best cedar strip kayak kits

-- Last Updated: Sep-25-11 7:47 AM EST --

Hi I am an avid kayaker looking to build a cedar strip
sea kayak and am not farmiliar with the diferent packages. I would like the kayak to have a rudder or skeg though I'm thinking the skeg option may be tricky to build water tight, I would also need this kayak to be high volume with hatches for overnight and extended trips. any help finding a kit would be appreciated
thanks Rob

have you considered stitch and glue kits
I am not trying to dissuade you from building a strip boat, but if you are not too familiar with wooden kit options perhaps you don’t know about the stitch and glue option.



Stitch and glue kits use wood panels which are temporarily held together with loops of thin copper or iron wire which to through small holes drilled at intervals along the length of the panels. The result is a wooden boat that is generally as light or lighter than a strip built boat which most folks find attractive. The advantage is that they go together much more quickly than a stripper and there are probably more kit options.



The 2 largest manufacturers of these kits are Chesapeake Light Craft and Pygmy Boats.



There are also a few hybrid kits which use stitch and glue technique for the hull and strip technique for the deck.

Strips
If you have a circular saw, it’s pretty easy to “walk-off” strips. That’s what I do for my boats. If you make your own strips, you can pick any cedar strip kayak model.

A few to ponder

– Last Updated: Sep-25-11 7:18 PM EST –

http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/guillemot/

http://www.oneoceankayaks.com/

http://www.newfound.com/plans.htm

http://www.bearmountainboats.com/

Your best resource is probably the builder's board:
http://www.kayakforum.com/KayakBuilding/index.shtml

If you want a high-volume boat and would consider a stitch & glue, the Pygmy Coho is good boat for a load.

If you don't want to build a skeg box, there's this one:(scroll down)
http://www.onnopaddles.com/components.html