building wooden kayak costs?
My son wants a touring/fla****er kayak and can't afford to buy one. I
have a woodworking shop and offered to help him build one over the winter, but his budget is only around $300. Chesapeake Light Craft's kits are +/- $600 for stitch 'n glue. I was hoping a strip boat would be cheaper, but I bought two books with instructions, and they claim costs of $500 - $1000. Does anyone have thoughts on minimum costs to build a kayak, and whether a strip boat or a stitch 'n glue would be cheaper? Thanks! Sue |
building wooden kayak costs?
Sue Goddard wrote in :
My son wants a touring/fla****er kayak and can't afford to buy one. I have a woodworking shop and offered to help him build one over the winter, but his budget is only around $300. Chesapeake Light Craft's kits are +/- $600 for stitch 'n glue. I was hoping a strip boat would be cheaper, but I bought two books with instructions, and they claim costs of $500 - $1000. My strip boat ended up costing me $750 to build and I milled all my own strips. If I had bought pre-milled strips it would have been much closer to $1000, if not more. CLC also sells plans for most of their models. You can search around for marine grade mahogany but I doubt that you'll be able to build one for under $300. You could cut corners and use a lesser quality plywood but it's generally not recommended. In any case, there's not a look of woodworking in building a stitch-n-glue boat if you build from a kit. It's more like putting together a large model. Does anyone have thoughts on minimum costs to build a kayak, and whether a strip boat or a stitch 'n glue would be cheaper? If you just want a boat to paddle you can cut corners by buying inexpensive wood (assuming that it's available in your area). I talked with someone awhile back that used a cheap wood, but he painted the whole boat. He claimed he was able to build it for under $300. I spent almost $200 on fiberglass cloth, epoxy resin, varnish, and various outfitting pieces. Your best bet might be to look at building a skin-on-frame boat. There are lots of free plans available (check issues of Sea Kayaker mag.) or there are several books (Chris Cunninghams is a good one) on the subject. The woodworking shop will come in handy for building the frame. What's he go to do for a paddle, PDF, and sprayskirt. $300 for just those items is not really exhorbiant. |
building wooden kayak costs?
CLC also sells plans for most of their models. I looked at that, but it seemed that if you bought the cockpit and other pieces that sounded "necessary", that you were up in the $600 range anyway. But I haven't looked into it very carefully. claimed he was able to build it for under $300. I spent almost $200 on fiberglass cloth, epoxy resin, varnish, and various outfitting pieces. That's about what we're figuring out, which is pretty discouraging. Your best bet might be to look at building a skin-on-frame boat. I'll look into it; thanks. What's he go to do for a paddle, PDF, and sprayskirt. $300 for just those items is not really exhorbiant. He has a good PFD from his canoeing experiences and shouldn't need a sprayskirt for the flat rivers we usually paddle. We have a cheap paddle that we use in the canoe, and that will have to suffice until I learn how to build one, or we find a good deal on a used one. Thanks for the input... keep it coming! Sue |
building wooden kayak costs?
A hearty second for the SOF idea! :-) SOF boats are not only light and very beautiful, they're inexpensive to build, require fewer expensive tools, and are faster to build than most other types of construction. This sounds good, and I've just ordered the book. But I have a concern.... just how durable is a fabric boat? We live HOURS from the sea, and this boat will be used on rivers which, come August, are sometimes pretty shallow. They're flat, yes, and in a good year (like this one) it's not a problem, but in a typical year there can be many bony spots. Wouldn't one sharp rock put an end to the paddling until repairs can be made? Sue |
building wooden kayak costs?
Melissa wrote: -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 On Fri, 14 Nov 2003 02:45:02 GMT, Sue Goddard wrote: But I have a concern.... just how durable is a fabric boat? Hi Sue, They can be remarkably durable. I know people who routinely grind their skin boats over oyster shells and bump them into rocks, and while they will get some scratches and gouges in the coating, in most cases, the skin itself isn't damaged. The frames are really strong as well. Damage is always possible, but in relatively normal usage, probably no more so than punching a hole or crack in a glass or wooden boat. For the type of water you're expecting, I shouldn't think you'd have much of a problem at all with catastrophic damage. You can also get different weights and types of skin (nylon, canvas, polyester). The heavier weights will naturally be more resistent to incidental damage than the lighter ones, but the lighter ones are quite good anyway. The more rugged fabrics (13 & 16 ounce polyester) and coatings (Gaco UA-7000) tend to be a pricy, but you can still keep the cost to under $300. If you don't have to buy all the stock for building the frame, you could easily do it for under $200. I would suggest that you look into the books by Morris and Starr, in addition to Cunningham's book. Morris' construction is simpler and faster. Starr's is probably the most foolproof. Cunningham's is beautiful and strong, but the most complex. All three will produce a good boat. Bill Low's skinning method is the best I've seen for the heavier polyester fabrics. If you're interested, I've got some SOF construction photos at: http://community.webshots.com/user/brian_nystrom -- Regards Brian |
building wooden kayak costs?
Sue,
Stitch-n-glue is both the cheapest and the quickest way to build, in my opinion. Chris Kulzycki (sp?) (former owner of CLC) has written a couple of books on building your own kayak and canoe and the books even include the plans for several different boats. If you use cheaper plywood than marine-grade mahogany you should easily be able to get a decent boat built for less than $300. Many folks will be adamant about using the expensive marine-grade ply, but I'd rather be able to build a boat that I can afford, rather than have no boat at all. Try www.raka.com for the cheapest epoxy. I used it throughout construction of my 21' Tolman Skiff and it's been going offshore for the past 4 years without any problem. If you're interested in building a cheap canoe instead of a kayak, grab some tools and you can follow along with me on my project after Christmas. Feel free to drop me a line via e-mail if I can help in any way. Regards, Tom A. Cedar Point, NC Sue Goddard wrote in message ... My son wants a touring/fla****er kayak and can't afford to buy one. I have a woodworking shop and offered to help him build one over the winter, but his budget is only around $300. Chesapeake Light Craft's kits are +/- $600 for stitch 'n glue. I was hoping a strip boat would be cheaper, but I bought two books with instructions, and they claim costs of $500 - $1000. Does anyone have thoughts on minimum costs to build a kayak, and whether a strip boat or a stitch 'n glue would be cheaper? Thanks! Sue |
building wooden kayak costs?
Anybody know any good designs for a Tandem skin on Frame? What kind of
tools are required? Geoff |
building wooden kayak costs?
Geoff Jennings wrote: Anybody know any good designs for a Tandem skin on Frame? What kind of tools are required? Tandem baidarkas are not unusual, but I've never heard of any tandem Greenland kayaks. David Zimmerly's book "Qayaq has two-hole baidarka drawings and dimensions in it. Any of the native boats can be built using nothing but basic hand tools. Remember, they were originally built with nothing more than stone and bone tools. -- Regards Brian |
building wooden kayak costs?
Sue Goddard wrote in :
CLC also sells plans for most of their models. I looked at that, but it seemed that if you bought the cockpit and other pieces that sounded "necessary", that you were up in the $600 range anyway. But I haven't looked into it very carefully. claimed he was able to build it for under $300. I spent almost $200 on fiberglass cloth, epoxy resin, varnish, and various outfitting pieces. That's about what we're figuring out, which is pretty discouraging. Your best bet might be to look at building a skin-on-frame boat. I'll look into it; thanks. What's he go to do for a paddle, PDF, and sprayskirt. $300 for just those items is not really exhorbiant. He has a good PFD from his canoeing experiences and shouldn't need a sprayskirt for the flat rivers we usually paddle. We have a cheap paddle that we use in the canoe, and that will have to suffice until I learn how to build one, or we find a good deal on a used one. If he's going to paddle a wood or skin-on-frame boat building traditional greenland paddle would be a good idea, and very inexpensive. |
building wooden kayak costs?
Sue Goddard wrote in message ...
My son wants a touring/fla****er kayak and can't afford to buy one. I have a woodworking shop and offered to help him build one over the winter, but his budget is only around $300. Chesapeake Light Craft's kits are +/- $600 for stitch 'n glue. I was hoping a strip boat would be cheaper, but I bought two books with instructions, and they claim costs of $500 - $1000. Does anyone have thoughts on minimum costs to build a kayak, and whether a strip boat or a stitch 'n glue would be cheaper? Thanks! Sue A stitch and tape would be cheaper and now that decent plywood is down in price, you can with a little patience build a nice S+T boat. Try looking at this boat: http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/Buil...GluePlans.html Note that the designer and builders say this is a difficult build for the first timer, you already have wood experience and I don't see why a first timer in that positition could not have a successful build. This might not be the boat you are looking for, but there are plenty out there. If you have any questions about S+T materials, techniques, which boat to build, etc, you may give me a call days (the number is on my website) or contact via email at smallboats.com. Scotty from or course, SmallBoats.com.. I also have a fla****er S+T canoe/kayak you might want to look at. |
building wooden kayak costs?
Sue Goddard wrote
My son wants a touring/fla****er kayak and can't afford to buy one. I have a woodworking shop and offered to help him build one over the winter, but his budget is only around $300. Hi Sue, One thing I am suprised no one mentioned is looking for used boats. Unless you are really set on building your own, you can probably find a used boat in your son's price range. I'd suggest contacting your local paddling clubs, and looking at yard sales and estate sales. I have a friend who developed horrible arthritis, and he ended up selling off all his boats for a fraction of what they are worth (sorry, they're all sold now). In cases like that, you can also work out a bargain with the paddler, because more often than not they will be proud to help someone enter the sport even if they themselves can no longer enjoy it. When my grandfather passed away, my grandmother virtually gave his boat away to a kid who she believed would enjoy it as much as he did. I personally just sold my ex's boat for half of what it is worth, because I did not want to look at it anymore. Boats bought this way will also often include the paddle, PFD, skirt and other goodies. It's also environmentally friendly because you are you are recycling someones old boat. |
building wooden kayak costs?
Eric gives good advice here.
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building wooden kayak costs?
Eric gives good advice here. I understand the appeal of used boats. But I live in an area where fla****er/sea kayaks are unusual. The ones that I do hear about are an hour away and sell for $600+. Having a wood shop, the thought of building a boat over the winter with my son is appealing, and I'd hoped it would be affordable as well. But I appreciate all of the advice. Sue |
building wooden kayak costs?
Hi Sue,
In the mid-90's I came across some boy scouts who built canvas framed kayaks as a project. The boats cost virtually nothing (about $75), and took a few weekends to build. The scouts were using a book called "Wood and Canvas Kayak Building" by George Putz, ISBN 0071559396, $13.27 from amazon.com To build the things, they were just using scrap wood, canvas and paint. The boats are equally easy to repair, sew the hole back together, repaint and paddle. Ribs can be repaired with driftwood. The boats even fit into the category of "fix with duct tape and bailing wire". I believe their cost per boat was something like $75 each (mostly for heavy canvas and good marine paint). They were not the prettiest things on the water, but it did give the kids a chance to get out and paddle. They even used them for an overnight trip on the Colorado River from Loma to Wes****er (class I). The scout leader even made himself a jumbo sized one, they are a build to fit type boat. There will no doubt be purists that will balk at such a boat (yes, just plain painted canvas, no fancy imitation seal skin), but from what I have read posted here, it just might meet your criteria. The only downside is that the canvas will rot, no matter what, and will need to be replaced every few years (more if you are in a wet climate). For as little as they cost to build, if your son does not like it, he can probably sell it for a profit and build something else. - Eric |
building wooden kayak costs?
You might want to look he http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/
Links to all sorts of possibilities "Sue Goddard" wrote in message ... My son wants a touring/fla****er kayak and can't afford to buy one. I have a woodworking shop and offered to help him build one over the winter, but his budget is only around $300. Chesapeake Light Craft's kits are +/- $600 for stitch 'n glue. I was hoping a strip boat would be cheaper, but I bought two books with instructions, and they claim costs of $500 - $1000. Does anyone have thoughts on minimum costs to build a kayak, and whether a strip boat or a stitch 'n glue would be cheaper? Thanks! Sue |
building wooden kayak costs?
"Eric Nyre" wrote... In the mid-90's I came across some boy scouts who built canvas framed kayaks as a project. The boats cost virtually nothing (about $75), and took a few weekends to build. [snip] To build the things, they were just using scrap wood, canvas and paint. The boats are equally easy to repair, sew the hole back together, repaint and paddle. Ribs can be repaired with driftwood. The boats even fit into the category of "fix with duct tape and bailing wire". I started paddling about 35 years ago in a skin & frame kayak made of scrap wood, 6 mil plastic & duct tape. It had 3/4" plywood frames & 1/4" ply stringers. It was delicate but cheap & light. Lloyd Bowles www.madcanoeist.4ever.cc |
building wooden kayak costs?
|
building wooden kayak costs?
My 14'8" canoe cost me about $735 in 1991 dollars. This includes a
good saw blade, and materials for the strongback. Dan On Thu, 13 Nov 2003 19:00:44 GMT, Sue Goddard wrote: My son wants a touring/fla****er kayak and can't afford to buy one. I have a woodworking shop and offered to help him build one over the winter, but his budget is only around $300. Chesapeake Light Craft's kits are +/- $600 for stitch 'n glue. I was hoping a strip boat would be cheaper, but I bought two books with instructions, and they claim costs of $500 - $1000. Does anyone have thoughts on minimum costs to build a kayak, and whether a strip boat or a stitch 'n glue would be cheaper? Thanks! Sue Colorado Springs, CO My advice may be worth what you paid for it. |
building wooden kayak costs?
Epoxy is what gets you the most in cost.
Strip built requires fiberglassing inside and out. If you went with stitch and glue, you could get away with just coating all surfaces with 2 coats of epoxy, which takes less resin than complete glassing. S & G designs generally do not require a strong back either. The trade off is you don't get the super fine curves of a strip built. For around $300, you could get $200 worth of epoxy and paint and $100 worth of medium grade marine plywood. You could go cheaper with exterior grade wood you get from the Home Depot but what you save in wood, you spend in epoxy to get a decent, fair surface. Home Depot plywood will soak up more resin too. I don't have any touring kayak plans out yet (couple more months). I do have a recreational kayak but it's pretty wide to be considered a touring yak. Wider is generally more stable but not as fast for touring. Selway Fisher has some neat looking ones http://www.selway-fisher.com/Kayak.htm. That or http://www.boatplans-online.com/prod....php?prod=SK17. Evan designed that one as a 'sea kayak' but it's beamy enough for lake cruising and be forgiving to a beginner. Hope that helps! -- Matt Langenfeld JEM Watercraft http://jem.e-boat.net/ Dan Dunphy wrote: My 14'8" canoe cost me about $735 in 1991 dollars. This includes a good saw blade, and materials for the strongback. Dan On Thu, 13 Nov 2003 19:00:44 GMT, Sue Goddard wrote: My son wants a touring/fla****er kayak and can't afford to buy one. I have a woodworking shop and offered to help him build one over the winter, but his budget is only around $300. Chesapeake Light Craft's kits are +/- $600 for stitch 'n glue. I was hoping a strip boat would be cheaper, but I bought two books with instructions, and they claim costs of $500 - $1000. Does anyone have thoughts on minimum costs to build a kayak, and whether a strip boat or a stitch 'n glue would be cheaper? Thanks! Sue Colorado Springs, CO My advice may be worth what you paid for it. |
building wooden kayak costs?
My son wants a touring/fla****er kayak and can't afford to buy one. I
have a woodworking shop and offered to help him build one over the winter, but his budget is only around $300. Chesapeake Light Craft's kits are +/- $600 for stitch 'n glue. I was hoping a strip boat would be cheaper, but I bought two books with instructions, and they claim costs of $500 - $1000. Does anyone have thoughts on minimum costs to build a kayak, and whether a strip boat or a stitch 'n glue would be cheaper? Thanks! Sue There's lots of information on building your own kayaks and canoes here as well: http://home.clara.net/gmatkin/design.htm A very simple design you could try is this one: http://www.alaska.net/~fritzf/Boats/...cky_Lassie.htm Judging from the description it should be fairly cheap and easy to build. In case you really like to have a closed boat you can always add a deck etc. HTH, Michiel |
building wooden kayak costs?
My son wants a touring/fla****er kayak and can't afford to buy one. I
have a woodworking shop and offered to help him build one over the winter, but his budget is only around $300. Chesapeake Light Craft's kits are +/- $600 for stitch 'n glue. I was hoping a strip boat would be cheaper, but I bought two books with instructions, and they claim costs of $500 - $1000. Does anyone have thoughts on minimum costs to build a kayak, and whether a strip boat or a stitch 'n glue would be cheaper? Thanks! Sue There's lots of information on building your own kayaks and canoes here as well: http://home.clara.net/gmatkin/design.htm A very simple design you could try is this one: http://www.alaska.net/~fritzf/Boats/...cky_Lassie.htm Judging from the description it should be fairly cheap and easy to build. In case you really like to have a closed boat you can always add a deck etc. HTH, Michiel |
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