Connecticut Water Trails Association
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Connecticut Water Trails Association |
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Connecticut Water Trails Program Kayaking Basics
Different Styles Of Kayaks -
There are two major types of wooden kayaks: those you buy, and those you
make for yourself. A lot of people have found that they enjoy the time
spent working on their own wooden kayak. If you're one of those people,
then you should definitely check online for how-to guides and other
information about how to build your own kayak. If you're worried that
you won't be able to find accurate information online, then you can
check for books that have been written on the subject.
There are a few things that you should consider about a homemade kayak,
as well. In fact, if you have the time to build your own kayak, then
there are plenty of great reasons to do so.
The first reason is simply the cost. If you've been shopping around for
high quality kayaks, you'll know that most of them are very expensive,
especially if they are made out of fiberglass instead of just plastic.
By building your own kayak, you'll be able to make the one that you want
- and you'll only have to pay for the wood you use while you're building
it.
One disadvantage of wooden kayaks is that they require a lot of
maintenance. This is definitely a problem if you do not have a lot of
extra time on your hands - but if you have time to build a kayak to
start with, then you'll probably have enough time to do all the major
up-keep on it as well. There are also even some hidden advantages to all
the maintenance that you have to do - since you'll be able to do all the
maintenance yourself, and wooden kayaks can often be maintained just
like new while other types of kayaks will show wear and tear relatively
early on.
While all of the kayak materials are pretty sturdy, you should also note
that wooden kayaks (when made properly) are almost as sturdy as the
other types of kayaks. What this means is that you'll be able to take
your wooden kayak almost anywhere you'd like to go One thing you should keep in mind, however, is that most of the instructions you'll find on how to build wooden kayaks are meant to be recreational or touring kayaks. Even though wooden kayaks are fairly sturdy, you'll probably not want to take one on a whitewater racing course.
Building Your Own Kayak
Most of today’s wooden kayaks are available as kits to be home built.
There are a few that are available pre-built, but they are costly – above
$4,000.
There are two construction types for wooden kayaks - Stitch & Glue, and
Strip-Built.
Stitch And Glue
Stitch & Glue designs use quarter-inch thick pieces of marine-grade
plywood. These pieces are stitched together with copper wire. They are
stitched only temporarily, because the next step is to glue the pieces
together with epoxy and fiberglass. Then the stitches are taken out. Then
the boat is covered in fiberglass.
Strip-Built
Strip-built kayaks can be made in shapes like fiberglass kayaks. But they
can be lighter. The hull and deck are built with thin strips of
lightweight wood, often cedar, pine or redwood. They are glued together
around a form, stapled or clamped in place, and allowed to dry. This forms
a wooden shell, which is not inherently strong. The boat's strength comes
from a layer of fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin, inside and out.
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