> I have finally made the decision to take on a winter project of building a
> strip kayak.

Good for you! but don't be disappointed if it is not finished by spring. These things are enjoyable when done at a leisurely pace, and after you get about 20 strips on the forms you get seduced by the beauty of the wood and start spending extra time just staring at it -- amazed at how beautiful your work is.

>Reading through this board (and the archives!) has greatly
> boosted my confidence in my ability to actually build something that
> floats!

A popsicle stick will float! You are going to be doing MUCH better. You boat will not only float, but it will arry your weight, and that of your gear, for many years and many more miles. Unlike that popsicle stick it will have two separate seamless, leakless, fiberglass-reinforced plastic shells surrounding the stout core of your woodwork.

>I have read Nick's book, watched the "HomeGrown Boats"
> videos and just got Ted Moores' book (Needless to say I am an information
> and research junkie). With all of this input I have decided to build, for
> the most part, using Nick's techniques (i.e. the internal boxbeam as
> opposed to the external strongback). I am planning to build the Great Auk
> as I am both a novice woodworker and a novice paddler.

> My questions at
> this point: 1) is it worth it to buy the premade forms?

The choice here is between time and money. If you are short on money you make your own forms from offset numbers that you graph out on paper, or directly on the wood you plan to cut the forms from. If you have a computer you can print out full size form patterns -- although with most printers you end up pasting a lot of pages together. Or, you pay a bit more and buy full size patterns. With any of these three methods you spend the time it takes to cut out the forms. For those who want to tinker with a design this is the only way they can do so -- and so they do. For those who like a design and want to build the hull without changes, *using* precut forms is a very good choice.

But -- The question you had is whether *buying* them is worth it. You need to answer that by consulting your schedule, calendar and wallet.

An aside -- I have a suggestion for Nick and any others who sell precut forms and also sell their plans. You guys are nuts! Depending on how you price the plans and forms, you end up competing with yourself, and confusing builders. Lease the forms! Get a deposit equal to the sales price and refund half when you get those forms back. The final price should be about the same,or maybe less than the paper patterns. Your forms business will increase even if you get a slight drop in pattern sales. You can reuse those forms a dozen times, replacing damaged ones as needed. The person leasing them gets forms that are to your specs, your cost per form is less, and you have some idea of how many boats are being built by counting the numbers of returned sets of forms. and if the forms are not returned you get more cash upfront. Bank half the income from form sales religiously (you will need to refund this eventually) and the interest on this bank account will be enough to fund your research and development efforts, or vacations ( is there a difference here?)

>2) I don't have
> the tools or the patience to make my own strips but don't know how many of
> what types I need (i.e. full length, half size for accents, no bead and
> cove on some etc). How to I determine this before I place an order?

The plans should give you a close idea of how many strips you will need. My rule of thumb is that you want a minimum of 7 full length strips to help with aligning the forms, and as starter strips. Using more full length strips is faster than using shorter ones, but the difference in time is not that great. Shorter strips are easier to store, trim, and otherwise handle. If you only buy short strips you can scarph some of those to make the minimum 7 full length strips.

Accent strips can be any length (as needed) and can be the same width as your regular strips, or narrower. You could even make them wider, for that matter! A lot depends on the design you have in mind. Actually, nobody ever said that you NEED accent strips.

If you buy strips from a boat kit supplier you will probably get bead and cove strips by default. If you want square edges you use a plane and shave off the excess wood where necessary. Cedar is soft and easy to work. The level of difficulty is similar to that of sharpening a pencil.

If you do not have the tools or time to cut the strips yourself you might check around to see if you have friends who can help you out. Check your phone book for "Millwork" companies, and the back of your local newspapers for ads for independant carpenters. Simply ripping strips is a simple job thatany of these can do. It is a matter of explaining what you are doing and asking what it would cost.

It takes an hour or two ( for a novice) to cut them, so you should agree on a reasonable price for their time and wear and tear on their saw. You buy the wood and bring it to them. Or, let them select the wood. Sometimes professional carpenters have access to wood stocks that are not available to amateurs. A few BBS contributors have written on their experiences with getting long, clear, tight grained wood from demolition projects -- almost for free! A local carpenter just may have a few cedar planks left over from the last deck project, and be willing to give you a good deal. Make a few phone calls.

Actually I get this tip from my cousin who is working with a friend who has carpentry skill. After talking to his friend, my cousin not only got him to cut the strips for one boat, but for two! The friend got hooked and is ALSO building a kayak.

A millwork may make bead and cove strips for you, but it is unlikely to be cost effective as it will be a small job and a custom setup. Mail order may be cheaper. But for simple square-edge strips they may give you a competitive price, and even plane them to pretty colse tolerances. A carpenter may give you a better deal but if he does not also plane them then you will have a little more sanding. This is not a big deal, but again you juggle time versus money.

You leave with lots of strips, and a plastic bag or two of sawdust. (It is dusty work, so bringing a 12 pack of cold beverage for afterwards as a suitable tip for whoever does the cutting.)

3) Is
> the Great Auk a good choice (mostly flat water lakes with some potential
> for overnight) and

Since this is not your first question I am assuming you have already decided on this design and just want some reassurance that you have made a good choice. You have made a good choice. Of course, compared to a native craft made from animal bones and walrus skins ANY wooden boat has a huge advantage: In the hot summer sun it won't smell like unrefrigerated leftovers.

4) Any advice for "selling" my wife on the
> need for more tools! Thanks everyone for a terrific board and I'm sure I
> will be back with more questions as I actually get into the project.

> Rick

Don't sell her on one boat. Sell her on two boats! If this doesn't go over well, you can always compromise on one. The tools you will need are minor costs in the constuction of these boats. A stapler has household uses, so don't include it in your "kayak" tools list. Beyond that, hand tools like a handsaw a simple wood miterbox, and a plane are reasonably priced.

You'll need an electric sander. Selling just that one tool is prety easy. Don't rush to buy it. Build the hull, and let her help sand by hand. After an hour you will both be so disgusted that she will probably drive you to the hardware store to buy one if you merely mention it.

I include the costs of tools used with the fiberglassing with the costs of the clth and resin. Many of the tools are cheap and disposed of after use. You will go through a certain number of rollers, brushes , mixing cups, and plastic gloves, so get used to the idea that these are just operating costs, not 'investments' in tools.

My cousin went shopping for two kayaks for him and his wife, and is now building one for himself. I suspect he'll build another one when the first is finished. Why? Two words: Sticker Shock. A new sea kayak is well over a thousand dollars. Shop around, add on sales tax, and you might find two for just under $3000. Build two that are the same, and you cut, or pay for, one set of forms. And you rip strips just once. So your time and costs for the second boat are reduced considerably. Take the wife to the store (or get ome catalogs)and let her see how much $$$$ you will save. That would be Cdn $$$$$$, so if you look at prices in a Canadian catalog these things look even MORE expensive, and building them seems more of a bargain.

Best of luck with this project.

Paul G. Jacobson