Hey Kurt,

Buy Christopher Cunningham's new "Building the Greenland Kayak" or Robert Morris' "Building Skin on Frame Boats".

I'm just starting a Greenland style SOF using scrounged wood, and I'm foreseeing that I'll probably have about $60 in it when I'm done, mostly for buying fabric for the skin.

These boats only take 40 or 50 hours..you have very little to lose!!

: Greetings: I have never given much thought to SOF yaks, but there is so much
: discussion of them here that I cannot help but think there must be a
: reason for it. Yes, a spark has been loosed in my head! So what I would
: like to know is where best to get a primer on the SOF yak for the rank
: beginner.

: Some specific questions, if'n I may: 1. I want a true sea kayak, but not very
: badly. That is to say, not enough to sink hundreds of bucks into a project
: (I build all my own toys). Are they really cheap to build? How cheap is
: cheap?

: 2. What keeps 'em from heading straight to the bottom upon first contact with
: an oyster shell?

The skin "gives" pretty well.

: 4. Do I have to get a sewing machine, and learn how to use it?

Nope. Hand-sew the seam at the deck.

Shawn