: I see your point, especially when you compare the cost of the kit with the
: cost of the materials. Let's analyze this a little more closely: Cedar
: Strips (Newfound's price) 1200 linear feet @ $0.35/lf (red cedar) = $420.
: Forms (1/2" plywood - Home Depot) 2 sheets @ $25/sheet (good stuff) =
: $50 Plans (Depends on the source) = $50-100 Glass Cloth (4 or 6 oz, plain
: weave) 24 yards @ $5/yd = $120 Epoxy = $90 Seat, footbraces, rigging, etc.
: = $150

: So the cost of all the materials is around $900 for what is in their
: "full" kit. A 66% markup for cutting out the forms from the
: plywood, and putting everything in a box. Nice work if you can get it.

: So there is quite a bit of money to be saved if you just buy the strips from
: Newfound, and source the other items locally.

: I just ordered the strips for my next kayak from Newfound - got a bunch of
: the strips "on sale" - $0.25/lf for 3-4 foot pieces. Also paid
: regular price for some longer strips for the sheer, keel, etc. Cost less
: than $300 for all the strips for the entire boat (a 12.5' lake/river
: kayak).

Brian and Kenneth, we hope that the following information will clarify the misconceptions you seem to have concerning the products offered by The Newfound Woodworks, Inc. Please feel free to visit our shop in Bristol, New Hampshire. We would love to give you a tour and answer any further questions you may have regarding our company or our product line.

Newfound Woodworks’ Kits include many items. They are engineered so that a home boat builder can get right into the building process without the necessity of sophisticated tools. Experienced builders may opt for a limited portion of our kit. We pride ourselves in our experience and knowledge in stripbuilding and the quality of our kits. We build the boats that we create in kit form so that we can be knowledgeable and help our customers in their building adventure.

If you are price shopping, be sure to compare like items, “apples to apples”. Along with being of exceptional quality, supplies you may acquire from Newfound will be easier to use, more complete and are supplied for reasons based on experience in building. For example, our forms are made of MDF. MDF allows easy beveling of the forms, holds staples well, and doesn’t have voids. Plywood can have voids and may not hold staples well in the end-grain laminations. Particleboard does not bevel easily; it tends to crumble, but it does hold staples well.

The Newfound Woodworks supplies ¾” and ½” cove and bead strips of various species including Northern White Cedar, Western Red Cedar, Sitka Spruce and Spanish Cedar. We use ¾” strips rather than 7/8” to create a tighter radius around the hull. Creating a tighter radius minimizes fairing and sanding; that means less time spent grinding material away. When we built the Great Auk, we found that ½” strips were essential in the building process; the Guillemot has even tighter radii. Hard chines are much easier to achieve using ½” strips.

Visit the URL below to see a list of items, prices and detail typically included in a Deluxe Guillemot Kayak Kit. These are the exact materials we would include when offering a price quotation on a Deluxe Guillemot Kit. We encourage customers to look over the items and modify the list as they see fit. Many people enjoy the flexibility of choosing the contents (from the species and color of their strips, to the length of the strips to the accessories) of their personalized kit. The Newfound Woodworks’ “kits” offer an infinite number of different combinations of materials and tools used in the strip building process. We encourage builders to ask questions regarding our suggested kit contents, “Why do I need this item?” is commonly asked and answered with a concise, rational explanation. To sum things up, a “kit” from Newfound Woodworks, can be anything you want it to be…

As you can see by the list, a “deluxe kit” is extensive and complete. Based upon our experience, we consider these items necessary for a first time boat builder to build a Guillemot Kayak. Please note that this list includes items well beyond forms, plans, fiberglass, and epoxy. In addition to the kit items, Newfound’s customers have enhanced access to our strong technical support, which is based on years of building experience. We answer questions in a remarkably timely fashion by telephone and e-mail to keep the builder on the right track.

The contents of our “Kits” are continually refined; therefore it is difficult to publish pricing. We are constantly adding and changing items on the “kit” list to give customers the best materials and the best value. After all, innovation is the key to any successful project.

Michael