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Canoe and Kayak Building the Light and Easy Way: How to Build Tough, Super-Safe Boats in Kevlar, Carbon, or Fiberglass

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Description

The first quick-and-easy composite construction method for canoes and kayaksThis book is certain to appeal to any paddler with a DIY bent. Master craftsman Sam Rizzetta presents three attractive innovations: a new building method that makes Kevlar and carbon-fiber boats cheap and feasible for home builders; an ergonomically designed canoe that makes paddling easier and more comfortable; and a foam-flotation installation method that makes canoes and kayaks safe and unsinkable. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 1st edition (April 15, 2009)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0071597352


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 57


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 0.5 x 10.9 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #443,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #212 in Boating (Books) #312 in Ships (Books) #39,632 in History (Books)


#212 in Boating (Books):


#312 in Ships (Books):


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Top Amazon Reviews


  • Great book to see how composite techniques can be applied to canoes and kayaks by home builders
I liked this book and would recommend it to anyone wanting to build a canoe, kayak or other small boat. It's similar in its objective to the book "Building Your Kevlar Canoe: A Foolproof Method and Three Foolproof Designs" (another book that I also like) except this book provides an alternative and I think simpler way to make the mold on which the kevlar or other composites are laid up. This book also describes many more neat options and features to incorporate into the boat you build. The author describes his building technique mainly through the construction of a decked canoe with a unique shape because as the author states, "it is the most difficult of the hull designs. . . . Any other canoe you choose to build [with a more conventional hull design] is likely to be much simpler and easier to build." In other words, if the reader understands how the build principles apply to this hull, it is straightforward to apply these principles to other designs. The build sequence is detailed, step by step, and easy to follow. The author even provides a detailed chapter on building a model (conventional hull design) to practice and get comfortable with the building approach on a small scale. The book is well structured, there are lots of photos, and the writing is clear and easy to understand. While the text focuses on one build, the author frequently explains how the approach can be applied to other designs. All the designs are amazingly lightweight. I liked how the author handled several aspects of the building process: the two relatively fast ways to build or obtain a mold, incorporating cheek plates into the mold, using dacron as a mold surface, how to handle laminating the stems and then reinforcing the stems later for lots of strength, detailed lamination schedule, making lightweight bulkheads, making lightweight thwarts, deck construction alternatives, lightweight ribs, seats, cargo carrying accessories, flotation, rod holders, clever foot rests, etc. etc. Plans for three additional designs are included in the back along with plans for making a lightweight paddle. Having built several small boats under 20 foot, I can say that if you read and understand the book, you can build any of the three (four if you include the model) designs provided in the book or another design that you might have from another source. Interestingly, this book is about building composite craft in which the mold, not the craft, is built using a skin on frame technique. The finished boat itself is not a skin on frame craft just as the high end kevlar canoe that you might buy or rent from an outfitter is not a skin on frame craft. After fabrication on the mold as detailed in the book, the composite hull is removed and fit out in conventional way with gunwhales, ribs, bulkheads, flotation, etc. The idea of using skin on frame techniques to make the mold is clever. It is true that the book focuses most of its detail on building one boat. But, what a great way to describe the building approach in enough detail so the reader can understand and apply the techniques to other designs. In fact, the author includes offsets for three other full size designs, and there is discussion throughout on how some ideas are applied to other craft. Even the classic book on building lapstrake boats by Tom Hill only focuses on two craft. If you are interested in building a lightweight composite canoe, kayak or other small craft, or want to learn more about composite boat construction for the home builder, this is a good read with a lot of information. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2011 by Amazon Customer

  • Great book to get me started in building kayaks!
I bought this book along with composite materials fabrication handbook #1. Between the 2 books I got good understanding of fabrication materials and methods. I am currently in the process of building my own fully decked kayak. I took Sam's design for the "kayoo" hybrid canoe/kayak and adapted it to more of a traditional kayak design. I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in building their own canoe or kayak. I will post pictures once I am finished. Great book! ------------------------------------------------------- Update - There is now a finished picture of my kayak in the customer photos section. It turned out great! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2013 by Robert Hart Robert Hart

  • Four Stars
have not used it yet but looks to be very informative.
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2016 by 10minus0

  • Sam offers lots of great info and tips for both new boatbuilders and experienced ...
Sam offers lots of great info and tips for both new boatbuilders and experienced ones alike. Although I do have to say those with at ;east some experience with building boats will get a lot more out of it.
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2017 by BookSpecs

  • Buy the paperback version, and keep pen in hand.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I made a huge mistake by buying the kindle version. OTOH, I'm about to spring for the paperback version. The kindle version is a complete waste of money. Dimensions in some of the illustrations are illegible on my kindle voyager. However, I was able to read them on a large HD monitor when I downloaded the book through Kindle for PC. The author has a very annoying habit of failing to set the stage. He proceeds step-by-step through his build-process without giving the overview that would help me understand what he's telling me and what I should be getting out of the description to come. So I plod through paragraphs or pages before I understand the big picture - - the framework he should have created - - and then I have to go back and reread those paragraphs or pages to understand how the subsequent details fit into that framework. For example, chapter 9 describes rough-cutting the hull to approximate the sheerline. (The illustration - - when viewed on my desktop PC's monitor - - shows the cut being made well proud of the sheerline.) Chapter 10 goes off on a tangent about model building. Chapter 11 starts by saying it is crucial that I make sure the sheerlines are level: "Before working further, the hull must be leveled..." In chapter 12, I finally realized what I need to understand as I transition from the rough cut to installing the gunwales. There also are various paths (the most significant being the choice of no-deck canoe vs close-deck kayak). The book is actually misleading about material that pertains to those paths. It took several reads through chapters 11 (no deck) and 12 (closed deck) to figure out how much of the discussion in the no-deck chapter was actually a prerequisite for the closed-deck chapter). (The tangent into model building should have been an appendix.) All of which is a long way of saying that this is a book that needs to be read with pen in hand (and, therefore, in hard copy). I do hope the paperback version has wide margins, because I'm going to fill them up with explanatory notes. And I will fill up those margins, because I plan to use many of these techniques to build my next kayak. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2016 by tombrad

  • Hobbiest must
This book gives clear and concise directions for the beginner to expert boat hobbyist. The directions are clear and safety tips and tricks of the trade are given. I plan to build the Dragonfly design within two years, and it even gives where to buy supplies for a great price.
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2013 by Dr. Stew

  • Just what I was looking for
I have built a number of canoes, kayaks and pulling boats using conventional cedar strip or stitch and glue methods, but always opted for conventional fibreglass for the fabric. This book clarifies working with the more exotic carbon and kevlar fabrics, as well as presenting not one but two methods of boat building that I had not encountered before. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2011 by R. Eike

  • Good book. Explain very well with diagram and photos
Good book. Explain very well with diagram and photos. It will be my retirement project.
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2018 by eyeball

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