: I'd love to see those plans! Is it something like the boat the scouts
: used to build?

: Tom

Tom,

I used to send these by e-mail, but now I have them posted on a website. There are two pages, so you'll need to download two files.
http://www.buildakayak.com/boat%20plans/yak1.TIF and http://www.buildakayak.com/boat%20plans/yak2.TIF

These files are in the .tif format. Your browser will probably display them on your computer screen, but they may be too difficult to read at that size. If you save them, and import them (as images or artwork) into a wordprocessing program, most wordprocessing programs will let you resize them. At worst you'll get them at 100%. Originally they were about 5.5"x 9.5", so if you make your image as large as a full sheet of paper (with nominal margins) what you print out will be a slight enlargement over the original text, and much easier to read.

I usually caution people that these plans are over 50 years old, and some of the materials and construction techniques described have been replaced with better ones. For example, these instructions call for attaching the plywood panels to a wood frame made of chines over frames. To seal the joints and seams they used "gaskets" made by soaking strips of canvas in "white lead" paint, something which is no longer available due to health reasons. This was basically an oil-paint base which was mixed with a heavy concentration of the common white pigment of the day, lead oxide. (The nearest direct replacement would be any exterior oil-based paint.) Lots of screws were used to squeeze the plywood panels tightly to the chines so these paint-soaked gaskets would be tightly compressed and seal along the seams. Plans from other boat-uilding projects of that era frequently called for similar gaskets made from cloth soaked in waterproof glues, or marine varnishes. You can do better today.

Modern house-caulking compounds, and construction adhesives are sold in convenient caulking tubes. Layng a bead of such a material along the joint line will give a neater, faster, and better seal. Polyurethane construction adhesives, such as PL400, or others in that family, will fill large gaps and have such great adhesion that some boats are being made with them. Using something like that you'ld need far fewer screws.

And, of course there is the "old standby", epoxy, which was in its infancy when these plans were published. A mix of epoxy and something to thicken it a bit (even baking flour or sawdust will do) smeared along the edge of the chine before attaching the panels will seal all the seams. Or, if you prefer, build the boat with no glue and a few screws. Then go over the full length of those exterior seams (and the heads of those screws) with 3-inch-wide strips of glass cloth soaked in epoxy resin. Where the plans call for painting the boat with marine enamels, (which was good in the day when these plans were made) you can put on a superior protection by coating all surfaces of the plywood with coats of epoxy resin, protected from UV degradation by a couple coats of an exterior varnish.

The boat the Scouts have been building is made from plywood pieces which are joined with srips of canvas. The wide, flexible joints allow the boat to be folded flat for transportation and storage, but the hull shape is closer to that of a long oval than a conventional kayak shape. The picture on the first page of the plans shows the overall appearance of this boat. A lot of people don't bother looking at page 2. They want a kayak which looks like, well, like a kayak. That is a shame, for this appears to be a functional, inexpensive, and easily constructed boat. The plans show how to make adaptations for boats of 8', 10', 12' or 14' lengths. For lighter scouts the 8' length is best as it does not require scarfing plywood to obtain longer lengths. That saves time, and the cost of the materials. For the scout leaders the longer versions are better as they have greater speed (so the leaders can keep up with the kids) and greater displacement, as the leaders tend to weigh more than the scouts.

You can find one version of THOSE plans at: http://www.buildakayak.com/boat%20plans/KAYAK.DOC

There are at least two other sites I've seen which were posted by scout troops. These have essentially the same plans for free, and there are several more which will be happy to sell those same plans to you for $10 or more.

Hope this helps.

PGJ