Boat Building Forum
Find advice on all aspects of building your own kayak, canoe or any lightweight boats
I could buy a set of used kayaks -- which seems to be roughly $400+ each based on what's available around here...or..
I could build a set of stitch and glue kayaks, which would give me epoxy and glass practice come the day I decided what would be our dream boats. Based on what I've read, it seems these can be built for about $500 each. So the first question would be is this a reasonable estimate?
My wife's usage would be most likely calm lakes and rivers with the occasional ski boat wake. I'd be tempted to take on the shores of the Great Lakes in calmer weather.
I may have already suggested this - I tend to get discussion threads confused at times- but another alternative if you can afford it (time and money) would be to take some professional classes/courses where the boats are supplied. Then you both will have more skills and a better idea of what kind of boat you want. Don't repeat the mistake I made years ago - building first, then getting skills later.
The used kayak market may be cheaper in your area, but I haven't seen a $400 used boat that I'd want to paddle on the Great Lakes. What used boats are you seeing in that price range?
For a beginner, I'd recommend a Pygmy S&G kit (I've built a couple)...though they may seem expensive, I don't think you can build a similar S&G boat for much less unless you have excellent local sources for materials. I also prefer the Pygmy designs to most of the CLC offerings, some of which seem very dated (flat curved decks nailed to sheer clamps??). I've built a few S&G projects from scratch using offsets and it is much much easier if you have CNC-cut kit panels to work with- another consideration if you are thinking of building from plans.
Make sure you put bulkheads and waterproof hatches, and good deck lines and end toggles on your boats - they aren't 'optional', IMO.
It's the expert paddlers who can jump into anything and make it perform; those of us with fewer skills are the ones who need the good boats! ;-)
Messages In This Thread
- Strip: Hello, and a question
Paul Russell -- 7/7/2014, 10:37 am- Hello, and a question
Paul Russell -- 7/7/2014, 11:17 am- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Rob Macks/Laughing Loon CC&K -- 7/7/2014, 11:56 am- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
John Messinger -- 7/7/2014, 12:24 pm- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Marc Upchurch -- 7/7/2014, 1:13 pm
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
JohnAbercrombie -- 7/7/2014, 1:10 pm- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 7/7/2014, 4:38 pm- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
JohnAbercrombie -- 7/7/2014, 6:52 pm- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
JohnAbercrombie -- 7/7/2014, 7:05 pm- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 7/8/2014, 12:52 pm- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
JohnAbercrombie -- 7/8/2014, 1:09 pm- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Bill Hamm -- 7/10/2014, 8:19 am
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
John van burden -- 7/7/2014, 1:25 pm- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Paul Davies. -- 7/7/2014, 3:50 pm- Hello, and a question
Paul Russell -- 7/7/2014, 4:17 pm- Re: Hello, and a question
Bill Hamm -- 7/8/2014, 12:11 am- Re: Hello, and a question
John van burden -- 7/8/2014, 8:43 am - Re: Hello, and a question
- Re: Hello, and a question
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Mike Bielski -- 7/8/2014, 9:36 am- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
John Faas -- 7/8/2014, 1:08 pm- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
John van burden -- 7/8/2014, 1:41 pm
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Etienne Muller -- 7/8/2014, 1:32 pm- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Mike Bielski -- 7/9/2014, 7:38 am- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Rob Macks/Laughing Loon CC&K -- 7/9/2014, 9:10 pm- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Mike Bielski -- 7/9/2014, 11:34 pm- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Rob Macks/Laughing Loon CC&K -- 7/10/2014, 10:29 am- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Mike Bielski -- 7/10/2014, 11:12 am- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Rob Macks/Laughing Loon CC&K -- 7/10/2014, 12:32 pm- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Mike Bielski -- 7/10/2014, 12:49 pm- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Paul Davies. -- 7/10/2014, 3:58 pm- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Etienne Muller -- 7/10/2014, 4:33 pm- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Rob Macks/Laughing Loon CC&K -- 7/10/2014, 5:37 pm
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Bill Hamm -- 7/13/2014, 12:55 am- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Mike Bielski -- 7/13/2014, 1:49 am
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
- Hello, and a question
Paul Russell -- 7/8/2014, 3:58 pm- Re: Hello, and a question
Bill Hamm -- 7/9/2014, 1:20 am- Re: Hello, and a question
Marc Upchurch -- 7/9/2014, 10:47 am- Re: Hello, and a question
John Faas -- 7/9/2014, 6:07 pm- Re: Hello, and a question
scottbaxter -- 7/9/2014, 11:19 pm
- Re: Hello, and a question
- Re: Hello, and a question
- Hello, and a question
Paul Russell -- 7/10/2014, 10:39 am- Re: Hello, and a question
JohnAbercrombie -- 7/10/2014, 12:06 pm- Hello, and a question
Paul Russell -- 7/10/2014, 12:22 pm- Re: Hello, and a question
JohnAbercrombie -- 7/10/2014, 12:45 pm- Hello, and a question
Paul Russell -- 7/10/2014, 12:56 pm- Re: Hello, and a question
Marc Upchurch -- 7/10/2014, 1:21 pm- Re: Hello, and a question
JohnAbercrombie -- 7/10/2014, 1:27 pm- Re: Hello, and a question
Marc Upchurch -- 7/10/2014, 2:53 pm- Re: Hello, and a question
JohnAbercrombie -- 7/10/2014, 4:54 pm- Re: Hello, and a question
Marc Upchurch -- 7/10/2014, 5:23 pm- Re: Hello, and a question
JohnAbercrombie -- 7/10/2014, 6:54 pm
- Re: Hello, and a question
- Re: Hello, and a question
- Re: Hello, and a question
- Re: Hello, and a question
- Re: Hello, and a question
JohnAbercrombie -- 7/10/2014, 1:21 pm- Re: Hello, and a question
Marc Upchurch -- 7/10/2014, 2:57 pm- Re: Hello, and a question
John Faas -- 7/14/2014, 1:39 pm- Re: Hello, and a question
JohnAbercrombie -- 7/14/2014, 2:35 pm
- Re: Hello, and a question
- Re: Hello, and a question
- Re: Hello, and a question
JohnAbercrombie -- 7/10/2014, 1:00 pm - Re: Hello, and a question
- Hello, and a question
- Re: Hello, and a question
- Re: Hello, and a question *PIC*
Etienne Muller -- 7/10/2014, 4:44 pm- Re: Hello, and a question
JohnAbercrombie -- 7/10/2014, 5:04 pm- Re: Hello, and a question
Etienne Muller -- 7/10/2014, 6:14 pm- Re: Hello, and a question
JohnAbercrombie -- 7/10/2014, 10:18 pm- Re: Hello, and a question
Dan Thaler -- 7/11/2014, 6:02 am- Re: Hello, and a question
ancient kayaker -- 7/12/2014, 8:06 pm- Re: Hello, and a question
Etienne Muller -- 7/13/2014, 10:02 am
- Re: Hello, and a question
- Re: Hello, and a question
- Re: Hello, and a question
- Re: Hello, and a question
- Hello, and a question
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
Donovan -- 7/14/2014, 4:03 pm- Hello, and a question
Paul Russell -- 7/15/2014, 12:02 pm- Re: Hello, and a question
Donovan -- 7/18/2014, 9:20 pm
- Re: Hello, and a question
- Re: Strip: Hello, and a question
- Hello, and a question
