People frequently ask me about hatches and bulkheads in skin-on-frame kayaks. Having gone down this road many years ago I concluded that the time and effort involved is a bit of a mismatch to the simplicity of skin-on-frame. I’m not against hatches, I just think they make more sense in rigid kayaks. It is true, however, that...
"Hatches and bulkheads in skin-on-frame kayaks: Peter’s modified F2 kayak"Continue readingCategory: Student Builds
Jeremy’s double-paddle pack canoe
Just a few photos from an especially lovely Cape Falcon double-paddle 66 canoe build by Jeremy in Switzerland. Excellent work sir. ___ This post was originally featured on our Instagram feed. See the original post and discussion here. Follow Cape Falcon Kayak on Instagram »...
More photos from Wit’s canoe builds in Thailand
More photos from Wit in Bangkok, Thailand, who just skinned his second Cape Falcon pack canoe, ribbed with rattan (the other is ribbed with oak). Here he shows both canoes, 25 and 23 inches wide, next to a traditional Thai boat 19 inches wide, that is no longer used due to the swamping effect...
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A student ramps up the adventure factor in his
A student ramps up the adventure factor in his new pack canoe. I approve....
One of my favorite things is seeing boats pop
One of my favorite things is seeing boats pop up on the Cape Falcon map in countries without any other builds yet! It’s interesting to see how people solve material challenges in various parts of the world. Wit, an architect and sculptor from Bangkok, Thailand, recently spent a couple weeks building this pair of...
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13 year old Francesca’s F1 kayak build
Looking for a bit of inspiration to finish whatever boatbuilding project you’re working on? Check out Francesca here, who at 13 years old, just built my F1 kayak design. One of the ways I try to give back to the world is by offering all of my plans and instructional videos for free to...
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Jonathan’s nesting double-paddle canoes
Just a couple nice pictures from Jonathan of Widgeon Woodcraft, who just finished a pair of nesting double-paddle canoes. They are 14’ x 30” and 13’4” x 28.5”. Thanks for the pictures Jonathan and congratulations!...
Material notes from a student in New Zealand
For anyone thinking about building a skin on frame kayak in New Zealand I wanted to share this email I got a couple days ago from a student where he discusses materials sources and building methods. I figured this might be helpful to some people even if you’re not building one of my boats:...
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Student-built solo canoe and a week in the boundary waters
I’m starting to get some trip reports back from people taking the latest generation of full-size canoes on trips. This one just finished a week in the boundary waters. It is 14‘8“ long, and 29” wide and was piloted by a larger person with gear. It was probably a little undersized but still manageable....
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Another canoe from Gabe
About a month and a half ago expert bamboo fly rod builder Gabe Batson signed up for our online canoe building course and started burning through canoe builds in rapid succession. On this third build and the one before it Gabe has been pushing my shaping formula to create much fuller-bodied boats than I...
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Can you take a skin-on-frame kayak on a serious expedition?
Can you take a skin-on-frame kayak on a serious expedition? Join artist, photographer and adventurer Claire Dibble for an online panel discussion with her and two other women who have made impressive source to sea journeys. In 2019 Claire built and paddled a Cape Falcon F1 solo 1200 miles down the Columbia river. To...
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Video: Steam bending tests using kiln dried European Beech and kiln dried Hickory
A student sent me of this video of his tests bending kiln dried European Beech and kiln dried Hickory, both soaked in water for a little over a week. These are the two kiln dried woods that I have found bend the best, and while not technically rot resistant I’m not sure that really...
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Video: Ant building the skin-on-frame Adirondack Guideboat
Today I’m re-posting this great video made by Ant Mace of Shipshape Boatworks who builds our designs and many others in Bristol, England. Right now Ant is building a skin on frame Adirondack guide boat which is always cool to watch come together. Seaworthy, beautiful, lightweight, and addictive to row, I’ve gotten many inquiries...
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A few shots of recent student built boats
We’re back to the slow torture of video production this week, (and next week, and the week after that….) So rather than complain about that here’s a few random photos various builds that my students have sent me lately. Good work guys, you know who you are. If you’re building one of my boats...
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Sending kayak building supplies to East Greenland
A month after sending them, these Kayak building supplies finally arrive in the tiny village of Tiilerilaaq on the East Coast of Greenland. This isolated community is serviced by a supply ship that comes a couple times a year and the occasional helicopter. Working from my videos first and then from a copy of...
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