How one man's work defines him.

Old Crazy

Explorer
Oct 13, 2007
481
94
Stinking Creek, NJ
Nice canoes. I have built two sea kayaks out of Okoume mahogany using the stich & glue method of construction. That guy is using the plank strip method to build his canoes, which is WAY harder.
 

46er

Piney
Mar 24, 2004
8,837
2,144
Coastal NJ
A friend, who has since passed on, built a gorgeous sea kayak using the strips. Took him a long time. There is a company that produces kits for them. What I consider one of the most beautiful boats, the adirondack guide boat, made of strip cedar. Went to the Willard Hanmer Guideboat Race once to spectate, amazing event. It is good to see folks keeping on with the wood building; fiberglass is so antiseptic.

http://willardhanmerguideboatraces.com/
 

Pine Baron

Explorer
Feb 23, 2008
480
25
Sandy Run
Very interesting video, and these are beautiful canoes when they are finished.

I wonder how durable they are and how they would hold up versus an aluminum or 'glass boat, especially on a pineland river. Also, what's the price comparison. Couldn't find anything on their website.

John-
 

Old Crazy

Explorer
Oct 13, 2007
481
94
Stinking Creek, NJ
Very interesting video, and these are beautiful canoes when they are finished.

I wonder how durable they are and how they would hold up versus an aluminum or 'glass boat, especially on a pineland river. Also, what's the price comparison. Couldn't find anything on their website.

John-

The outer hull is covered in fiberglass cloth and epoxy, so they should be very durable. My mahogany sea kayak has been going strong for 16 years now, but they do require some periodic maintenance if you want to keep them looking good. Every 3-4 years I sand the bottom and skim it with wood filler to fill in any scratches. Then I repaint the hull and put a coat of marine varnish on the deck and replace the bungee cords.

Hand made wooden boats are expensive if you don't build them yourself. For a typical mahogany 17' sea kayak you're looking at $2,500 - $4,000. If I had to guess, this guy is probably charging $3,000 - $5,000 for his canoes.

Here is a kit for a 12' mahogany kayak that will work for fresh water fishing or river touring. You can build it yourself for around $1,000. http://www.clcboats.com/shop/boats/...yaks/wood-duck-12-recreational-kayak-kit.html

Here is a folding dingy that transports easily and can accomodate an electric or gas motor that would probably work for fishing in freshwater lakes and protected bays. All you need to do is add a swivel seat to it and you'll have yourself a little bass boat. The plans say you can construct this thing for around $300. http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/benjamin/origami/index.htm
 
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