Building Your Own Willow/Quickbeam Sea Kayak
Two easy-to-build, all-purpose stitch-and-glue sea kayaks
- BILL THOMAS — September 23–29
Tuition: $750 (partner: $375)
Materials:
- Willow $1275.50
- Quickbeam $1302
Note: This is a six-day course ending Saturday afternoon.
Boatbuilder and designer Bill Thomas has spent the last 35 years working with wood; the last 20 years paddling and building boats. He’s been teaching boatbuilding classes since 1998. During this time he has tried out numerous kayaks, each of them someone’s idea of the perfect boat. Like many folks who spend considerable time on the water, Bill started dreaming, drawing, engineering, and constructing designs and models of his own and eventually arrived at the Willow sea kayak, a great boat to paddle.
Students will have the choice of building the 17′7″ Willow sea kayak or another of Bill’s designs—the 17′9″ Quickbeam. Willow is suitable for paddlers and gear loads up to 300 lbs.; Quickbeam will accommodate taller paddlers and carry larger payloads. Feel free to contact Bill if you have any questions about the boats. Both are built by the stitch-and-glue method, using 4mm okoume plywood and epoxy. The kayaks feature cambered decks for strength, ease of construction, and beauty. Laminated deckbeams grace both interiors. The hulls are sheathed inside and out with 6-oz fiberglass cloth. Each boat has a keyhole cockpit sized to take a standard sprayskirt. Adjustable footbraces and proper seats come with the kits. There are bulkheads and deck hatches, with the option of a day hatch. The weight of the finished boats is approximately 45 lbs., much lighter than similar fiberglass or plastic kayaks.
Bill has introduced enough rocker to allow control in big seas and surf, with a long waterline providing straight tracking. Hard chines assure easy, safe turns. A rudder will not be needed but can be added if the builder would like to have one. In touring kayaks such as these, Bill feels it is ease of control and stability that guarantee safe and enjoyable paddling. Boats with low wetted surfaces may have a high top-end speed, but keeping them upright and tracking straight can make for a long day.
You don’t necessarily need to be an accomplished woodworker to build a kayak. With a few basic carpentry skills, you’ll be up for the challenge. With a little patience, lots of enthusiasm, and expert guidance from your instructor, you can build a beautiful boat.
