Strip Built

I'm about to start building the first boats in my new shop. I'm going to exhibit at the Maine Boat Builder's Show and I need some boats to bring to it.

In this workshop Nick will demonstrate the details of strip-building a kayak or other small boat. The details of what is covered will depend on what people are interested in.

Plans Now Available

In July I finished up the prototype of a new canoe design. The Nymph is a 10' long by 28" wide solo double-paddle canoe. It is designed for paddlers under 150 lbs and the prototype weighs about 15 pounds.

A stitch and glue boat will typically use three or four sheets of 4mm Occume marine plywood. With careful cutting you may be able to be more efficient.

One of the biggest benefits to building a small boat with narrow strips is how accessible it is. While it looks intimidating, taking a bundle of small strips and wrapping them around a set of forms really is a matter of patience and not one of specialized skills.

Building a kayak using either the strip-built or stitch-and-glue method is within the means of most people who want to do it. Neither method is particularly difficult for anyone who is willing to take the time required.

Here is a step-by-step overview of the process of building a strip kayak as described in my book. The bulleted links are to videos showing the process.

Strip-building - assembling a pile of thin wood strips into a functional hull - has been a popular canoe-building method for many years.

To build a striper from scratch you the minimum tools needed:
Table Saw or Band Saw, (Not required with the kits)
Jig Saw
Block Plane,
Thin Kerf Hand Saw,
Jack Knife,
Sanding Blocks.
A selection of clamps