Boatbuilding Classes

Build Your Own Wood Duck

Location: CLC Shop, Annapolis, MD
Dates: Oct 20, 2008 - Oct 25, 2008

Instructor: John C. Harris 

Sign-Up: WoodenBoat School 

Accommodations & Directions 

Check out the Wood Duck construction gallery. 

Tool List for Classes

Here we have two beautiful little kayaks designed for just about everyone to enjoy on the water. With big cockpits and ample stability, the emphasis is on comfort. But these boats really paddle well! Speed is excellent: you can really cover the miles in a day, while tracking is solid in stiff crosswinds.

Compact, easy-to-launch boats just seem to get used the most. In a tenth of the time it takes to launch a heavy boat on a trailer or drag the big canoe down the lawn, you can slide one of these little kayaks into the water and be on your way. Keep your Wood Duck on top of the car, ready to toss into all the interesting creeks in your county.

CLC commissioned designer Eric Schade to draw and prototype the Wood Duck 10 and 12 to our specifications. Eric had a huge hit with his Shearwater kayak designs, also designed for CLC as fast sea kayaks. We think he has another huge hit on his hands with these fun, good-looking recreational kayaks that anyone from age 8 to age 80 can enjoy on the water.

The class begins by learning the art of cutting scarf joints in plywood to create hull panels. Next, the precut panels are connected with copper wire stitches and the hull assembled with epoxy and fiberglass tape. Next come a cambered plywood deck, and cockpit coaming.

The instructor will discuss outfitting the kayak with handles, rubrails, seat, backrest, and footbraces. Participants will learn the proper way to sand and paint or varnish the boat. If a student is interested in special features on his or her Wood Duck (typically a compass or hatches), the instructor will provide tips and techniques so the work can be completed at home.

At the end of the course each student will have a Wood Duck to take home. They'll have gained experience with wood/epoxy construction, but we think the confidence to build a larger and more complex boat is the real benefit of the class.