Paul Elkins has always loved to doodle; when he turned 8 years old his mother bought him his first serious sketch pad and he has since filled 25 more books with his designs. Elkins redesigned the world around him with his drawings of mini submarines, backpack helicopters, gas vapor carburetors and turbo-powered skateboards.

Unlike the work of other dreamers, Elkins’ designs didn’t remain trapped on the page. Inspired by a tinkering father, and uncle, he has turned dozens of his whimsical ideas into a reality that defies description. There’s his Mochet velocycle pedal car, 7-pound Coroplast foldable kayak, rapid deployment Coroplast shelter for Ice fishing or Emergencies, bicycle camper, to name just a few.

Today, the Internet has made it easier to become a maker, but when Elkins first started tinkering he had to rely on magazines like Popular Mechanics and Mother Earth News and the occasional library book to find similar concepts to build upon.