Starting with the Greenland paddles. I started with the paddles as it felt less intimidating than starting with the kayak. I chose a beam of red cedar, looking for the ‘ideal’ grain orientation described in the CFK paddle plans. The beam was thick enough to cut out three paddles, below is a picture of the...
"Eric’s F1 build in Finistère"Continue reading
Vancouver, B.C., Canada It’s Early August…I’m standing in my garage taking stock of the offcuts and leftovers from my yellow cedar tandem canoe build. I find myself doing some mental math and realising I have enough yellow cedar left over to make a steam bent cockpit coaming and about 45 F1 ribs..! I was first...
"Rory’s F1 Build with Yellow Cedar Ribs, Vancouver, BC"Continue reading
Building an East Greenland kayak. The kayak was built with the help of Brain Schulz's (Cape Falcon Kayaks) online kayak building course.
"Berend’s East Greenland kayak, Leiden (The Netherlands)"Continue reading
My all-around kayak is the Boreal Baffin P1. It behaves well in rough water, there is lots of storage space, robust, and it rolls like a dream. But perfect, it is not. Long, wide, and a beast to carry. I cringe by the thought of lifting it onto the roof rack solo. I am 169...
"Olav’s low volume West Greenland, Stavanger, Norway"Continue reading
I built my first kayak in 2017. It was a cedar-strip “Frej”, designed by Björn Thomasson (https://www.thomassondesign.com/en/katalog/mina-kajaker/frej). I love it and go paddling whenever I can. For those interested, my build is detailed here: https://www.thomassondesign.com/en/news/another-two-frej-launched Still, as soon as I finished it I felt like building a new one. And wanted to try another construction...
"Axel’s F1 build in Arles, Southern France"Continue reading
length 15’2″ depth 12 3/8″ beam 31″ tumblehome 1″ (reducing beam to 30″) planned rocker 2 7/16″ actual rocker 2 1/16″ sheer 12 3/8″ weight approx 40 lbs (on inaccurate luggage scale) I couldn’t say why I wanted to make a canoe. I spent a while researching the kind of canoe I might make, beyond...
1st July 2021 I have been watching Brian’s YouTube build videos for a while with interest. I was drawn to the mix of traditional frame design with modern materials and techniques, with nice clear info and instructions. I am fairly handy at woodwork and have previously built a “stitch and glue” plywood canoe which I...
"Iain’s Solo Canoe Build, Inverness, Scotland"Continue reading
Long time maker, first time boat builder. I’ve had a strongback hanging in the garage for quite a few years. After watching some of the intro videos I decided that it was time to get started. I’m building in Harrisburg, North Carolina for nearby rivers and lakes and blogging here for fun. After some guidance...
"66 Touring Canoe by Charlie"Continue reading
F1 Kayak, January 2021 Until 2021, most of my kayaks were home-built out of wood with epoxy and fiberglass. Brian Schultz of Cape Falcon Kayak created a detailed instructional video course for building skin-on-frame kayaks. For me, that was the ideal remote class for a pandemic-lockdown lifestyle. I was attracted to building these kayaks because...
Last summer my wife saw a need for a canoe. In 2008, I built a SOF Sea Kayak for myself and in 2009 a Stitch & Glue recreational kayak for my wife. The Rec boat is perfect for guests… very stable, easy to paddle… BUT we are now short a boat (or two). After borrowing...
