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Exceptional Designs for DIY Boat Builders

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  • Boat building video

    Boat Building Video

    Nick Schade has made over 100 videos showing almost all aspects of building small strip built boats

  • Small Boat Plans

    Small Boat Plans

    Guillemot Kayaks specializes in design small boats for DIY boat builders

  • The Strip-Built Sea Kayak

    Instruction Books

    Nick has written the definitive books on using the strip-built technique to build kayaks and other small boats

  • Small Boat Kits

    Small Boat Kits

    We have teamed up with Chesapeake Light Craft to provide complete kits for our boat designs

Guillemot Kayaks specializes in small wooden boats that are light enough to transport on the roof of your car. We sell plans for do-it-yourself boat builders, offer complete kits, teach classes, and build fine custom boats.

Browse Our Boat Designs

On these pages you will find information about designing, building and using kayaks. This is not meant to be stuff that only pertains to Guillemot Kayaks but is useful for anyone interested in kayaks and kayaking, and actually much of what you will find here is useful for other small boats including sailboats and row boats.

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Information

  • Products and Services
  • FAQ
  • Kayak Design
  • Boat Building - Making Kayaks, Canoes, and Small Boats
  • Kayaking Technique
  • Kayaking Trips

Nick's Blog

Petrel Play in Surf
What is a Sea Kayak?

Tradition

The articles in the late great print magazine “Sea Kayaker” featured articles of people doing multi day expeditions to far exotic places. Today’s legendary kayaks became legendary because of the legendary expeditions to remote shores in which they were used.

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Preview image for the video "Impressions of the Turning Point Boat Works Petrel Play".
Translating a Wood Kayak into Fiberglass

People associate me with wood. I understand, they see me paddling wooden kayaks, the wood is the most obvious difference that draws people's attention and they assume that the wood part of the equation is what I'm interested in. But I make kayaks because I am interested in kayaks.

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Preview image for the video "Staining the Recess - microBootlegger Sport - E30".
Staining the Recess - microBootlegger Sport - E30

Pre staining the cockpit recess so it will match the rest of the boat.

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Boat plans
Plans Price Increase

If you received my last newsletter, it will not be a surprise that we are raising our plans prices. We have held our prices constant for the past 15 or so years, but over that time the cost of printing has increased by over 50% and other business expenses have also increased.

Read More
veritas mini shoulder plane
RoboBevel Tool Prices and Shoulder Planes

Starting a Small Manufacturing Business

One of the things about operating as a small business is, you don't know how your business will operate until you start doing it.

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Read More Articles

Recommended Products

  • High Deck Night Heron Sea Kayak

    Night Heron - High Deck

    The same as the regular Night Heron but with more leg room
    Learn More
  • microBootlegger Runner down wind fast touring sea kayak plans

    Runner

    A fast, rough water, touring sea kayak
    Learn More
  • microBootlegger Recreational Tandem Kayak

    microBootlegger

    A modern take on a double paddle canoe
    Learn More
  • Ganymede Easy Plywood Kayak

    Ganymede

    A simple yet functional recreational kayak
    Learn More
  • High Deck Hybrid Night Heron Sea Kayak

    Hybrid Night Heron - High Deck

    A beautiful hybrid for taller paddlers
    Learn More
  • Coot Wood Strip Pram Dinghy

    Coot

    A cute little wooden dinghy
    Learn More
View More of Our Products

Upcoming Events

  • Building wood strip boats

    Fine Strip Planked Boat Building @WoodenBoatSchool

    Jul 9, 2023

    If you want to build a lightweight, rugged, and beautiful small boat, combining thin strips of wood with epoxy and fiberglass will make a cartoppable, low-maintenance, and gorgeous vessel. Nick Schade has been building strip-built boats for over 30 years.

    Read More
  • Sea Kayaking in Maine

    Learn to Kayak @WoodenBoatSchool

    Jul 16, 2023

    Join Nick in Brooklin, Maine for "Family Week" at the WoodenBoat School for fun and adventure while learning the basics of sea kayaking. With over 40 years of kayaking experience, Nick is an accomplished kayaking instructor and coach. 

    Read More
  • 2023 Schoodic Sea Kayak Retreat

    2023 Schoodic Sea Kayak Retreat

    Sep 10, 2023

    Join Guillemot Kayaks and Sea Sherpa Kayak On Some Of The Finest Sea Kayaking On The Eastern Seaboard

    Co Presented By Boat Designer/Builder/Instructor Nick Schade Of Guillemot Kayaks And Open Water Coach Gerry Polinsky Of Sea Sherpa Kayak.

    The annual Schoodic Sea Kayak R

    Read More
Learn About Other Events

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