Wood and Canvas Kayak Building

Using the simple and very humorous guidelines, I can now report the completion of a beautiful(to Me)streamlined and VERY LITE touring kayak! (17' and weighs under 28lbs.)My first review was of the positive "YOU CAN DO THIS" attitude that George Putz gushes, but now, this is now a personal testimony to the beauty of self-reliance this book offers....plus, saving the environment of some "nasty" flaking plastic.(Ask the fish, they gag on the stuff)...I HAVE LEARNED ALOT about kayak design/construct...that is priceless, thanks George!

Finally found a quick, down and dirty kayak design and build primer!(makes one anxious to build ,or, should I say, "roll" their very own boat design)Mystery of the boat's "innards" from keelson to gunwales- George readily explaines in a "'round the campfire", down-right friendly, fashion.Putzs' hand's-on attitude and the "you too can do this", plus, the two acommpanying tried and true blueprint's / offsets, make's for easy to build, easy to modify - plans and materials selections.Do I recommend it? Heartily !

I built two boats from this book back in the early 90's in Washington State. It was the only one of its kind I could find ( no internet access at the time available to me). Both boats are still in better than excellent shape. I've had nothing but wonderful experiences in them. I also get more compliments on them even now, as well as surprised looks when people find out what they're made of. The instructions were clear, humorous, and, well, easy to follow. I do, however, wish I had seen the plethora of books available online today on the subject. It seems like there's a lot more information on the subject. But, I was pleased to see all the positive reviews for Mr. Putz's book. I was also surprised to see that one person built his kayak from this book, and it wound up being a behemoth that was difficult to transport. I'd be interested in what happened, because my boats weigh in at a mere 30 to 35 lbs. each! I can easily lift them over my head with one hand (unloaded, of course). I believe the reason I built my boats from George's book was partially for that reason: to build a light, strong craft from readily available, and inexpensive materials. At the time I built mine, It ran about $300.00 for BOTH boats. I couldn't touch ONE boat for that price then or now. Give George Putz's book a read, at least, if you're going the wood and canvas route. You won't be disappointed!

When I first saw this book I thought: "What fool would build a canvas kayak?" I picked it up anyway, along with a half dozen other books on kayaks from the local public library. I eventually chose to build the 18 1/2 foot canvas kayak in this book for three reasons: 1) The lines of this boat are much more pleasing than any of the plywood kayaks I was considering, 2) the author's attitude toward materials matched my own -- build it from cheap stuff and rebuild it in 5 years after it rots -- no okume plywood necessary, and 3) No need for a lot of fiberglass and the mess/smell that involves. Just wood, canvas and oil-based paint.I've had the kayak for 8 years now and it has not needed a rebuild because I keep it hanging from the ceiling in the garage. I've paddled it around lakes in Washington and Idaho. It's a beautiful boat, but quite heavy. It's hard for me (6' 200# male) to pull it off the top of the truck and launch it by myself, but I can do it in a pinch.That said, the whole process was a great learning experience and got me started boating in the most peaceful and pleasant way. I've since built two other boats and am currently working on another. I've learned to build them lighter now, using different materials, but I still use the basic lines of the kayaks in this book.This book was a great place to start, and I still read it often.

This is a very detailed book for those of us that intend to build kayaks without a lot of fancy tools. I'm now nearly finished building a kayak based on the instructions in this book, and I haven't yet found any instruction that was amiss or that caused problems in the construction.The book (1991) describes how to build either a 17ft. or 18ft. wood-frame canvas kayak. It contains nicely drawn plans of a classic design from 1923. There's a lot of work involved, but none of the steps are overly complicated or require significant woodworking expertise. Other than basic hand tools, the only tools I've had to buy were a jig-saw, a hand-held power saw, and a drawknife. Material costs today would range about $400 - far short of the $1,300 for a plastic sea kayak of the same length.This book is very well written, and has a touch of humor. I especially appreciate the attention to traditional boat-building techniques. Photos help you in the process. In all a very readable book...Thanks George!