Resting on a large rack in the backyard of my Gulf Islands home are three kayaks, of which two are made of wood. I built them myself from kits in my living room. Yes, you read that right, I built kayaks in my living room (I was single at the time) and after paddling in them for several years, I can honestly say I will never go back to a commercially-built fiberglass kayak ever again.
I own two wooden kayaks, but have built three. The third I assembled for a friend who was intimidated by the potential woodwork involved. This is the one issue that holds people back from exploring the "build your own boat" experience. In fact, the creation of a wooden kayak from a kit requires little in the way of woodworking talent. It requires only patience, and a love of meditative activities such as seemingly endless afternoons of hand sanding.
Why are wooden kayaks becoming popular?
Why are wooden kayaks becoming more popular for both experienced paddlers and novices alike? Easy, the bottom line is the price tag. A quick trip to a kayak shop last week told the story. The price sticker on a shining new touring kayak was between $3,500 and $4,000 (Canadian). The cost of a wooden kayak kit runs between $800 and $1,200. These kit prices are from the price list page on the Pygmy Boats website. The additional costs of building a kayak using a kit are your hours, unpaid hours building it., and a few extra sheets of sand paper. Did I mention there would be sanding?
A sense of self-satisfaction has been my experience with building boats. Putting a kayak that you have created yourself into the water for the first time and paddling away from shore is pure bliss. My kayaks attract attention. I am constantly stopped to chat about the boats on my roof rack. If you have any artistic flair in your genes the plywood panels make for a blank canvas to work with. I have seen everything from inlays, woodstains and painting used to give the kayak a unique look. I even used a soldering tool to burn designs into the wood. Any decoration can be applied before the final epoxy coats and fiberglass cloth goes on. The wooden kayak therefore becomes something personalized, yours!
Do you have to be a skilled carpenter?
Not at all. I am a crafts person, and have some artistic talents but I would never consider myself a skilled woodworker, and I had never before handled fiberglass. Building a kayak was intimidating only for the first hours when I had the instruction manual open and had to measure out epoxy resin to begin taping panel A to panel B. The tools needed in kayaking building are a drill (preferably cordless), a pair of wire cutters or pliers, sand paper, and as many wood clamps as you can get your hands on. On average, the time it takes to build a woodie is about 90 hours, which is based on evenings and weekends spent on the build and epoxy drying times. Each of my boats took about six weeks to complete including all the extra artwork.
Do you have to buy a kit?
If you decide to build a wooden kayak, you have a choice of either buying a kit from a manufacturer or sourcing out the raw materials needed and building a boat from scratch. The scratch route does require a bit more time, effort and skills. Plans and patterns for kayaks are available all over the Web, but the materials needed can be hard to find, and can come at a higher cost than a kit. Alternatively, the kits come delivered to your door with all the glue, hardware and wood.
The wooden panels are pre-cut with precision and this is important because the geometry of how the wooden panels are cut determines the shape your kayak will take. A badly cut panel will not fit right and will affect how your kayak will handle. If you have the time and skills to lay out sheets of plywood and cut pattern pieces accurately, then try it. Most people will opt to buy a kit. Kits require less investment of time as all the ingredients are in the box.
Which kayak kit to purchase
As with buying any kayak, you should first consider what sort of kayaking you would be doing. Are you a day paddler, weekend adventurer, or seeking the wild life of kayak touring on multi-day trips? Are you tall, wide, skinny, short? Kayak kit manufacturers have several kits to choose from to accommodate any paddler, and their staff will guide you to the boat for you if deciding becomes tough.
I have built kayaks from two manufacturers: a Coho designed by Pygmy Boats in Port Townsend, Washington, and last year I built a kayak from a Canadian manufacturer, Waters Dancing, the Solace 16 XL.
Each of these companies is well known and I recommend them, but as of September 1, 2009 Waters Dancing has suspended kit sales in any market other than the Canadian market. There are more companies to choose from as well, so it is worth a bit of time surfing the net.
Pros and cons of wooden kayak ownership
As an owner of wooden kayaks for many years, I find it hard to say anything negative about them. Yes, you have to build them yourself but there is pride in completing the kit and paddling it for the first time. They attract attention wherever you go and they handle extremely well in all conditions. They do require a bit of care like any other wooden watercraft. Repairs are infrequent, and the annual touch-up of the varnish is about all I do.
A wooden kayak weighs less as well in comparison to a commercially-made kayak. Both of mine weigh in at 40 lb., and a fully fiberglassed kayak of the same length is up to 10 lb. more. That does not sound like much until you have to lift it onto your shoulder and carry the kayak any distance.
The question asked the most about the wooden boats is concerning their strength compared to a fiberglass, or Kevlar kayak. My answer, the wooden kayak is as strong or stronger. Remember, a fiberglass kayak is built with layers of cloth and epoxy where the wooden boat is the same, over a hardwood body. I have landed my wood-built kayak on rocks; they can take it.
Wooden kayak ownership takes paddling a kayak to a new level, one of pride.
David Barnes - Hi I'm Dave. About Dave I live on my beloved Salt Spring Island in the Southern Gulf Islands of British Columbia, Canada with my ...
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