Cheap Plywood Kayak Project

They needed a fast, inexpensive, roomy kayak for travel. The choice fell on a plywood kayak using "sew-and-glue" technology.

Drawings of the "Chesapeake 17" and "Shearwater-17" project were found on the Internet. Approximately the same as in the photo. A little bit to adjust for yourself. I narrowed it down a little and raised the "deck", added a couple of bends. (Unfortunately the drawing was lost during construction). You can start building.

Find a spot large enough for a kayak. We collect the slipway (large table)
The tool I am using:
- jigsaw
- Sander
- knife

-scissors

- clamps

- brushes

- syringes for resin

- pliers

- respirator

- rulers

- miscellaneous as needed

We buy 4 sheets of 4mm plywood. Epoxy resin 3 kg, 2 slats

We mark the plywood (sheet dimensions 1525 * 1525mm) according to the width of the parts in the drawing and saw it. We "sharpen" the cut pieces and peel them with epoxy resin.

Transfer drawings to sewn plywood

Sawing along the drawn contours.Sawing along the outlined contours.To make both sides even, you need to fix two identical parts with clamps.

To attach the top of the kayak, glue the prepared slats to the cut-out sides

We sew the resulting parts with wire and see how beautiful it turns out

Installation of bulkheads and alignment / gluing of slats.In the project from the Internet there was a drawing of the bulkheads, but since I changed the kayak for myself, they no longer fit. I had to take cardboard and cut it in place. Transferring the cardboard stencil to the plywood

Аill the joints with a mixture of resin and wood flour

To stabilize the bottom, I put 1 layer
Fiberglass Evenly spread epoxy with soft spatula
And also the future cockpit (the place where the person sits) I cover with fiberglass with epoxy resin

It's deck time . I fit the plywood to size and fasten it with self-tapping screws

Cover the deck with fiberglass and sprinkle it with epoxy, spreading it evenly.If the resin is too thick, you can warm it up with a construction hairdryer

Cut out hatches and cockpit, give shape to hatches. I made a model of hatches from paper.transferred to plywood

We cover the deck and bottom of the kayak with two more layers of epoxy resin fiberglass.

After the epoxy has hardened, proceed to painting. First applied the primer, and then the paint

I add the fastening of the hatches, and the trunk from the rope

Testing

If your kayak is not stable, do outriggers

From the remnants of plywood or from a new sheet, a crossbar and 2 mini-kayaks are glued together, everything is fastened together. Cover with epoxy fiberglass and paint (like a kayak)