About
Hello! I have built these pages to try to give some information about the building of plywood kayaks to show how easy the process can be and, hopefully, encourage those who may be daunted by the task.
I took up kayaking and canoeing again when my son became interested in the sport and I was drawn back into re-learning something that I had last done on Poole Harbour as a youngster some 40 years ago.
We started attending a Saturday morning club run by Holme Pierrepont Canoe Club on the River Trent at Nottingham and with their help and instruction we were soon both happily kayaking away in borrowed club boats.
After my son purchased a play boat, I decided I would also like to have my own kayak so took myself off to the local shops to see some boats. The prices were very high and the products did not fit in with my traditional ideas about how kayaks should look. Having built a couple of dinghies and various canvas and fibreglass canoes about 30 years ago, I decided build a plywood Kayak that looked good and could be used on both the estuary and the river. I wanted a boat that was ideal for touring so was easy to paddle and would go in straight lines without too much effort. Modern short boats have a tendency to go around in circles for me!
I have worked as an Engineer all my life so have gained a lot of "practical skills" that serve me well. But I have tried to put the building pages together to show how to build a kayak in as simple a way as possible. Thanks for coming to see my pages, call back, I shall be adding pages on building, kayaking and other interests as time allows. Good luck and happy building!
Bob