> I would like to build an ocean kayak but need to watch my budjet. I know
> that there must be a place where I could pick up a complete set of plans
> for building one (including layout) for not a lot of cash (or pref. free).
> Can anyone help me?

Look at the review of The Strippers Guide to Canoe Building, by David Hazen at www.amazon.com for my expanded comments on this book. Around $18 plus a few bucks for shipping.

The book comes with full size plans for several canoes and two kayaks (three if you stretch one of them as mentioned in the text). The text is a very complete instructional guide and includes ideas and rough plans for rudders, sails, and paddles. (the drawings are there, you can change the measurements to suit your needs)

It is an older book, written when polyester resin was the common choice for boat building, so you'll want to ignore the comments on resins (unless you opt to go with polyester over epoxy)

Nick has free plans for a stitch and glue kayak on this board.

If you are thinking of maximum savings the place to cut costs may not be in getting the cheapest plans. Instead you may want to get plans for the boat that will go together fastest and with inexpensive materials. A boat that does not need to be sheathed in fiberglass would save you about $100 (or more) over one that needed a glass and resin exterior and interior. That points to stitch and glue construction, or skin on frame.

As I recall, George Putz says in his book that you can build a boat to his design (skin on frame) for $200 to $250, and I think that is a pretty close estimate. Figuring about $40 for forms (reuseable if you build more than one boat) $60 for the lumber and hardware for the frame, $100 for the skin fabric and $50 for paint and varnish you come out to $250. If you have scrap for making the forms, (save $40) and get a deal on lumber for the frame (chop down a tree and cut your own?) and can find a good deal on good paint, or opt for cheap paint instead (save another $35 probably) you can cut the cost to around $150, with most of that going for the fabric for the skin. (Don't skrimp here, get good stuff. It will be your major cost. Budget for it.) Clark Craft has several pages of designs for cloth-covered kayaks in their catalog ($5 for their plans catalog. Their materials price list is free, and it has a very good grade of heavy duty canvas for kayaks -- thicker and stronger than the #10 duck I've seen in fabric stores -- and at a good price. They charged about $30 for a set of plans for most of the fabric covered kayaks, last I checked).

With stitch and glue there are several plans that use inexpensive lauan plywood instead of okume. You'll need fiberglass tape and about a quart of epoxy resin to fillet and reinforce the seams, but in many designs you can then just put on a few coats of marine paint to finish things. The obvious camparison here is: Is it worth it to spend $30 to $70 for plans for a boat that does not use a lot of glass cloth and resin, or to build with ``free'' plans if they require you to cover the entire boat with glass cloth and resin?

Most plans specify how much lumber is required. Some designs are strange lengths as they are designed to get the most out of a small number of sheets of plywood. A boat you can build from 2 sheets will cost less than one that requires 4 sheets. If you can get by with a shorter boat, you'll save $.

Best of luck on your building project.

Paul G. Jacobson