Wood and Canvas Kayak Materials - Build Your Own Kayak

Materials Required to Build the 12-Foot Wood and Canvas Kayak

This wood and canvas kayak requires...well, wood and canvas. More specifically, you will need the following materials for the 12' version:

Quantity		Description
1		Clear (No Knots) 3/4" x 12" x 12' board (pine, poplar, spruce)
1		#2 or better 3/4 x 12" x 12' board (pine, poplar, spruce, exterior plywood)
1		3/8" x 2' x 5' plywood for floor
3		1/4" x 3/4" x 12' Bead Molding (side and keel rub strips)
5 yards (60" wide)		#10 Cotton Duck Canvas (14-15 ounces per yd) Mauritzon Inc. 3939 West Belden Avenue, Chicago, IL 60647 (773)235-6000
1 Gallon		Exterior Oil-Based or Latex-Enamel primer/paint for the frame
1 Gallon		Exterior Oil-Based or Latex-Enamel paint for the hull and deck
1 lb		#6 1-1/4" Drywall screws
1 lb		#6 1-5/8" Drywall screws
1 lb		#6 2-1/2" Drywall screws
1 box		3/8" T-50 Arrow Staples, stainless steel (prefered)
3 Tubes		Liquid Nails (exterior grade)
8 - 16 oz		Waterproof glue or epoxy
na		Styrofoam peanuts, styrofoam insulation, or closed-cell insulation and Yard trash bags for flotation
1		Closed-Cell Foam for seat and backrest (Camp Pad) (Check out Wal-Mart!)
2		Small Zinc-Coated Gate handles or nylon webbing for bow/stern handles

This wood and canvas kayak requires...well, wood and canvas. More specifically, you will need the following materials for the 14' version:

Quantity		Description
1		Clear (No Knots) 3/4" x 12" x 14' board (pine, poplar, spruce)
1		#2 or better 3/4 x 12" x 12' board (pine, poplar, spruce, exterior plywood)
1		3/8" x 2' x 5' plywood for floor
3		1/4" x 3/4" x 14' Bead Molding (side and keel rub strips)
6 yards (60" wide)		#10 Cotton Duck Canvas (14-15 ounces per yd) Mauritzon Inc. 3939 West Belden Avenue, Chicago, IL 60647 (773)235-6000
1 Gallon		Exterior Oil-Based or Latex-Enamel primer/paint for the frame
1 Gallon		Exterior Oil-Based or Latex-Enamel paint for the hull and deck
1 lb		#6 1-1/4" Drywall screws
1 lb		#6 1-5/8" Drywall screws
1 lb		#6 2-1/2" Drywall screws
1 box		3/8" T-50 Arrow Staples, stainless steel (prefered)
3 Tubes		Liquid Nails (exterior grade)
8 - 16 oz		Waterproof glue or epoxy
na		Styrofoam peanuts, styrofoam insulation, or closed-cell insulation and Yard trash bags for flotation
1		Closed-Cell Foam for seat and backrest (Camping sleeping Pad works well) (Check out Wal-Mart!)
2		Small Zinc-Coated Gate handles or nylon webbing for bow/stern handles

You don't need a shop full of tools to make these kayaks. The following are the basic tools required:

Motorized Saw. You need to rip and crosscut the frame members. Any table saw or circular saw with rip guide will work.
Jig saw or band saw. An inexpensive hand-held jig saw or a band saw is best for cutting out the rib components.
Drill motor. You really need an electric drill to drill and screw the dozens of screws.
Sander - Belt or .... Some sanding and minor shaping is involved, consequently a belt sander is helpful, not required, but helpful.
Hand saw. You need a decent hand saw to cut the strake miters and other minor operations.
Caulking gun. You need a caulking gun to apply the liquid nails.
Stapler. You need a good manual HD or electric stapler when applying the canvas.
I use a router to dado the keel. This is not a required operation nor is it required to use a router. A hammer and chisel will do fine for the shallow dados.
Workmate. You need a table vise/clamp setup like a workmate to hold the keel for the early operations. Obviously any mechanism (table and clamps) will work, but the workmate works very well.
Clamps. A few light duty bar clamps are helpful.
Carpenter's Square. A carpenter's square is needed to square the ribs to the keel, and other misc. operations.