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should my first kayak be a home build?..

It is an interesting discussion, absolutely!

For me, I guess I figured I am too impatient to have a home build be my first boat.. I still hope to build a boat from scratch sooner or later, but that will definitely be all about the building experience, without the anxiety of wanting a boat on the water. For now, I'm fixing up this old stitch and glue boat (and learning valuable lessons for whenever the opportunity of a scratch build presents itself) and will most likely buy another boat in the next couple of months that is more appropriate for the kind of paddling I want to do..

If I could dedicate all of my "hobby" time to boat building, it would definitely happen soon! But as it is, I have so many projects and different "hobbies" (some of them don't feel much like hobbies anymore) all going on at the same time, that I can't spare the distraction right now. It will happen at some point, but I wanted to get paddling my own boat a lot sooner than next summer, that's all :)
 
I know how tiago feels. I built a Pygmy single many years ago, which was fairly quick and easy, perfect for after work sessions and the odd full day on a weekend when I could squeeze the time. Later, after I retired, I built a double, also stitch and glue, because we wanted a double in time for summer. Both served a purpose, and each was eventually sold, partly so we could get the double we really wanted, which was faster and had a bit more capacity.

A 20 ft power boat followed, based on a frame kit, again to get us boating within a year or so of starting the build. It was made of plywood, which hastened things as well.

But, I had never taken a design from offsets through lofting all the way to finishing, so I adapted someone's SNG pram design to one using lighter hull material and a lightweight spruce framework, to form a nesting dinghy for the power boat. And, that was definitely the most satisfying building experience I have had. I learned a lot and ended up with something which fit precisely our needs. Here is a series of captioned photos detailing the process, for the curious: http://www.pbase.com/bartenderdave/tender
 
Astoriadave said:
I built a double, also stitch and glue, because we wanted a double in time for summer. ... was eventually sold, partly so we could get the double we really wanted, which was faster and had a bit more capacity.

I designed and built because there was/is nothing on the market as good. Has the speed, handling and capacity wanted. There is now one on the market that might be near enough but it weighs a ton. I used to carry the double up and down stairs solo while building it, including the "just about finished" state so it was a "reasonable" weight.

There was one other that used to be available as a kit here. A friend going to build a few years back tried both that and mine. After a near disasterous event (high winds and a capsize) he went to my design. That commercial one is also done in fibreglass and it is not a good boat as many will agree. So, yes, a good idea to know what makes things work.

Admittedly it does take experience to understand what makes a good design and at least one person has built CLC and realised why mine are different and has gone to my design and tweeked it a little to his requirements each time he builds another. Nick Schade's design just makes building a pain, may be OK as a kayak but too complicated for no gain. Older Pygmy are similar to CLC with the same problem, sides higher than necessary. However, Nick Crowhurst does a nice design, the Shrike and it is free on line.
 
tiagosantos said:
That Shrike is a nice looking boat! Thanks for the link :)

I dropped in a month ago to see Nick (in England). We had lunch and talked kayaks all afternoon. Basically our building and design approaches are similar. He gave me (knew I was coming) a set of plans, (hope this doesn't sound biased) and it looks as if I'm going to have to build one to add to the fleet, either that or find someone here (New Zealand) to build one.

I'd consider it a bit tight for expedition kayaking but a really nice day and learning (rolling) kayak.

Building differences - I glue the sheerclamps to the sides before mounting to force a fair curve. The building frame I use doesn't have supports for the sides as the bulkheads go in and the sides press against them making, I consider, the side pieces/supports on the building frame redundant.
 
Sorry for stepping in so late in the game, I haven't been lurking around here for a long time.

There's one point everyone else has been failing to mention here, Tiagosanto... once you paddle your first home build, you'll never stop wanting to build yet another. This is a well- known disease among kayak builders, and will eventually progress to the point of starting to plan the next build, as soon as, if not before, starting the current build.

I took a 1- 1/2 years off building kayaks, and am now down to 6 kayaks in my back yard, and one at work, but, as I also make bows and arrows, I admit to having 15 or 20 bows, lying around, and enough arrow to stage a midevil war.

My personal choice is skin on frame, since I made the conversion six years ago. Fuselage or traditional both work, the thing that set sof apart is the skin, and the flexible frame, so much so that you really can't compare the ride in a sof to any other "hard shell" kayak (do keep in mind that a s&g kayak is a fiberglass kayak, with plywood as it's core). I do own two plastic kayaks, and use them appropriately, i.e. when I don't want to cut through a sof, as in whitewater, or in case of submerged sharp metal objects, or clam beds.

Whatever the outcome though, just remember the caveat: "You can't build just one"!

David Mills
 
Are you suggesting forming a group, Kayakers Anonymous as opposed to Alcoholics Anonymous? The support group for those who have built more than X number of kayaks?

I've only built 9, barely enough to qualify.
 
Mac50L said:
Are you suggesting forming a group, Kayakers Anonymous as opposed to Alcoholics Anonymous? The support group for those who have built more than X number of kayaks?

I've only built 9, barely enough to qualify.

I don't really know, Mac.... alcohol is only an addictive substance, once you break the addiction, stopping the practice is fairly easy... but stopping someone from building more kayaks, when the absolutely perfect one hasn't been made? Now there's a real challenge... may not be possible! :lol:

Oddly enough, true to karma, number thirteen was stolen, just before I started the varnish... I chalked it up to fate, and am now somewhere past twenty.
 
:D

I think I am thankful that I simply have too many hobbies/projects and a job that requires me to work long hours regularly... I'm sure I'll end up building a kayak sooner or later, but for now I'm just enjoying the time on the water whenever I get a chance!
 
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