Boat building/ Kayak info

[Dwight]

Is there anyone that might be able to give me any insight in building a wood strip kayak.
Maybe you built one or know someone that has. I'm in the Statesville area and want to get started on one this spring

Thanks

 

[Gofor]

I have alot of old "Boatbuilder" magazines. May take while but I'll look through and see if they have anything on it.

Go

 

[DaveO]

Dwight, I would contact JEM his company makes wood strip boat kits and I am sure that he would share his knowledge with you. He's not located to far from you either :icon_thum


Dave

 

[Dwight]

Dave,
I knew that I would find someone that could help out

Thanks

 

[fergy]

Please keep us posted, as that's another one on my list of things to do someday.

 

[bwat]

Welcome aboard Dwight (no pun intended):rotflm:.

 

[Sealeveler]

Sounds like a good project.I have built skiffs from 14' to 70' but not kayaks.If I could help any just hollar.Tony

 

[CarvedTones]

I have built a couple of boats, but not a wood strip. I did look into it and considered doing it. I would recommend a "woodless" kit; you can rip your own cedar strips for far less than vendors charge.

There is a forum on cedar strip building here:
http://www.noahsmarine.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=2
not a lot of traffic, but just reading old posts is really informative. Noah's is a good supplier also. When you get to the glassing step and shop for the epoxy and mat, you will find better deals at car repair and industrial suppliers than boat specialty sites, but there is a caveat. Epoxies are all very similar, even though the pprices range dramatically. For nearly everything you use it for, it matters very little what brand or mix ratio you use; in about 95% of applications it's strength is overkill and the relative clarity (even the cheap stuff is pretty clear) matters little. IMO, building a cedar strip canoe is one of the few things that falls into that other 5%. You will want an epoxy with a high mix ratio (a little hardener to a lot of resin) as that will dry with less impurities in it. You will want a good quality of light boat cloth that pretty much disappears when wet out. Cedar strips are pretty boats.

 

[Dwight]

Hi Andy,
Thanks for the tips. I have looked around for materials and your right they are not shy in their pricing for kits. I'm sure I can save quite a bit by cutting my own strips

And I have a friend that does glass work that I think would help me on the finish.

After a sunny warm day like today I am anxious to get started

Thanks again

 

[Dwight]

Thanks Bill