Here is the first part of the building of a Strip-Built kayak

All of the wood in our boats is 1/4 inch thick strips.  These are glued and stapled to a form which determines the finished shape of the boat.  These will later be planed and sanded smooth, and covered inside and out with a layer of fiberglass cloth and marine epoxy.  The following images illustrate the first stages of the process.   Click on the thumbnails for a larger image.

  Here is the hull taking shape.  Most of the wood is dark red cedar. 

The deck stripping is more complex and uses a wider variety of wood.    Some of the first strips establish the decorative pattern.  You cannot have too many clamps!  The stern portion of the deck is nearing completion.    We call this our "Arrow" stripping pattern.    Here is a view from the bow.    A view of the finished deck from the stern.    The same view with the deck removed, showing the inside of the hull.    Here is a close-up of the interior of the hull.  The light wide strip in the center is a 1/2 inch thick ash keel strip which we use in our boats.  Note: at this point the hull interior has not been smoothed and fiberglassed.    Another view of the hull from another angle which exaggerates the length of the bow.    Here is the deck being fiberglassed, a view from the bow.    And from the stern.    This shows the cockpit coaming area.  The dark strips are dark red cedar.  The medium colored strips are light red cedar.  The lightest strips are basswood.  The narrow dark decorative strips are black walnut.   The vertical part of the coaming is sapele veneer.

  Here is another view showing the different woods used.

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Last modified: September 08, 1999