Wood strip boat building involves assembling thin strips of wood around a set of stations/forms. It is different than stitch and glue building in that the stations primarily dictate the shape of the hull rather then the precut shape of the wood.

 

This is a recreational kayak meant for stability and comfort. It is a wood strip version of the Stitch and Glue Freedom 15. It will perform well and reach reasonable speeds but will not be as quick as narrower touring hull. Done properly in wood, this kayak will provide countless hours of enjoyable paddling and the Freedom from ugly, mass produced plastic boats.

The Freedom Kayak is ideal to paddle in calm to moderately windy and/or choppy conditions, for overnight camping trips, casual paddling, recreational fishing, etc.

With a generous cockpit opening the hull will be stable and comfortable for a novice paddler to relax and stroke with ease. Generous flare will help slice through waves and reduce rocking motion.

Specifications

*Weight of hull: Hull weight will depend on chosen build options, quality of materials used and skill of the builder.

 

Always wear your Personal Floatation Device!

Bill of Materials

Hull surface area:	58 sq ft [5.4 sq m]
Cockpit Perimeter	114" [2.9 m]
Epoxy Resin (With 15% waste factor)	1.5 gallons (6 L)
Fiberglass Tape: 6-ounce, 2" [200 g/m, 51 mm]	19 yards (18 m)
Fiberglass Cloth: 6-ounce, 38" [200 g/m, 1 meter]	23 yards (21 m)
Wood Strips: 1/4" x 3/4" x 16'4 [6mm x 19mm x 4.7m]	Beveled edge: 77. B&C: 93

Click here for downloadable BOM.

The above is basic material list for the main hull. Other materials will be required to create a strongback or backbone to assemble the stations on. In addition, materials will be needed for any custom options you choose.

Note: The initial builder of the prototype hull milled his own strips and reported that he used ten 1x4x16 planks of lumber to complete the hull. He used a combination of bead and cove and beveled edge strips.

Cost:

Cost to build range from about $400-500 for a basic hull if you mill your own strips. Premilled strips can be purchased for home delivery from places like Noah's Marine. Additional expenses of $100-200 may be needed for creating a strong back or back bone.

Labor:

The hull will required about 90-120 hours to complete. These times are rough estimates and will vary according to the skill of the builder. Please note these are "hands on" hours and do not include the time waiting for glue or epoxy to cure.

More:
Visit our Customer Service Forum to ask questions or see what others are saying about this design.

Plans Packing List:

• A set of FULL SCALE (1:1) set of patterns as shown below. The patterns for the stations are provided individually so you can cut out and glue to the plywood selected for the stations using spray adhesive. The patterns provide waterline and deck reference points, ideal backbone locations, and vertical centerlines.

• Any specific notes for this design.
• Bill Of Materials.
• When possible, patterns are shipped rolled up in a tube and are not folded. There are only a few remote international locations we cannot ship the tube to. In this case the plans will be folded.