Paul,
I'm very interested in taking a look at the Walrus design. I'm also intriqued by the "assembly line" approach that you described. We're going to be making as many as 17 boats and an efficient approach involving teamwork such as you described is just what we need. What is the name of George Putz's book? Thanks for your help.

: Chris,

: Take a good look at the Walrus design by Geoge Putz, and also check with Mike
: Hanks (and review his previous posts) on the plywood Walrus he has made.

: Somewhere I have numbers posted for making shorter forms, but whether you use
: my numbers, or the ones from Putz's book, you get essentially a kayak
: production line. You set up the forms and wrap 7 full length strips of
: wood around them, dropping them int othe notches. These are your guides
: for cuting the plywood panels, and your jigs for holding them in place
: while you stitch them to gether. You can even use them as chines for the
: joints, eliminating the need for fiberglass tape along the inside seams.
: Just use some brass screws to hold the plywood panels to the chines while
: your glue dries. You can fill any gaps with thickened epoxy resin later.

: Once the first hull is done you pop it off the forms and configure the deck
: while another scout, or group of scouts, makes a hull on the forms. If you
: stacked two or three sheets of plywood while you cut the first parts
: you'll have multiple pieces already for assembly for the second and third
: hulls.

: If you are in a hurry, with two sets of forms you can produce two hulls side
: by side.

: Working with chines and forms you do not need to scarf the panels to a long
: length before starting, although you can if you wish.

: With three people working on a hull, two can hold a plywood sheet in place
: while the third marks the outline of where it should be cut. Cut the part,
: screw and glue it in place using marine glue or epoxy resin, and go on to
: the next piece.

: The first boat will probably be a learning exercise, and each successive boat
: will be built more quickly.

: Save money by using conventional nominal 1/4 inch Lauan plywood. This design
: does not put great bends in the wood. A coat or two of epoxy resin will
: waterproof the wood, and it can be painted. this eliminates some of the
: need for yearly upkeep with varnish.

: Since the structural support comes from the chines -- same as it would on a
: cloth covered version of this design -- you don't need to sheathe the
: thing in glass cloth, so you will be saving quite a lot of resin and the
: cost of the cloth.

: If some of the group wants, they can build skin on frame boats, making the
: frame from the same forms used for the plywood kayaks.

: If you go with another design see if you can adapt your building techniques
: by adopting some of Putz's ideas.

: Hope this helps.

: PGJ