Boat Building Forum

Find advice on all aspects of building your own kayak, canoe or any lightweight boats

Re:Building a SOF to plans
By:Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks
Date: 10/6/2001, 11:08 am
In Response To: Re: Building an Aleut Baidarka - think about this (Mark Woodhead)

: I'd agree, but I want to build a skin-on-frame of that design, because I want
: the benefits of the frame flex that wood strip won't give. If someone
: (hint, hint) were to design a SoF that had the exterior lines of the North
: Star, that's what I'd be building. I just don't have the time to build a
: stripper in the next year or so...and I don't want to wait any longer than
: that.

The traditional method of building skin-on-frame kayaks is not well suited to building to plans. No forms are used that would assure getting the "desired" shape, the shape is largely defined by a few basic dimensions and then the flexibility of the wood and the techniques of construction. Just having the overall dimensions of the "perfect" boat is not necessarily enough to reproduce that boat. You would also need the dimensions of all the parts and even with those you may end up bending them differently.

One of the greatest advantages of traditional SOF construction is this flexibility of design. An experienced builder can achieve the shape they desire without being locked into to some predefined design. This may appear to be a disadvantage to an inexperienced builder seeking a specific goal, but it just means there task is a little harder.

Study the various books about SOF construction. Study the different boats you like regardless of construction and try to determine what it is you like about them. Then start building, keeping in mind your goals as you go. You may or may not get the boat you want, but you will definitely learn enough to make your next boat a lot better. If you really want a traditional boat, you will want to build it in the traditional way and this does not involve plans.

Messages In This Thread

Building an Aleut Baidarka
Mark Woodhead -- 10/5/2001, 10:39 am
Re: Building an Aleut Baidarka
West -- 10/5/2001, 1:53 pm
Re: Building an Aleut Baidarka
Mark Woodhead -- 10/5/2001, 2:33 pm
Re: Building an Aleut Baidarka
West -- 10/5/2001, 3:09 pm
address correction
West -- 10/5/2001, 3:12 pm
Re: Building an Aleut Baidarka
Bob Deutsch -- 10/5/2001, 2:53 pm
Re: Building an Aleut Baidarka
Roy Morford -- 10/5/2001, 10:59 am
Re: Building an Aleut Baidarka
Rob Macks -- 10/5/2001, 1:19 pm
Re: Building an Aleut Baidarka - think about this
Roy Morford -- 10/5/2001, 3:23 pm
Re: Building an Aleut Baidarka - think about this
Mark Woodhead -- 10/5/2001, 4:09 pm
Re:Building a SOF to plans
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 10/6/2001, 11:08 am
Re: Building an Aleut Baidarka - think about this
Roy Morford -- 10/5/2001, 5:23 pm
Re: Building an Aleut Baidarka - think about this
Rob Macks -- 10/5/2001, 6:14 pm
Re: Building an Aleut Baidarka - think about this
West -- 10/5/2001, 5:50 pm
Re: Building an Aleut Baidarka
Severne -- 10/5/2001, 11:49 am
Re: Building an Aleut Baidarka
Roy Morford -- 10/5/2001, 1:34 pm