I’ve been thinking about building a kayak like one of the ones here http://www.yostwerks.com/, but don’t really have the money for it. I was thinking that I could maybe use pvc pipe for all but the bottom one, since that one will have to be bent a lot. I figured that the pvc will stay the shape i want it by snapping it in place, but I’m worried about the strength of the pvc, any thoughts? The cross sections would be made out of some kind of wood.
Thanks
Been there, done that.
I’ve done quite a bit of experimentation with this. There’s a bunch of technique variations I came up with to add strength and reduce weight as much as possible. In the end, my conclusion is that it can be done, and have a huge amount of strength and resiliency. The problem is it will weigh a ton. Well, not literally. The frame will weigh in around 30-40lbs if it’s a non-folder, 50-60 for a folder. Then you have to skin it. Also, the longer it is, the more flexible it becomes. I think it could be a good, cheap way to make kids kayaks, but for adults, wood framing is a better bet and needs no real mods. Heck, even for kids kayaks wood’s probably cheaper.
Kheyashunka is right about budgeting. I spent about $100 in materials to find out I’d rather just use wood. If you want to play with PVC anyway, don’t waste time with the white stuff. Go straight for ½” or ¾” grey electrical conduit PVC and email me to find out what NOT to try. 
Jim
wood
the only reason that I wasn’t planning on using wood was because I couldn’t think of a way to use it and still have it be able to fold. Are there any plans out there to make a folder out of wood?