How to Make a Skin-on-Frame Kayak
Building a skin-on-frame kayak can be accomplished with fairly basic hand tools and 30 to 40 hours of labor. There are several ways to build skin-on-frame kayaks. One fairly simple building technique is the use of a bulkhead and stringer framework, skinned with a stapled and glued pvc fabric. Other methods include building a mold and using a steam box to bend ribs, and sewing and shrinking nylon, polyester, or canvas and then sealing.
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Things You'll Need
- Jigsaw
- Table saw or circular saw
- 2 sawhorses
- Staple gun
- 1 sheet acx exterior plywood
- 2 1-by-6 or 1-by-8 16-foot clear boards
- 1 5/8-inch stainless steel or brass screws
- 1/2-inch stainless steel staples
- HH-66 vinyl cement
- MEK
- 18 oz. PVC fabric
- Waterproof glue or epoxy
Instructions
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Building the Bulkhead and Stringer Framework
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1
Choose a quality plan to build your first boat from. Later, you may want to experiment, but for a first boat it is best to use a plan for a boat that you know will have characteristics you want to build.
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2
Purchase all supplies and have them on hand. Begin by transferring your rib patterns to the plywood. Carefully cut out the rib bulkheads using a jigsaw. Rip the clear boards into a keel, gunwales, and stringers, based on your plan's dimensions.
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3
Screw and glue the rib bulkheads to the keel at the plan's given dimensions. It is helpful to use a small 3/4-by-3/4 block the width of the keel to provide additional stability and gluing surface. Place a 3/4-inch block under each end of the keel to give a slight rock to the boat.
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4
Square up the rib bulkheads to the keel and to each other. This is very important. If the bulkheads are crooked, the boat will be crooked, and if the boat is crooked it will track in a curve and you will always be fighting the boat trying to get it to go straight. Take some thin strips of wood and tack the ribs together with some staples to hold everything in place while installing the gunwales.
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5
Glue and screw the stem and stern pieces to the keel.
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6
Install the gunwales along the top of the rib bulkheads. Pre-drill and then screw and glue them to the ribs. If you don't pre-drill, the plywood will split out. Then install the longitudinal stringers in the same way. Install cockpit stringers and additional support if needed where the back weight will be resting.
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Carefully sand any rough or sharp edges. Treat the entire frame work with a heavy coat of Danish oil or other similar oil-based water sealant. Polyurethane is not recommended for this purpose. The urethane can crack when stressed or flexed, allowing water to seep into the frame, but it does not allow the wood to then dry out. This leads to mold and rot under the finish. Allow the finish to dry and cure.
Skinning the Frame Using PVC fabric
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Lay the frame upside down on two sawhorses. Lay the PVC cloth over the frame. Beginning in the center staple the fabric to the gunwale on one side. then go to the other, stretch tight, and staple the other side. It is very difficult to do this by yourself. Find a friend to help tug, pull, and stretch. Work your way around the boat. Begin with staples every 4 to 6 inches apart, then go back and fill in at every inch.
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9
Trim the edge of the fabric at the gunwales. Turn the boat over on the sawhorses.
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10
Lay fabric over the deck of the kayak. Pull tight and staple to the gunwales in the same way. Trim around the cockpit, leaving about 2 inches to staple to the inside of the cockpit. Trim the outside edge
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11
Cover the stapled edges around the gunwales either with a strip of vinyl glued over the seam, or with a wooden rub strip 1/4 to 3/8 inches thick, screwed into the bulkheads. Trim the inside of the cockpit for appearances. Attach D-rings and 1/4-inch bungee cord to secure paddles and for rescue maneuvers.
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Tips & Warnings
As the boat curves toward the bow and stern, you may find some small wrinkles in the skin are simply not possible to stretch out. They will not affect performance, but if the appearance concerns you, simply cut the wrinkle out and glue one side over the other.
You may install floorboards over the bulkheads, or not, depending on your preference and the specifications of the plans you are using. An exterior keel board is not necessary, but will improve tracking and help protect the bottom of the kayak.
