials, what would you build? Photo of Sam Shoemaker with mushroom kayak from Instagram courtesy of @samkshoemaker.
