: I recall seeing a whitewater kayak on George Robert's website, don't recall
: if it was strip or plywood.

: There aren't a lot of plans for short kayaks around for strip construction. I
: was looking for a 12-14 foot recreational kayak plan last year - there's
: really nothing out there. I ended up "borrowing" the lines from
: a plastic boat (12.5' Walden Vision) to build the hull, making some
: changes because cedar strips do not flex as easily as plastic can be
: molded. I designed the deck myself, using measurements from other boats I
: used to determine deck heights for knee, foot, and back areas to allow
: proper clearance, and yet be easy to roll. Basically ended up with a
: touring hull and a whitewater deck. A friend has a Perception Pirouette,
: and it looks like the hull would be easy to duplicate in strips. The deck
: needs to be modified somewhat to get the stips to conform.

: Some warnings: I think the reason there aren't many designs for short stip
: boats available is that they are difficult to build. Because of there
: length, they must also be wider to carry the same amount of weight - a 12'
: boat with a 21" beam would need a periscope to carry an average size
: person. This means more curvature of strips over a shorter distance. If
: you try to build one, have some wood screws handy - staples will not
: suffice. My boat ended up with about 2 dozen screw holes in it. You might
: be OK with an older whitewater style boat (11-12' length), but the more
: radical designs (7-9' length) is probably inadvisable.

: Also, whitewater conjures up images of rocks. Not the best areas for wooden
: boats. Yes, strip boats are strong - given the right fiberglass layup. But
: constant confrontation with rocks? The boat may survive, but the varnish
: will need frequent work if you want to keep it looking good.

A short boat isn't had to build. One of the reason's I started strip building was because I wanted to build a whitewater boat for myself. Most whitewater prototypes are strip built. you can make a WW stripper but need to use a more complex lay-up and S-glass etc. Get Charlie Walbrdge's "Boatbuilder's Manuel"

I never built my own WW stripper. I'have plans for a WW kayak but the problem is who wants to put out plans and get sued by the builder's relatives when they find the body?

Good Luck!

Rob