Wood is up to 10 times stiffer than fibreglass by weight and nearly 6 times stiffer than kevlar/epoxy composite. Thus your energy is expended moving the boat not flexing the hull. Wood also retains its strength despite repeated cycles of tension and compression from rough seas and fast paddling: it does not get brittle with age as fibreglass and plastic can.

Marineply boats are lighter than a glass or plastic version so they accelerate quicker, carry more equipment and supplies, and are easier to spin on wave tops and in surfing conditions. Ashore lighter boats are also better: they are easier to carry above the high water mark or lift onto a car roof rack.

With fibreglass sheathed hulls to resist puncturing and abrasion these boats are tough. All the wood is saturated in epoxy so that most of the maintenance normally associated with traditional wooden boats is eliminated.

If you are still unsure about your ability to build one these kits you can purchase the plans and construction manuals for most kits. You can study the manuals to become familiar with the various techniques involved and the order and stages of the building.

These construction sets include

• Patterns or fully dimensioned drawings for every part.
• Between three and six professionally drawn plan sheets.
• A complete bill of materials.
• An illustrated step by step guide to building the boat.
• A manual on Stitch and Glue Construction.

There is sufficient information to allow you to source your own materials and build the boat from scratch. However, if you then decide to purchase the kit the cost of the set will be deducted from the price.

Hard-chine, Multi-chine, or Round-bottom?

HARD-CHINE boats are renowned for great handling. A good hard-chine hull tracks well yet is very maneuverable. The underwater profile of a hard-chine kayak changes dramatically as the boat is leaned. So it's easy to "carve" turns or make subtle course corrections by leaning the boat. This superior handling allows hard-chine boats to cover miles faster than other hull shapes in certain conditions; less bracing and fewer corrective strokes are required. Hard-chine boats are, by far, the easiest type to build; most of our customers with no previous woodworking experience choose our hard-chine craft. Hard-chine kayaks often hold more gear and feel roomier than multi-chine or round-bottom kayaks.

Some paddlers like the feel of MULTI-CHINE kayaks. They are willing to trade some nice handling characteristics for slightly better efficiency. A loaded multi-chine hull has about 3% less wetted surface area than a hard-chine hull with the same dimensions; this decreases resistance by about 1 to 2%. While multi-chine kayaks don't surf as well as hard-chined hulls, they can be easier to control when surfing onto a beach sideways. Initial stability is often a bit lower than hard-chine hulls, and turns require more lean. Multi-chine boats are more difficult and time consuming to build after all, they have so many more parts. Since they have many seams, considerable fibreglass work is required, but building one is still within the capabilities of most folks.

ROUND-BOTTOM, or compounded plywood boats offer incredible efficiency. Their low wetted surface area hulls move with minimal effort at low to medium speeds. They are also fast and fun to paddle, but have less initial stability and lower volume than either hard-chine or multi-chine boats. These boats are best for paddlers who don't wish to camp or to paddle in rough conditions. They are very fast to build once you "get the hang of it," but the process is exacting and a little tricky, so we recommend them as a second, rather than a first, project.

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Fyne Boat Kits
Unit 5, Station Yard, Burneside, Kendal. LA9 6QZ
Tel: +44 (0)1539 721 770
Email: info@fyneboatkits.co.uk