: Hello all. I have very much enjoyed this terrific board and want to thank
: everybody in advance.

: Ok so here is my dilema. Ive got to buckle down in September and begin
: studying for a professional exam. I promised myself that after I finished
: college I would build myself a boat and I really really want to. The
: problem is now that Ive got the space (new porch) Im not sure if Ive got
: the time left. I was considering building a Walrus and have the terrific
: book by Putz. Being that I live in Arizona I fear for the safety of this
: boats hull in our lakes around here, lots of sharp rocks and submerged
: trees to mess it up. So today I was considering buying another book titled
: "The New Kayak Shop", which has plans for a stitch and glue type
: kayak that sounds pretty good.

: So I need honest opinions, how long does it take most people to build either
: of these boats while still holding down a job, family, and normal
: responsible guy type of obligations? Ive been dreaming about building a
: boat since about mid way through college and cant wait to begin. If it is
: imposible to complete such a project by September then I will wait so I
: can do it right. So I really do appreciate everybody's opinion.

: Thanks again to all who contribute to this terrific board.

: Kirk

There are seminars that build skin on frame kayaks in a weekend (some of these are Baidarka styles) so it can be done in 3 eight-hour days, or 24 hours. You might consider looking for one of these seminars and planning a vacation around it. There was a designer in Nova Scotia who had a course that lasted for a week. You spent part of the day building and the rest of the time vacationing.

Some wooden boat designs can be completed in a week, as well. Again, there are seminars where a group of people would typically build one or two boats in that time. At the end of the seminar it is common to have a drawing and award the completed boat or boats to the winners. Great idea if you want to learn the skills and don't mind only a 1 in 8 chance of having a boat.

There is always the exchange of cash for time. If you can afford to buy a kit with all the pieces cut, then assembly time will be shorter than if you must draw plans, research suppliers, buy materials, cut parts and so on.

The Walrus design by Putz can be built in plywood in about as much time as other plywood boats. Check with Mike Hanks for details on how long it took him. If you use the wood chines to join your plywood panels -- instead of using fiberglass tape and resin -- you could save some time.

If you are in a hurry to complete a boat, then the Putz design is a good one. You can get almost everything you need from the local home center store, or your fabric store.

If the fabric hull covering seems a bit less durable than you like, you can later go back and cover the frame with inexpensive lauan plywood. This way you get a boat that is fast and cheap to build and you can armorplate it later.

Get my figures for plotting the dimensions for the Putz frames and you can build them cheaper and faster.

You will still need Putz's book for information on form spacing and the location of the sheer chine, which defines the height of the side of the boat.

There are two sheets with specifications for the two boats described in the book. The URL for the 17 foot Walrus is:

http://www.geocities.com/eureka/business/7882/walrus17.htm The URL for the 18 1/2 foot walrus is:

http://www.geocities.com/eureka/business/7882/walrus18.htm These should be easily readable on a full browser screen, and should print out neatly so you'll have a hard copy, should you want one.

I'm strongly considering using a precoated fabric for such a boat. McMaster Carr has several PVC coated polyester fabrics at reasonable prices in 60 or 61 inch widths. you need to order even yards, so figure on getting 6 for the 17 footer, or 7 yards for the 18 1/2 footer. While the cost of such material is more than unfinished canvas, you'll not need to buy boat paint at $20 a quart or roof sealant at $20 a gallon, so the overall cost is pretty close -- and of course you won't need to spend time applying several coats of the paint or sanding it. Plus, the PVC-coated cloth can be heat sealed or solvent glued to form strong, watertight, seams and joints. Check www.mcmaster.com and search for "heavyweight polyester fabric". Buy the heaviest weight material offered.
Or, check out Campmor ( www.campmor.com) and search for their waterproof 11 ounce cordura fabric (search for "cordura cloth 11" or "Tent repair"). This stuff is much stronger than coated canvas and should be able to shrug off most encounters with submerged rocks and sticks.

Hope this helps.

The sooner you get started building the sooner the boat gets finished.

PGJ