: A few weeks ago I posted a pic of a kayak that we were considering for a
: project for our troop. We presented a couple of prototypes to the troop
: last week. There is quite a bit of interest (no big surprise there!), so
: we are moving forward with that project.

: I had said that I was a little concerned with the wide beam and had ordered
: the Fast Touring 15 plans from Clark Craft. The consensus of the troop was
: to stay with the simpler, wider kayak. My oldest son wanted one of the
: Clark Craft boats rather that the one the troop is looking at.

: With three boys in the troop, I am a little concerned about being able to
: help my sons while helping the rest of the troop. So … I decided to build
: 3 of the CC boats over Christmas break. We have the ribs cut out and are
: almost done sanding them to final shape. Today and tomorrow (morning – I
: guess there is some holiday coming up) we are cutting the strips. Friday
: and Saturday are for building the frames. I would like to get these 3
: covered in canvas by Jan 4. We’ll see, that’s a lot to do.

: Steve
Steve,

Please clarify, I'm a bit fuzzy on one point, do you mean you are helping your three boys make their CC kayaks over the break, then help the troop with their kayaks afterward? Does this also mean your kids will have two kayaks each?

Second (serious) question, what plywood did you choose? I know the plans for the roomy open double 15' calls for 3/8" BS marine plywood (I am guessing the 15' fast touring also calls for that kind of plywood?). I had planned on using 3/8" Finnish Birch plywood, but can't source it locally in sheets larger than 24" x 30" and am considering a couple of suitable alternatives. The one problem with exterior grade plywood is that the plys are very thick (not to mention it is typically warped), I prefer the thinner and more plys of the Baltic/Finnish birch plywood and am considering taking two sheets of 1/4" ext. ply and gluing them to make one 1/2" ply with 6 plys vs. 3 for typical 1/2" exterior ply. Unfortunately, that will also make my boat heavier.

Thanks,
Paul