The tools you need for a skin on frame boat are mostly the same as for any carpentry or woodworking project. The video above covers all the tools and exactly what we use them for. Keep in mind that you will only need the larger shop tools for the prep process — if you are organized, you can pre-cut your pieces in a rented or borrowed workshop if you don’t want to invest in the larger power tools.
Watch: Tools for Skin-on-Frame Boatbuilding
The list below shows my preferred brands for new and used tools. No brand name indicates that I do not have a preference. Note that in some cases, I actually prefer the older models of certain tools, which we have marked with an asterisk. For certain tools, we also list a substitution of a different type of tool that will accomplish the same task for less money, but usually at the cost of more time or difficulty.
We have a downloadable tool list available, and have also compiled many of these tools into an Amazon list for easy shopping if you are an Amazon user. The link below will take you directly to our tool list.
Power Tools for Prep Work
TOOL | PREFERRED BRAND | ALTERNATE BRAND OR SUBSTITUTION |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness Planer | Makita 2012NB | Handheld Power Planer |
| Tablesaw | Dewalt 10 inch Job Site Saw | Circular Saw |
| Tablesaw Blades | 10 inch Diablo 24T ripping blade AND Makita 7-1/4 inch 24T thin kerf blade | |
| Plunge Router | Metabo Cordless OR Makita Cordless Trim | Power Drill (slow!) |
| Plunge Router Bits | 1/4″ spiral upcut (all boats) 3/8″ spiral upcut (kayaks, see video) | |
| Sliding Miter Saw | Substitution: 6 1/2 inch cordless circular saw |
Power Tools for Building
TOOL | PREFERRED BRAND | ALTERNATE BRAND OR SUBSTITUTION |
|---|---|---|
| Band Saw | no recommendation, must be 3/4 HP minimum | Pre-1980s Delta 14 inch with 1HP motor or stronger* Substitution: High-Quality Jig Saw |
| Band Saw Blade | New 1/2 inch 4T blade | |
| 3 1/4 inch Handheld Power Planer (kayaks only) | Ryobi | Bosch 3365* |
| Drill & Impact Driver | Milwaukee 12V | whatever fits your battery system |
| High Quality Jig Saw (Greenland kayaks) | Bosch Barrel Grip | |
| Wallpaper steamer | Wagner | |
| Hot knife fabric cutter | Engel | any cheap one OR Soldering gun with cut tip |
| Household steam iron (kayaks only) | Black & Decker | any iron (don’t steal your household one if using dye!) |
| Propane torch (kayaks only) | no preference | Soldering iron with 5/32″ tip |
Special Tool Notes:
Notes on Table Saws: To cut the ribs, you will need a tablesaw that is capable of cutting inch-and-a-half thick hardwood without bogging down the motor using a thin curve ripping blade. This will typically require at a minimum a job site table saw in the $500–$1000 price range. An even better option is to buy a non-portable contractor or crafts saw, and obviously a full-size cabinet saw would be the best. It is not hard to find a good used table saw for much less money than new! For those with the money to afford it, the Saw Stop offers additional safety, however, you will need to disable the safety mechanism temporarily if cutting extremely wet bending wood to keep it from discharging the blade stop cartridge.
Hand Tools for Cutting
TOOL | PREFERRED BRAND | ALTERNATE BRAND OR SUBSTITUTION |
|---|---|---|
| Aggressive-tooth Pull Saw | Bear Saw 333C | |
| Fine-tooth Japanese Saw | Razorsaw Gyokucho 770-3500 | |
| Low-Angle Block Plane | Jorgensen 60 1/2 | Older Stanley 60 1/2 planes* |
| 1 inch Chisel | IRWIN Marples | |
| 3/4 inch Chisel (kayaks only, except East Greenland ) | IRWIN Marples | |
| Sharpening Stone | King 1000/6000 | |
| Honing Guide | any cheap one | |
| Chamfer Plane | no preference | Slickplane* |
| Anvil Pruners | Fiskars | |
| Scissors | Fiskars |
Measuring & Marking Tools
TOOL | PREFERRED BRAND | ALTERNATE BRAND OR SUBSTITUTION |
|---|---|---|
| Tape Measure | Stabila | |
| Dial Caliper | iGaging | |
| Combination Square | iGaging | |
| Tailor’s tape | no preference | |
| Sliding Bevel with digital angle readout | no preference | |
| Torpedo Level (canoes only) | Craftsman | |
| #2 pencils + manual pencil sharpener | no preference | |
| Sharpie Markers (2) | Sharpie |
Additional Hand Tools
TOOL | PREFERRED BRAND | ALTERNATE BRAND OR SUBSTITUTION |
|---|---|---|
| 16 oz. Hammer | Craftsman | |
| Pliers | Craftsman | |
| 11mm or 7/16″ Ratchet (F1/LPB only) | ||
| 2 spray bottles | no preference | |
| T50 Stapler (canoe only) | Arrow |
Clamps
TOOL | PREFERRED BRAND | ALTERNATE BRAND OR SUBSTITUTION |
|---|---|---|
| 6-inch long, 2-inch opening metal spring clamps (18-30 for kayaks, 52-64 for canoes, see plans) | Home Depot ($1 apiece in-store) | Amazon |
| 12-inch Engagement Clamps (2 for kayaks, 3 for canoes) | IRWIN Quick-Grip Mini 12 inch | |
| 9 foot Cam Straps (2, 3 is nice) | Seals | |
| Small C-clamps (2) (Greenland kayaks only) | no preference | |
| Screw-style engagement clamps (only if building canoe seats) | See video |
Safety Equipment
TOOL | PREFERRED BRAND | ALTERNATE BRAND OR SUBSTITUTION |
|---|---|---|
| Safety Glasses | no preference | |
| Hearing Protection | 3M WorkTunes with Gel Pads | anything cheap |
| Respirator | 3M with 60923 Organic Vapor Cartridges | |
| Gloves | cotton gloves with rubberized grip |
Some Additional Tool Notes
Electric/Pneumatic staplers: I’ve recently started using a pneumatic stapler to attach the skin and also the seat webbing on my canoes. This makes the process much easier. I don’t currently have brand recommendations because I haven’t used enough power staplers to make a comparison, however, if you do a YouTube search for Best Power Stapler it will take you to an excellent comparison video of different staplers. My hunch is that a medium-quality stapler will work just fine for stapling the skin to the gunwales, but if you are making your own canoe seats, you will need either a pneumatic or the Makita electric stapler.
Drill bits: You will need a variety of drill bits for this project. These should be twist drill bits not brad point. It’s easiest just to start with a 1/64 to 1/4” index and then add the following sizes:
For Kayaks: 9/32 and 5/16. A size C is also useful for slightly undersized 1/4” dowels.
For Canoes: 1/8” bit with countersink. A size C is also useful for slightly undersized 1/4” dowels.
