Following a nice touring kayak trip in the Venice laguna, Italy, I am yet contemplating the idea to build a wooden kayak based upon a kit.
I have a small experience of kayak river touring, but the Venice tour is my only experience at sea.
So, I think to build a stitch and glue plywood kayak, having some experience of such process while I have built one Gavin Atkin Mouse.
While not completely decided, I am leaning toward a ‘hard chine’ model instead of a multi-chine.
I am a small (167 cm - 5’ 6”) and light (63 kg - 140 lb) man, so a standard 17’ size kayak shall be a bit too large for me and I am researching a slightly smaller (16’) kayak.
As there is very few proposal for this equipment in Europe (I am french), I intend to buy it in north america, which is higly favored by the money change.
I am in search of a quite complete kit, for the simplicity of supply (it is preferable to have only one oversea shipping). It may also save me money because european prices of the resins and fiberglass are much higher than in north america.
Based upon the above, I have decided to make a comparison table, based on the info I can get on the Internet (manufacturer sites, forums, personal websites)
Some items do have quality judgments (-: bad, to ***: good). This is my subjective judgements.
Please note that on some sites, data may be difficult to find, so there can be mistakes in my table.
| Company
| CLC boats
Contact
| One ocean kayaks
mail
| Pygmy boats
mail
| Bear mountains boats
mail
| Waters dancing
mail
|
| Company location
| USA, Maryland
| USA, MA
| USA, WA
| Canada, Ontario
| Canada, Alberta
|
Size range
hard-chined
| 14’, 16’, 17’, 18’
Chesapeake
| 14.4’, 16’, 17.5’
Cirrus
| 14’, 17’
Arctic tern
| None
| 16’only
Anuri
|
Size range
multi-chined
| Different models, Matunuck, West river, sea island sport, Night Heron S&G.
| None
| 13’, 15.8’, 17.5’
Osprey & others
| 17.3’, 18.2’
| 12’,14’,16’,17’,18’
|
| Deck type
| Curved, beveled or both, depends from the model.
| ‘Beveled’
***
| ‘beveled’
***
| Vee
-
| Beveled
***
|
| Structure
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fiberglass cover
Hull Ext/In ; Deck In-Ext
| Depends from the kayak model. Ask CLC.
| */* ; */*
| */* ; ?/*
| */* ; */*
| */* ; -/*
|
| Plank joint
| Traditional scarf or butt, ‘puzzle’ layout, (depends from the model)
| Butt, ‘puzzle’ layout
***
| Butt, straight
| Butt, ‘puzzle’ layout
***
| Butt, ‘puzzle’ layout
***
|
| Hull/deck joint
| Sheer clamp or stitch (depends from the model)
| butt + internal fiber strip (not easy to do) and external fiber
| butt + external fiber
| Sheer clamp
| ?
|
| Pre-drilled holes
| It depends from the model
| *
| - ?
| *
| ?
|
| Internet site
| Good presentation of kayak use
| Technically very good
|
|
| organisation improvable. More data exists than you suspects, lacks building photos
|
| 3 views drawing
| side and top only
| *
| side and top only
| *
| side and top only, not for all boats
|
| Technical boat data
| *
| ***
| *
| **
| -
|
Boat purpose description
(touring/sport/game)
| ***
| *
| *
| -
| *
|
| Manufacturing description and tips
| Here
| Here
| Here
| Here
| Here
& Here(canoe)
|
| Builders forum
| Here
| -
| -
| Here
| -
|
| Kits
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Basic kit
| *
| *
| *
| *
| -
|
| Complete kit with fiberglass and resins
| *
| -
| *
| *
| *
|
| Accessories (foot brace, padddles, skirt, lines, etc.)
| *
| -
| *
| *
| ?
|
| Varnish & Paint
| *
| -
| *
| -
| *
|
| Conclusion
| While they have a large boat choice and good site presentation, there are many differences between their boats and you need to ask to know. Some are real composite structure, others are only wood covered with fiberglass.
| Probably the best technical site, but they do not propose complete kits.
| Propose real composite boats, but does not have choice as boat size, esp. one who fits me.
| Insufficient choice.
| Only one size for hardchine model. More choice in multi-chines
|
It is quite surprising that basic data like an end view are not shown on most sites. In some cases (CLC), it is difficult to know if the boat is hard-chine or multi-chine. Photos of the hull bottom are rare.
The weight are not always told, and it is not always precised what is included in this weight (with or without seat, hatches, lines, foot pegs).
Basic structure data like the parts which are fiberglass covered and the manner of joining deck and hull is not always clear.
Contoured butt scarf is a neat and simple idea with a negligible cost when done on CNC machine, but only used by two manufacturers. Also, few manufacturers are doing pre-drilled holes, which can be done quite fastly by a CNC machine.
I consider needed to cover all surfaces (deck and hull) with fiberglass, so creating a real composite structure, and not a wood part reinforced with fiberglass. In addition to the strength, this looks more simple to do than reinforcing individually the chines and as it does not drive to a weight penalty, that is for me the way to go.
The existence of a builder forum may help the builders (only CLC and bear mountains do have one).
Not all the kits are comparable in contents. You may add options on some kits to compare prices.
Basically, the kits contents or options you needs are
- Wood parts
- Manuals, litterature, DVD’s
- Fiberglass, resins and accessories (wood flour, pumps, mixers, syringes, gloves, etc.) - beware of the quantity (resin and fiber)
- Seat bottom parts(to be cut on demand, premolded, etc.)
- Seat back (belt, form, etc.) and thigh braces
- Foot pegs/braces
- Knee braces
- Bulkheads
- Screws (if needed - for sheer clamps)
- Hatches components
- Lines and belts
- Paint/stain and varnish - Epoxy dislike a lot UV, so this *is* needed
You also may need, if this is your first kayak
- Skirt (beware of the sizes !)
- Paddle
- P.F.D
Please note that things which might be presented as options might be compulsory in some countries (bulkheads and lifelines)
Hard-chine vs Multi-chine : the manufacturer explanations: Pygmy boats, Waters dancing
Deck-Hull junction: This is the delicate part of kayak building. Miscellaneous solutions are proposed, from stitching with external reinforcment, careful gluing with syringes with sometimes internal reinforcment (difficult!) or a sheer clamp. The last solution is probably the simplest to do while giving good strength, but there is some weight penalty and the long term durability of screws is questionable (localized stress and rotting). One manufacturer (Bear mountains) estimates that the weight penalty is below 16 oz (450 g) because you need anyway a reinforcment in this area. You shall decides if this penalty is acceptable considering the simpler assembly.
So, I am leaning towards buying a one ocean kayak Cirrus LT.
While this company does not have a complete kit nor accessories, which shall takes more supply time for me and more money, this is the only company with a kayak which fits my small size and with good technical info and proposal. There is no user forum but their site is the one which have the largest technical info.
Others manufacturers sites:
Absolute kayak Canada : 2 sizes hard-chine: 17.3’ & 18.8’, small company
Newfound woodworks USA: 2 models 16’ & 17.2’ , not many details, looks more inclined toward strip kayaks
