> Question No. 1: the subject of cold molding has showed up here recently.
> sounds interesting--anybody have any sources to recommend?

> No. 2: What kind of cost range should one expectfor a skin on frame boat?

> Thanks, Tom

1. You might buy the plans Clark craft has for sale and read the notes, if any. the other information I have on this was for building sailboat and powerboat hulls from multiple layers of plywood. The principles are the same, but the materials, and I am sure the techniques, are going to be a lot different.

2. Putz says in his book $250. Mike just built one and got it right on target, with enough surplus supplies to build a second one for less. I already have a lot of surplus laying around, and I'm, umm, frugal. Yeah, not cheap, frugal. I priced it out as low as $160 for the 17 foot single.

On the high end, but still reasonable, are the classes that supply you with building materials, a place to work, and instruction over anywhere from a weekend to a week. There are baidarka workshops (look toward the west coast for these) and I believe Greg Redden has workshops in Nova Scotia. If you look, you'll find some of these listed in magazines. Costs seem to range from $800 to $1200.

A few big plusses here: You generally end up with a finished boat by the end of the class. (A project done at home might drag on for years. Trust me on this.) Tools you would never use again in a lifetime are already on hand for you to use. Materials, tend to be first rate. Some things, like sheets of fabric reinforced vinyl, or hypalon coated nylon might be difficult to obtain in the small quantities need for building a single boat. The instructors should keep you out of trouble. You`ll have company while you work alongside other builders, which keeps things from getting boring. Those other builders will probably become friends you will go paddling with in the future, too.

Somewhere in the middle of this price range are kits you can seek out and buy. At the way high end are the foldable boats which you have to assemble before use. Top of the line seems to be boats made by Klepper, which are way expensive to purchase, but have a reputation for a very long life, which makes them hold their value literally for decades. I have friends who inherited their Klepper and are going to pass it on to a 3rd generation in a few years.

Kleppers, and other brands of folding boats have a tremendous advantage in longevity: When you fold them up, or pack them into bags and store them in your closet they are away from the destructive heat and UV that boats stored outside have to deal with.

Hope this helps.

Paul G. Jacobson