Search  for anything...
Kudzupatch, Inc.

Fuselage Frame Boats: A guide to building skin kayaks and canoes

  • Based on 206 reviews
Condition: New
Checking for the best price...
$18.95 Why this price?
Save $5.05 was $24.00

Buy Now, Pay Later

As low as $4 / mo
  • – 4-month term
  • – No impact on credit
  • – Instant approval decision
  • – Secure and straightforward checkout

Ready to go? Add this product to your cart and select a plan during checkout.

Payment plans are offered through our trusted finance partners Klarna, PayTomorrow, Affirm, Afterpay, Apple Pay, and PayPal. No-credit-needed leasing options through Acima may also be available at checkout.

Learn more about financing & leasing here.

Free shipping on this product

30-day refund/replacement

To qualify for a full refund, items must be returned in their original, unused condition. If an item is returned in a used, damaged, or materially different state, you may be granted a partial refund.

To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.

View our full returns policy here.

Availability: In Stock.
Fulfilled by Amazon
Arrives Saturday, Sep 20
Order within 8 hours and 23 minutes
Available payment plans shown during checkout

Recently Viewed

Description

NOW WITH METRIC OFFSETS! Tired of struggling with that heavy plastic kayak? Are you looking for a lightweight boat but not willing to take out a second mortgage to buy it? What if I told you that you could build a boat weighting less than 35 lbs for $300 to $500? You can and in my new book I will show you how. This style was very popular in the 1950's and 1960's and many boat plans appeared in magazines such as Popular Mechanics and Popular Science. Even though it is no longer fashionable in the magazines, the fuselage style of construction is still probably the most cost effective way to build a small boat. Recently I have seen a renewed interest in this type of boat construction. People are rediscovering the advantages of Fuselage style Skin Boats. Fuselage frames boats cost very little to build. A sheet of marine plywood, a lightweight wood such as cedar for the stringers, a few yards of a synthetic fabric for the skin and something to waterproof the skin. Materials for a basic 17' kayak cost around $300. Adding a seat, deck rigging and adjustable footrest would add another $100 to $150 dollars depending on your preferences. For somewhere around $400 you can build a high performance, 30-35 lbs boat. A composite construction canoe or kayak of similar weight would cost thousands of dollars. This book will walk you through the process of building your own Skin on Frame canoe or kayak. I start by addressing the space needed to build a boat as well as tools needed. There is a detailed section on laying out the frames from a table of offsets. Progressing to how to assemble the frame, skinning the boat and through all the steps to preparing your boat for launching. Included are offsets for three of my boat designs. The StoneFly canoe, Curlew, a 15' Sea Kayak and new sea kayak design Pouco Barta. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kudzupatch, Inc., The (July 9, 2011)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 156 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0615495567


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 69


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 0.36 x 10 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #265,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #21 in Kayaking


#21 in Kayaking:


Customer Reviews: 4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 206 ratings


Frequently asked questions

If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Saturday, Sep 20

Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.

To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.

View our full returns policy here.

  • Klarna Financing
  • Affirm Pay in 4
  • Affirm Financing
  • Afterpay Financing
  • PayTomorrow Financing
  • Financing through Apple Pay
Leasing options through Acima may also be available during checkout.

Learn more about financing & leasing here.

Similar Products

Top Amazon Reviews

    • No nonsense well done elegant building
Good no fluff book to help you build a SOF kayak or canoe. Jeff gives you years of experience boiled down into the book. All the tricks and short cuts that make building easy. There are 3 boat plans included and he explains how to use the offsets to draw full size former that give the boat it's shape. He is giving you 3 plans for the price of the book. All you need is a ruler, graph paper and a few hours to have a set of plans. I think the reviewers with 1 star may have been expecting a kayak to pop out if the book as soon as they cracked it open. You do have to build it and that is part of the enjoyment. It is your creation but Jeff tells you what he has learned though years is experience, that make the book well worth the price. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2021 by Hgwilly
    • Great kayak building book
Great book, fair price and fast shipping. The book is full of good information and is a great complement to Jeff's web site and videos. Well worth the read.
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2025 by Charles W.
    • This book will get you where you want to go, if where you want to go is on the water.
I caught the S.O.F. (skin on frame) boat bug years ago and it has worsened to a full blown infection in the past few months. While doing my research and trying to decide on a boat kit to build I found the www.Kudzucraft.com website and, wow, did I ever receive an education. I really enjoyed Jeff's' down to earth style in his how too videos. When I saw his book I had to get it and I was not disappointed. The book is written in the same down to earth style. He shares many great and helpful ideas and techniques that make it possible for even the rank amateur a boat builder. If you are thinking about going down the S.O.F. path I would recommend that you get this book but before you start reading it you go to the website listed above and watch the how to videos so that while you are reading you can have Jeff's great Southern drawl in your head. Do this and enjoy. I, very much, enjoy the technical type drawings and diagrams that are found in this book but others may like more "glossy" type pictures. A great book overall. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2015 by todd
    • A great boat builder's primer
Reading this helped me understand the skin-on-frame method enough to tackle my first boat, and trust it for my daughter. Works great! Instructions and details were thorough and empowering. Several plans sets included.
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2023 by Drew Matthews
    • These boats are so easy to build and so fun that you'll want ot build them all
BEWARE!! This book will destroy your free time, spare money and alienate you from your big boat friends. These boats are so easy to build and so fun that you'll ind yourself desperately struggling between building boats or out paddling. Jeff is a down to Earth man who does a good job of detailing the process. If you run into snags he can be found on various boat building forums as well as facebook. If you want the best combination then buy this book, study up then visit his website and order a set of full size plans to make the build even easier! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2015 by George
    • This book delivers
This book delivers all the information needed to build one of these very light and durable kayaks. The information is straight forward, and easy to digest, and will have you building a successful boat straight away. If you have been interested in this type of project, then this will guide you through the process from beginning to end. Useful links to the authors web site in the book, where the author shares additional information. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2012 by David
    • Great guide for boaters
This is a great intro to fuselage boats, the pictures come black and white which makes the instructions on the coaming a little hard to follow. The information is well explained, I purchased the Firefly plan and it came with large engineer print outs, and a book that explains everything. If you really want to build a boat, I would recommend getting the plan package from Jeff. It'll save you time by not having to do the offsets. There are some things that I've learned from the boat building process. 4x8 Marine ply $65 Most common for boat building, maybe a few pounds lighter than Baltic Birch. Has great rot resistance when stored, and varnished periodically. 4x8 Okoume $145 Originally from Africa, this is a hard wood common for boat building. Has a lot of heft, has great rot resistance when stored, and varnished periodically 5x5 Baltic Birch (from Washington or Oregon) $44 - Slightly heavier than marine ply, know for it's aesthetics, easy to shape, good screw holding ability. Good for small boat building. When joining stringers, Jeff mentions using a pre-cut jig, I would also draw guidelines on the stringers because scarf joints can slip when clamped. You'll want to make sure the alignment is consistent. To provide some building advice, for new builders: -Draw guidelines, and reference points constantly to measure distance of your members. -Make sure your planes (especially Japanese planes) are level. I found out my 65 mm Japanese plane was slightly off, so I went back to level my stringers. -Don't drill holes to make relief cuts for the jig saw, it'll throw the blade off at an angle. -For the keel holders, using a coping saw is much better than a jig saw. Hand tools have the advantage in tight spots. -Avoid filing, or additional handwork when possible. Hand filing may lead to trimming off too much. Use guidelines, or jig guides for consistent alignment. For FRP specialists, the temptation is always to coat everything in epoxy, I've originally thought about using colloidal silica with West Systems to coat the fuselage frames, but ended up not doing it because boats need to have maintain its ability to absorb bumps. Epoxy stress cracks are difficult to detect, and that will create a water entry point for wood to rot even faster if not caught right away. Some boat specialists may differ, but for me, wood is elegant, and lively, so I'll enjoy its natural beauty. You'll need the listed hand tools in the book, if you want to rip your own stringer accurately from a lumber yard, you'll need to have a good circular saw, table top planer, and router are essential for consistency. Ripping stringers with a hand saw leaves room for misalignment, and errors. So before you start, you'll need to have the power equipment ready. The book provides offsets for read, the top number the increments of the fuselage as reference. The bottom numbers are hard to read, but it's the same as the top. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2017 by J. Lanson

Can't find a product?

Find it on Amazon first, then paste the link below.
Checking for best price...