Apparently vacuum pumps can be cheap and easy to build. The "Boatbuilder's Manual" ed. by Charles Walbridge has a section (11 pages) on vacuum bagging. Although the book is mainly about fiber-composite boat building, the info also works for woodfiber-composite boats. (The book is reportedly out of print but may be available used. Also try www.johnrsweet.com, they reportedly hold the copyright.) Pumps salvaged from refrigerators or car air conditioners are noted as home-made pump sources. You will need a bleeder valve and a vacuum gauge to be able to knowledgably control the amount of vacuum.

Much of the vacuum-bagging info in Walbridge was adapted from "Advanced Fabrication Techniques for Whitewater Boats" by W.A. Clark and Associates.

While searching for sailboat designs by Phil Bolger, I stumbled across a website for a "$20 vacuum pump" (www.berkut13.com/sucker.htm). The "Cheap Little Sucker" uses a compressor from a beer keg cooler. The webpage includes a picture, a diagram and some building notes.

Red Green would be proud!