| Building a kayak to the right specifications might | | | | strips of wood over forms to create the hull shape. |
| seem like a daunting task, but with the ideal planning | | | | Once the edges are glued and fastened together, |
| and determination it's possible to construct a | | | | the kayak is coated with a fiberglass cloth and epoxy |
| high-quality kayak to meet the desired expectations. | | | | resin. Just by varying the thickness of the strips of |
| Kayak plans are freely available online from a variety | | | | wood it possible to build a kayak that's extremely |
| of sources. | | | | light or extremely strong. |
| Prior to getting down to the nitty gritty of building | | | | The stitch-and-glue technique uses sheets of |
| that kayak there are a couple of things that ought to | | | | plywood cut to shape and stitched in place with short |
| be considered. Firstly, what is the material of choice | | | | lengths of wire along the edges and than to give a |
| to build the kayak? A lot of do-it-yourselfers opt for | | | | tight fix, glued on the seams. Once set the glued |
| the wooden construction. One of the biggest | | | | seams are coated with resin and a fiberglass tape on |
| advantages to using sheet plywood for the build is | | | | the inside and outside to produce a strong and |
| the ease of accessibility, and the required tools are | | | | lightweight boat that needs little maintenance. This |
| often already in the workshop. In most cases its not | | | | build process is the easiest of the construction |
| necessary to purchase special tools and the build can | | | | methods and suited to most novice builders. |
| begin straight away. | | | | The chosen build method will often depend on the |
| The two most common methods of constructing a | | | | set of kayak plans and pattern purchased and the |
| kayak are stitch-and-glue and strip-built - | | | | individuals carpentry skill level. |
| The strip-built technique of building a kayak uses thin | | | | |