Here are some books from my personal skin on frame library
Petersen "Instruction in Qayaq Building"
Zimmerly "Hooper Bay Kayak Construction"
Zimmerly "Qayaq"
Dyson "Baidarka"
Golden "Kayaks of Greenland"
Morris "Building Skin on Frame Boats"
Putz "Wood and Canvas Kayak Building"
Snaith "Umiak" - Not kayaks, but their bigger cousins
Brand "Little Kayak Books - Vol 1-3"
Cunningham "Building the Greenland Kayak"
Heath and Arima "Eastern Arctic Kayaks"
"The Lost Art of a Man's Life" - Has a chapter on building a paper canoe (it was my inspiration 13 kayaks ago).

I've built a few versions of the Putz kayak. It is based on a 1923 article in the "Rudder" by Norman Skene. He built a truss style version of a Greenland kayak that he surveyed and published in "Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America" The Putz plans has some discrepancies from Skene's plans. Skene's disign is a sweet handling kayak that tracks well and is VERY responsive to edged turns. It is a little wide for my taste at 22", so I made one closer to the dimensions of the original from Greenland. The truss construction is brittle, but less intimidating than steam bending (which really is easy).

I've also used Cunningham's book. It was inspired by Petersen's book, but has a lot of extra building tips, and jigs for everything. The two kayaks that I built that were inspired by this book turned out great. There is enough flexibility in building from Cunningham's book that you can customize to get what you want out of the kayak you build.

Reading all of these books has given me a lot of knowledge of skin on frame kayaks. I have used the Yost method and love the quick and easy building, but I really enjoy the traditional style with bent ribs and coaming. I enjoy customizing each piece of wood, lashing the frame and sewing up the skin. It is great having an idea in your head, and building to that idea without formal plans or drawings.

: Merry Christmas and happy new year to all. I got some gift cards to BN book
: store for Christmas and got some books. I preorderded Nick's new book and
: picked up 2 more. I was intrested if someone could give some review. They
: are Wood and Canvas Kayak Building by George Putz and Building the
: Greenland Kayak by Christopher Cunningham.

: I have built 2 canoes and 3 strip kayaks and got 2 more in the shop. I would
: like to read up before I go skin on frame. I am also intrested in books
: that others have found helpful.

: lots of thanks to all Clayton P.