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Rating: 
Summary: The New Kayak Shop
Review: I wanted to buy a kayak, but when I saw the prices for a light, sea kayak ($2000 and up) I couldnt beleive it. I looked into building your own kayak...found a company called Cheaspeake Light Craft..the kits were cheap...the boats looked great....could I do this having little woodworking experience? Well, with the help of this book, the answer is a resounding yes!!
Rating:
Summary: The New Kayak Shop
Review: I wanted to buy a kayak, but when I saw the prices for a light, sea kayak ($2000 and up) I couldnt beleive it. I looked into building your own kayak...found a company called Cheaspeake Light Craft..the kits were cheap...the boats looked great....could I do this having little woodworking experience? Well, with the help of this book, the answer is a resounding yes!!
Rating:
Summary: A valuable read for the novice boat builder.
Review: I'm planning to build one of Chesapeake Light Craft's Mill Creek kayaks this winter. I've been reading the CLC forums, the many customer web sites and the back issues of Wooden Boat magazine with articles on building CLC boats, but the most helpful read so far has been this book.There is a lot to learn about boat building, from techniques to vocabulary. This book will help you build a knowledge base to take on the project of building your own kayak. Thanks to Chris for this helpful guide!
Rating: 
Summary: Great book with only one gripe...
Review: My one gripe is that the plans included with the book are close to useless. They're on tiny paper, and need to be severely enlarged before they can be used. Other than that, this book is an excellent look at what goes into building a stitch and glue kayak. I've built a boat designed by this author, using only plans purchased through the resources listed in the book, and spent many hours on Long Island Sound, the Connecticut River, and the Texas Gulf Coast enjoying slipping silently through the water. The time estimates are correct, even for someone who is only moderately familiar with wood-working. His materials lists are complete, and the recommendations made are worth paying attention to. In my building, I went contrary to a couple of the book's reccommendations; in hindsight, I would have followed the book much more closely.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book that will help yo build a Beautiful Wooden Kayak
Review: This book is a complete presentation of what you will beed to do to build a stich and glue kayak, beginning to end. The designs in the boat are suitable for beginner and intermediate paddlers. People with even modest amounts of woodworking aptuitude will be able to build boats from this book if you can make the time and money committments, in my experience begin at 100 hours and $500. Tool requirements are modest, mostly hand tools, and are discussed in the book. I built another of Chris K's designs using plans supplied by Chesapeake Light Craft after reading this book. Note that you can get a great deal of additional information from additional sources. The Builder's Forum on Cheaspeake Light Craft's website - www.clcboats.com - contains a wealth of info about building these boats. Please note that CLC is the company that Chris K founded - he has since sold the company, and the current management continues to introduce additional designs. A very large community of CLC builder/owners provide feedback on building issues continuously. Another source - I found it helpful to purchase the full size plans for the particular design I wanted from CLC, which was not included in this book. More on designs below. For $75, you can get the plans and a detailed manual for the design you want. (Note that if you buy plans from CLC, you are entitled to their very good technical support via telephone and email). I found the plans useful, but you can build straight from this book. The boatbuilding forum on www.kayakforum.com also serves a large community of kayakbuilders that are quite ready to answer questions. Kayaks are like sneakers - they come in particular sizes to fit the paddler, and are designed for particular uses. There are plans for three designs in this book, but do be aware that CLC also has about 20 other kayak designs of various sizes and purposes in their line-up, so don't limit your options by sticking to the plans in the book if it is not going to be the best boat for you. That said, the three designs in the book are as follows: The Severn, a 14 foot, very light kayak for calm water use; the Chesapeake 16, a touring kayak that is probably CLC's most versatile design; and the West River 180, a faster, narrower, and less stable boat better suited for kayakers with some experience. Regarding the Severn, it is harder to build than other CLC designs. If you are interested in a flatwater boat, CLC's current Mill Creek 13 is more versatile and much more stable, is easier to build, and has a large cockpit opening. It is a great boat for beginners and fishermen. If you want a small decked kayak, their 14 foot Chesapeak design is a better choice. I do not think that the Severn ever developed much of a following. Plans for this boat are no longer published by CLC. The Chesapeake 16 is a good all around touring kayak, and has a lot of storage room. Be aware that is it a large volume boat and is sutiable for heading out loaded with camping gear. It works as an unloaded day boat, but not as well as lower volume kayaks. Plans for this boat continue to be sold by CLC, and many of these have been built to date. The West River 180 is a fast narrow, tippier boat that can cover a lot of ground quickly. It is, conversly, hard to turn. It is also one of the sleekest looking stitch and glue kayaks. CLC recently retired this design, replaceing it with the updated WR 18, which reportedly offers handling improvements. CLC holds free demos where you can try out their various boats. These are regularly scheduled in Annapolis, Maryland, and are occassionaly held in various other parts of the country seasonally - check their website for details. If you can't get to a demo, check out the CLC Owner's Club at the website to find a builder near you for the design you are interested - many folks would let you see or try the CLC boat they built themselves. Finally, if you are new to kayaking and kayak building, it is relatively easy to learn to build and paddle these boats. It is much harder to develop good judgement as to safety in various wind and water conditions. If you are new to this sport, please develop safe practices and judgement by taking lessons, joining a kayking club, and/or reading books dealing with the subject. "Sea Kayaker: Deep Trouble", available right here on Amazon, analyzes a number of sea kayaking accidents, including many fatalities. Amazon sells other good kayaking books as well. If you don't think that kayaking can be dangerous, or that it won't happen to you, you are in over your head, are at risk for mishaps, and owe it to yourself to get educated about how not to become a statistic. This is a great sport that is safe when practiced prudently, however, unfortunately, people die each and every year by being ignorant of the hazards. Happy building and paddling. Steve C
Rating:
Summary: Good Book that will help yo build a Beautiful Wooden Kayak
Review: This book is a complete presentation of what you will beed to do to build a stich and glue kayak, beginning to end. The designs in the boat are suitable for beginner and intermediate paddlers. People with even modest amounts of woodworking aptuitude will be able to build boats from this book if you can make the time and money committments, in my experience begin at 100 hours and $500. Tool requirements are modest, mostly hand tools, and are discussed in the book. I built another of Chris K's designs using plans supplied by Chesapeake Light Craft after reading this book. Note that you can get a great deal of additional information from additional sources. The Builder's Forum on Cheaspeake Light Craft's website - www.clcboats.com - contains a wealth of info about building these boats. Please note that CLC is the company that Chris K founded - he has since sold the company, and the current management continues to introduce additional designs. A very large community of CLC builder/owners provide feedback on building issues continuously. Another source - I found it helpful to purchase the full size plans for the particular design I wanted from CLC, which was not included in this book. More on designs below. For $75, you can get the plans and a detailed manual for the design you want. (Note that if you buy plans from CLC, you are entitled to their very good technical support via telephone and email). I found the plans useful, but you can build straight from this book. The boatbuilding forum on www.kayakforum.com also serves a large community of kayakbuilders that are quite ready to answer questions. Kayaks are like sneakers - they come in particular sizes to fit the paddler, and are designed for particular uses. There are plans for three designs in this book, but do be aware that CLC also has about 20 other kayak designs of various sizes and purposes in their line-up, so don't limit your options by sticking to the plans in the book if it is not going to be the best boat for you. That said, the three designs in the book are as follows: The Severn, a 14 foot, very light kayak for calm water use; the Chesapeake 16, a touring kayak that is probably CLC's most versatile design; and the West River 180, a faster, narrower, and less stable boat better suited for kayakers with some experience. Regarding the Severn, it is harder to build than other CLC designs. If you are interested in a flatwater boat, CLC's current Mill Creek 13 is more versatile and much more stable, is easier to build, and has a large cockpit opening. It is a great boat for beginners and fishermen. If you want a small decked kayak, their 14 foot Chesapeak design is a better choice. I do not think that the Severn ever developed much of a following. Plans for this boat are no longer published by CLC. The Chesapeake 16 is a good all around touring kayak, and has a lot of storage room. Be aware that is it a large volume boat and is sutiable for heading out loaded with camping gear. It works as an unloaded day boat, but not as well as lower volume kayaks. Plans for this boat continue to be sold by CLC, and many of these have been built to date. The West River 180 is a fast narrow, tippier boat that can cover a lot of ground quickly. It is, conversly, hard to turn. It is also one of the sleekest looking stitch and glue kayaks. CLC recently retired this design, replaceing it with the updated WR 18, which reportedly offers handling improvements. CLC holds free demos where you can try out their various boats. These are regularly scheduled in Annapolis, Maryland, and are occassionaly held in various other parts of the country seasonally - check their website for details. If you can't get to a demo, check out the CLC Owner's Club at the website to find a builder near you for the design you are interested - many folks would let you see or try the CLC boat they built themselves. Finally, if you are new to kayaking and kayak building, it is relatively easy to learn to build and paddle these boats. It is much harder to develop good judgement as to safety in various wind and water conditions. If you are new to this sport, please develop safe practices and judgement by taking lessons, joining a kayking club, and/or reading books dealing with the subject. "Sea Kayaker: Deep Trouble", available right here on Amazon, analyzes a number of sea kayaking accidents, including many fatalities. Amazon sells other good kayaking books as well. If you don't think that kayaking can be dangerous, or that it won't happen to you, you are in over your head, are at risk for mishaps, and owe it to yourself to get educated about how not to become a statistic. This is a great sport that is safe when practiced prudently, however, unfortunately, people die each and every year by being ignorant of the hazards. Happy building and paddling. Steve C
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