I’m interested in taking a skin-on-frame building class. I know I can do this at Cape Falcon Kayaks in Oregon. Does anyone know of other possibilities for this kind of workshop, preferably on the West Coast? Thanks.
Bob Kelim in Washington.
Google should find him. He doesn’t have his own web page that I know of, but he’s on some other’s, with an email address.
Falcon is really growing. I hear Brian is super enthusiastic about SOF construction.
Just incase you’re interested, there’s a TIKS event at South Puget Sound in early June if you could make it up. Let me know if you do. I’ll be there. http://qajaqpnw.org
There’s also the West Coast Wood Kayak Rendezvous at Fort Warden, Washington. Beautiful spot. Includes SOFs. Same location as WCSKS. I might go. You’d make plenty of contacts at either, I think. http://www.redfishkayak.com/R2K6.htm
Paul S.
Besides Classes…
there are some SOF builders/paddlers in your area. You may want to check in at Qajaq/USA site.
If you have room to build, it really is not a hard process to do on your own. You may not have all the tools yet, but figure if you get into it, you would be amassing some of the tools down the line.
I think Morris book provided an excellent guide for my SOFs. Cunningham is also good and provided back up to Morris.
Good luck and enjoy. Building will give you a better understanding and appreciation of kayak design.
sing
www.skinboats.com
is a GREAT resource, along with the ones already posted.
I built one at home…you can too! Having said that, if working with one of the masters you will surely learn much more and I suspect the class setting would be a blast.
Enjoy…
Bob
Look into Monkcraft…
he is based in Portland.
http://www.monkcraftkayak.com/
He has a class starting next week that I really wanted to enroll in but couldn’t swing the finances. He said the next one should be in the summer some time.
The advantage I see of his classes over the other workshops, is that they are held over four weekends, so you can build a boat w/o eating up your vacation time. Also, all the tools are provided, unlike capefalcon, and his workshop is open throughout the week so you can work on the boat on your own time. Don’t know much about SOF boats so I can’t give a comparison of his design to others. I posted a question regarding this a couple weeks ago and nobody had seen his boats.
http://www.paddling.net/message/showThread.html?fid=advice&tid=629070
Buy books, gather materials,…
… learn as you go. Pick and choose methods that make best sense to you for each step as you go. Adjust everything (dimensions AND methods) to your skills/needs. This can be best part of the process. SOF is easy to do in small manageable chunks if you have space to leave it sit (inside or out).
Working in someone else’s shop for a week just makes too much sense. “School” too efficient a use of time. I guess it also depends on how much you just want to “git 'er done!” Why bother tapping into all that hands on experience! L
“Schooling…”
– Last Updated: Apr-01-07 7:26 PM EST –
someone asked me today whether I would be willing to spend a week teaching them to build a SOF if he were to pay. "Are you nuts?", I asked. I don't care if he were willing to pay. I don't want to take week of vacation and work on building a SOF... What if the waves show on one or two of those days...
The beauty of building it myself is that it progressed on my time frame. But, I am psychologically very disposed to a DIY mentality when it comes to this and other stuff. I enjoy challenging myself and learning on my own. Some ask why bother? One doesn't have to if one doesn't like to learn from one's own mistakes and rather profit form that that of others. I like the learning process --- which includes learning from my mistakes. :) I always feel like I earned my learning. I like the process and sometimes not the necessarily the "end."
sing
An "A" student from the school of hard knocks.
There are scale model kits of the skin kayak that are inexpensive and just like building the full sized kayak at www.canoemodelkits.com . Real dacron fabric that you stretch over small stringers and forms, then iron out the wrinkles. Varnish it or paint it or leave it natural. A great precursor to building the full size kayak. Modeled after Jeff Horton’s kayaks which to me all of his kits and plans seem to be a good value.
I would give a thumbs up for Dawa Lodru of Monkcraft. I’ve had one of his West Greenland SOF replicas for 7 years and it’s an outstanding kayak both in quality of the build and in performance.