"Jim" <jhyland@nycap.rr.com>
wrote in message
news:68531914.0108151551.41b2d5e1@posting.google.com...
Does anyone have experience with building wooden kayaks
from kits? I'm thinking about a Stitch and Glue plywood
kayak. If so, do you have a recomendation on a good kit
manufacturer. And how difficult is it really? The ones
that I have looked at say 40 to 60 hours plus time for
staining and painting. Is this accurate? Are they good
Kayaks when completed? Any input would be helpful.
Thanks
JimJim,
I've researched this a bit for myself. I have found
at least 4 kit makers
that send you parts and instructions for
US$699-835.
San Javier @ http://www.woodenkayak.com
(707) 781-3435
Chesapeake Light Craft @ http://www.clcboats.com
(301) 858-6335
Roy Folland @ http://www.royfolland.com
450 458 0152
Pygmy @ http://www.pygmyboats.com
360-385-6143
Differences that I found: Ches
makes all kind of boat kits. The others stick
to kayaks and Pygmy also makes a canoe kit. SJ,
Ches and Roy
Folland includes hatches and bulkheads, Pygmy leaves out
deck fittings ($13), hatches and bulkheads ($59) but gives you
a nice thermarest seat cushion, San Javvy makes you buy
the Epoxy $180 and deck fittings $55 separately. All make
narrow and wide singles. Ches boats seem to run a
bit on the heavy side. San Javier boats run to as
low as 35 pounds for an 18 footer! Expect to pay
$100 or more for a rudder if you think you can't live
without it. You can add a rudder to most kayaks after
you've sailed it and found you need it.
Decks: Pygmy uses 4 piece decks, i.e., you will
count 4 panels from port to starboard; San Javvy
uses a two piece deck fore and aft of the cockpit and
goes to one piece at the bow and stern; Roy F and Ches
use 1 piece decks. I spoke to Roy and he says his decks
are not "tortured", i.e., bent in more than one
direction to form the deck. Ches uses tortured
decks, which could make boat building a woodworking
project with sweat and tears. With any of these kits you might expect to do a bit of woodworking.
Hulls: Roy F and San Javier use hard chine hull
design, so if you look at the hull from the front of the
boat you see a nearly flat v-bottomed hull with the sides
of the hull rising suddenly to form an angle of 100-110
degrees. Pygmy and Ches let you choose from hard
chine or multi chine hulls. Go to the Pygmy site to learn more about hull design. San J boats also have a
fixed skeg and graphite mixed in with epoxy on the hull for dragging the boat up on rocks, sand, etc. All four kitmakers provide sheets of fiberglass for the outside of the hull and strips for the joints inside the hull. Pygmy gives you fiberglass sheets for inside the hull and the deck as well--the website tells an anecdote of a customer's Boats falling off a car at highway speed and surviving the tumble with only cosmetic damage.
Hulls II: Marine grade plywood comes as 4 mm thick
4x8 ft sheets, so the kits come with hull pieces which
you must join. San Javvy and Ches use scarf joints
wherein pieces overlap one another--for the joint to end
up with the same thickness as the rest of the stock, the
edge of the wood at the joint gets cut to eardrum thinness
as I understand and tapers to 4mm. Pygmy uses butt
joints, shoving and gluing the edge of one piece to the
edge of the other, and using a piece of wood or
fiberglass to reinforce. Roy F uses a finger joint
to bring panels together and claims superior strength to
any other method. Do these matter during
construction? I might find either the butt joins or
the finger joins the easier to put together. Do
they matter when the boat hits the water? I don't
know.
A very knowledgeable kayaker friend said he paddled a 14
foot pygmy and said it was fast! It oughta be at
only 32 lb. Still, the extra length of a 17 footer
might more than counterbalance the 7 extra lb.
If it comes to the $$ here is the breakdown:
San Javvy Single $600 + epoxy $180 +deck fittings
$55 = $835 . from
Petaluma, CA
Chesapeake 17 $699 from Maryland
Pygmy Arctic Tern $669 + deck rigging $13 +
bulkheads/hatches $59=$741 from
Wash state.
Roy Folland Sea Wolf $725 from
Quebec
Add $40-70 s/h to all prices depending on your distance
from the shipper.
I will probably buy a kayak from Roy Folland or Pygmy.
Jeff
|
--- Jeffrey Wong wrote:
> Joe,
>
> Thanks for emailing me. Your wife got my email
address right!
> I just ordered the Sea Wolf after having spoken to
Dale Beatty, who bought a Thunderbird double from Roy. I
made my choice due to the finger joints--probably a
stronger joint than the butt joint and scarf joint
offered in other kits, but more importantly, an easier
and quicker joint if cut precisely. And, when I want a
tippy boat, I'll get one from Pygmy or San Javier.
>
> Have you completed construction on your boat?
> Have you completed painting/varnishing?
> Have you had your boat in the water, yet? If so, do
> you feel that the Roy Folland website made good
paddle size recommendations (I ask because he > specs
a 240 cm paddle for paddlers over 5'8" and my
> 5'10" paddler friend with his 22" wide
boat likes his 214cm paddle)
>
> I only needed to know about any hints that I might
find helpful, if the instruction book omitted anything.
Anything else, I'll just email or phone Roy Folland. I
got the impression that Roy would assist in the event
that any confusion arose from his instructions.
>
> Does the instruction book offer suggestions on
painting/varnishing?
>
> Jeff |
From : Joe Mattinson
<joe_mattinson@yahoo.com>
To : Jeffrey Wong <jeffreywong@hotmail.com>Congratulations
Jeffrey, you haven't gone wrong. The plans are extremely
detailed and Roy Folland is very helpful if you ever have
any questions. Plus, the boat paddles beautifully.
The kayak is very strong; you're right about the
interlockiing joints. They are precision machined so that
when you assemble them they will be perfect and are very
strong. The hull and bottom sections are all precision
machined as well for a perfect alignment. There are
numerous ideas that Roy has incorporated in the kayak
design that I was very impressed with.
I've actually built two now, one that I've been paddling
for over a year. I have added a rudder since I first
built it though. I find a rudder is an advantage when the
wind and waves gets heavier.
I think a 230 or 240 cm paddle would probably be better
than a 214. However perhaps you could borrow and try a
few of different lengths after you've built the kayak but
before you decide finally on a paddle.
There are 2 manuals, one with diagrams, the other with
detailed instructions. They are well written and I found
that every word is important. Yes Roy does discuss
painting and varnishing.
Good luck, keep in touch!!
I did make some comments for a friend who also built one
that I will dig out and forward to you.
|
