Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ever wanted to build a kayak, but didn’t know where to start? Well, fear not! This article will walk you through the process of constructing your own dream kayak. You’ll also find tips on what tools are needed and how much is involved in the building process. Let’s get started!
The first step is finding out which type of kayak you want to build. There are many different styles and designs that can be constructed by using plans from MyBoatPlans.com
.
For instance, if you enjoy fishing or hunting then one style may be more suited for your needs than another would be. If you’re looking for something more recreational that is easy to transport then there are some really cool boat plans available as well.
Can You Really Build Your Own Kayak?
A question I often get asked as to whether it is feasible to build your own kayak. The answer is an unequivocal yes! Not only is it feasible but with a wide variety of step-by-step kits available, building your own kayak can be relatively easy—even fun!
Building a boat is often seen as too hard of an undertaking to undertake. However, if you are willing to try your hand at it yourself not only will that save money but give you greater knowledge on how exactly the craft was made.
One of the most important decisions you will make will be the consideration of materials. If you want to end up with a high-quality kayak, you have to start with the same fine materials you would use in the construction of a full-sized boat.
For best results, find a guide that will walk you through each necessary step to build a kayak in bite-sized chunks. MyBoatPlans.com is one of the more popular plans out there for the construction of high-quality kayaks. Best of all? The plans are super cheap, which lets you splurge a bit on materials. After all that is what is the most important element here.
Choosing which construction method to use, such as plywood boat-building methods or a conventional wooden plank model is crucial. If you are a novice and looking for more of a challenge in building your own watercraft then the choice may be clear but if not it’s important to consider what type of craft will fit best with the desired application and waters that can cater well for its intended purpose.
How Much Are Wooden Kayak Plans and Materials?
For a boat that will seat one person, you can build it out of plywood and make it seaworthy for under $700 in materials. There are several ways to do this, all with different compromises in weight, durability, and aesthetics. If you are willing to shop around for deals in lumber, this figure could be dropped by about half.
What does your kayak need to be able to do? Where will you paddle – lakes only, rivers only, or both? How much storage space will you require? Will it track well or will tracking ability be an afterthought? Are you planning on doing any sea kayaking?
With these answers in mind, you’ll have a much better understanding of what type of kayak will best suit your needs.
Some terminology: A kit is usually home-made and pre-cut, but can also sometimes be purchased with some cutting required. Kits include materials (plywood, plastic), instructions, and often parts such as screws or bulkheads. Plans are only the drawings, usually requiring all work to be done by hand. You may want an experienced paddler’s help when starting out – if so, this goes into the overall price along with tools & workshop time.
Cedar Strip vs Plywood Kayaks?
The main difference between building a cedar strip vs plywood kayak is, you guessed it, the type of wood you will use for the bulk on the kayak. Cedar strips are usually about 1/4 inch thick and you will need to glue three or more of the cedar strips together to make one thickness for the hull.
Plywood is available in 4X8 sheets, which contain layers of wood that consist of different species running crossways. The advantage of using plywood is its uniform thickness, lower cost and greater material selection if an unusual shape is desired.
Where do I buy my Cedar Strips?
Cedar strips can be purchased from several companies on the internet. You can also check your local area for a boat builder who may have some leftover materials on hand they are willing to sell at a substantial discount. The most common size strip used by kayak builders is 3/4 inch by 5 1/4 inch (see photo below). There are several other common strip widths as well. To see what lengths and types of cedar strips that companies carry, just search the web for “cedar strip kayak kits.”
Plywood Material Issues
Lumber yards sell only rough-cut lumber which is not considered good enough to make a wooden boat with because its grain often runs perpendicular to the intended direction of your boat’s hull. If you buy rough-cut lumber, you will lose anywhere from 20% to 30% of your original purchase price in wasted wood due to knots and bow or crook (grain running at an angle). This can be a costly mistake so it is better to have it milled at a local milling shop to the exact size and thickness that you need. Most kayak plans call for 1/4 inch thick marine plywood, but I recommend 3/8 inch instead because of its greater durability – especially if you will be transporting your boat by car frequently.
You can purchase marine-grade plywood by the 4X8 foot sheet at home centers or lumber yards, and have it cut into smaller pieces at a local milling shop such as Home Depot or Lowe’s (always measure twice!). If you are purchasing your wood locally by the sheet, make sure to remember any extra material costs (cuttings) so that you don’t get short-changed on your total material cost.
Another consideration to take into account when purchasing sheet materials from either place is how many of the sheets that you will be receiving actually have usable wood in them. I call this “garbage factor.” Often these lumberyards and home centers get cheap or damaged materials back, so they need to sell them at a discount. The end result is sometimes that over 20% of your purchase can be unusable plywood flotsam. Be sure to ask about this before buying! Or if you think the price seems too good to be true, then it probably is!
Do you need boatbuilding experience to build a kayak? No but are going to need the write tools.
What Tools Are Needed To Build a Kayak?
Aside from your newly found boatbuilding skills, you will need a few tools to build a kayak. First and foremost you will need a kayak building workbench. You can build one yourself, but a simple table from the local home center can also do the trick.
Tools include:
- Saw (skill saw or hand saw)
- Sander (disc sander such as Fein Multimaster is nice, but sandpaper also works)
- Screwdriver set for wood
- Diagonal wrench #15 and 3/8 inch open-ended wrenches.
For beginners to woodworking to professional boat builders, these are the most common tools that you’ll need but don’t be afraid to ask around at your local library or woodshop if something specific comes up that you’re not sure what tools are needed to accomplish.
The only special tool I recommend getting – especially if building more than one boat – is a router. The purpose of the router is to cut accurate and clean matching grooves into your strips so that you can glue them together as panels for your hull. If you don’t have a router, then I recommend building your kayak without any rabbet joints (groove on the outside edge) which require a router if used in larger kayaks.
What Kind of Wood Glue Is Best?
There are many different types of exterior-grade glues such as polyurethane or epoxy. Some people prefer using PVA (polyvinyl acetate), but epoxy has been around longer, gains more strength when wet than when dry, and is more flexible overall with less chance of delaminating (separating) if you are building a multi-panel boat. I would recommend using an exterior-grade epoxy.
Special Note: Epoxy can be dangerous to work with unless used properly! It is a two-part liquid that must be mixed together in equal parts before it hardens into a solid plastic. If you mix too much, then it will continue to set even after being applied, so use only the amount of glue that you need for each specific task – don’t “stockpile” your epoxy resin just in case you might need more later on.
Kayak Plans: MyBoatPlans.com Boat Plans Review
When it comes to building a safe and seaworthy kayak, all boat plans are not created equal. Some may work for you, while others might not. It is critical to use the correct boat plan with step by step guide if you want it to be successful; this is especially true for beginner builders who lack experience with complicated instructions and tools. One of the most popular detailed plans for kayaks out there is MyBoatPlans.com.This is especially true if you are a visual person as you get 100s of pages of boat building guides.
The boat plans offered by MyBoatPlans.com are created by Martin Reid, a Master Boat Builder and Member of the American Boatbuilders Association (ABA). Martin has over 17 years of boating experience that began as a child when, with the help of his father, he built his first small boat.
His interest in boat building was rekindled as an adult, but his first few attempts ended in frustration. Luckily, he eventually met a master builder who taught him valuable information about the craft. After years of experience, he discovered his innate knack for drawing up buildings plans and began to share these successful designs with others. On MyBoatPlans.com, the author shares this knowledge with you so that you don’t have to experience the same frustrations that come along with an unsuccessful design.
Most boat designs are not easy to understand and can leave you with unfinished work. MyBoatPlans.com can help save you from having to do re-work through its clear, concise boat plans laid out in an easy, step-by-step format. You need not be a master boat builder to be able to put these instructions to use for you. In fact, these plans are so simple, you can start building your dream kayak today, even if you have no experience!
MyBoatPlans.com offers a full collection of easy-to-follow boat plans for the price you could easily spend on one kayak plan. They have a giant collection of over 500 boat plans, with multiple kayak types and styles.
Why waste time scouring the Internet for boat plans, risking wasting time and money on the wrong one and having to start over? Use MyBoatPlans.com to get it right the first time!
MyBoatPlans.com: Mini Review
MyBoatPlans is a comprehensive collection of 500 pages worth of boat-building guides for different types of boats from kayaks to a bonafide cabin cruiser. This really is the ultimate solution for building a quality product whether you are a newcomer or an established builder. I just bought the entire package of vital boat building strategies and this is my review on the product:
The product offers blueprints for over 518 boats and video lessons on boat building all with step by step instructions and detailed information on what you need to do as well as construction costs. Martin Reid offers a simple, efficient, and user-friendly system to construct boats in multiple styles. MyBoatPlans deals with 500 different boat designs, including simple canoes and kayaks to cabin cruisers.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Below are some of the points I was really impressed with.
A Huge Range of Boat Plans To Choose From
There are many different boat types, each with their own selection of blueprints and plans. Sailboats, skiffs, canoes, kayaks, houseboats, paddle boats, yachts are just some types of boats you can build. They all containing multiple plans for these boat varieties and more along with the material lists you need to shop for parts. This is onof the best value sets of plans out there.
Several Kayak Options
Some examples of kayaks that you can create with these plans include:
- Blue Bill Kayak/Canoe – 13 foot kayak and canoe combo
- Canvasback Kayak – Great little kayak
- Folding Kayak – Folds like a book; Can be carried on the roof of your car
- General Kayak – Folding kayak
- King Canvasback – Lightweight kayak
- Northwind Kayak Boat – Flat-bottom, cruising kayak; 19-foot
- Plyak – Small, plywood kayak
Comprehensive Instructional Video Library
The 45+ videos on boat building explain all of the steps in the entire boat building process from start to finish. This is great for beginners who want easy-to-follow video guides on boat construction. There are also videos on how to fix boats and boat design calculations which are both great for professional builders.
Detailed Instructions with Color Photos
I appreciated the number of color photographs and diagrams that are included in his manuals. Pictures make understanding things I am learning way easier than reading paragraphs. I am super confident I will be able to build a kayak using these documents. The amount of full-color pictures
you get is super impressive and better than what I have seen with top-of-the-line boat design software. In fact, I would rather use this than an online tool or some of the other top-quality design software offers I have been.
Money-Back Guarantee
The 60-day money-back guarantee is very generous. This is unheard of for an electronic “info product.” I like seeing a merchant who stands behind their product 100%. It provides a customer with the peace of mind that they will not lose any money if they decide to not use the system.
Bonuses
One of the best features of this product is the assortment of bonuses that come with it. You get a FREE boat designing software, a book on boat construction tips, and the boat-builders handbook which is a great resource in and of itself.
Cons
– Less than 20 kayak designs
I would like to see even more kayak designs and plans. When it comes to options, more is better. I would especially like to see more styles and designs for fishing kayaks. However, the basic kayak models look good and I am looking forward to getting to work building mine!
Here is a link to the official website that has offered different plans along with some great bonuses at a discounted price.
? Visit MyBoatPlans Now for the #1 Boat Plan Program on the web!
You will get instant access to your very own boat plans once you purchase.
Conclusion
MyBoatPlans.com provides a plethora of boat plans with a full range of capabilities in a comprehensive package It is suitable for beginners as well as seasoned builders alike. It offers great value for money considering the one-time price you pay for such an extensive system. This is true whether you are going to build a kayak or another type of boat. If building boats for a living is on your bucket list, this boat plans program can help with that also.