: Let me give a little background before I ask the question. I am a 17 year old
: Scout from PA. Senior Patrol Leader, etc, etc. I am currently in the
: planning stages for a graduation project that I need to do to complete
: High School. One thing that scouting has taught me is a love for boating,
: and being on the water. I had the chance to try out Kayaks about 2 years
: ago, fell in love, and have rented, etc, every chance I have gotten. For
: this project, I need to "Learn" a large amount, to satisfy the
: requirements. ALthough I already have a decent knowledge of water, from
: experience in Canoes, Rafts, Rowboats, sailboats, and others, I have never
: had much in terms of builing or woodworking. This is where I decided that
: it would be great to build my own kayak. It's also something my dad has
: always wanted to do, so I have support from family as well.
: So the Question becomes: after looking at Guillemot, Chespeake Light Craft,
: Pygmy's and more, I am still not sure as to what would be a decent
: beginning craft. Was looking for a sew and stich, and the first that
: appealed was the Chesapeake 17, but I obviously do not have enough
: experience to make a proper judgement. I need something that will provide
: a large challenge, but at the same time also be possible to build. I was
: hoping that if anyone has any ideas on this issue, they could either post
: here, or e-mail me.

: Thanks,
: Tom.

Hi Tom,

I am one of the many here who wish they could go back in time and discover kayaking and kayak-building at your present age!

I did not see any mention of whether or not you have a budget to adhere to, but at your age I had to save my pennies. So, I would agree with Mick's post about a skin boat. I just built the Alaska Recovery kayak that he mentioned, and for my first building experience it was 'just challenging enough' :> The information needed to build this particular kayak was found in Sea Kayaker Magazine, October 1998 edition, I believe.

Using the information I was offered here, as well as that provided by some of the 'members' here on their personal web pages, I was able to build the kayak, an 'authentic-style' paddle, and make the sprayskirt from scrap material, all for around $200. Now let me point out that I live in Japan, where prices are MUCH higher than in USA, so your final cost would be less. If you were to combine some sort of 'eco-study element' into your project, and scrounge at least some of your materials, as did the Natives, then costs would decrease accordingly. By scrounging, I do not necessarily mean beachcombing for driftwood; you could probably get much of the needed wood from construction sites etc. by ASKING for any scrap.

As already mentioned, Harvey Golden's site is an incredible wealth of info.He has a photo under which there is a caption mentioning one of his kayaks as a school project. He may be able to offer some advice on how he tied it all together, or, looking back, how he wished he had done!!

You have been offered much great advice by many here on this BBS. Good luck to you with whichever option you decide to take.

Kelly