Boatbuilding Tips
Our vast collection of boatbuilding tips, drawn from decades of experience in supporting backyard boatbuilders.
Gluing Up Puzzle Joints
Chesapeake Light Craft’s precision CNC cutter creates “puzzle joints” to add necessary length to plywood panels. These joints must be glued up prior to assembling your project. On a flat...
Gluing Up Puzzle Joints
Chesapeake Light Craft’s precision CNC cutter creates “puzzle joints” to add necessary length to plywood panels. These joints must be glued up prior to assembling your project. On a flat...
Cutting Sheer Clamp Bevels
The Mill Creek designs require bevels where the sheer clamps meet at bow and stern. Here's an easy way to mark and cut them. First wire the side panels together...
Cutting Sheer Clamp Bevels
The Mill Creek designs require bevels where the sheer clamps meet at bow and stern. Here's an easy way to mark and cut them. First wire the side panels together...
Fillets
An epoxy fillet coves out the inside corner where two plywood panels meet. Applying fillets to join plywood panels in a boat is the "glue" part of "stitch-and-glue" construction; the...
Fillets
An epoxy fillet coves out the inside corner where two plywood panels meet. Applying fillets to join plywood panels in a boat is the "glue" part of "stitch-and-glue" construction; the...
CNC Basics
What is CNC? CNC stands for computer numerical control. This is a large machine that moves a high speed router head or a laser to machine parts from plywood. Why...
CNC Basics
What is CNC? CNC stands for computer numerical control. This is a large machine that moves a high speed router head or a laser to machine parts from plywood. Why...
Quick Bonding and Emergency Repairs
On Saturday morning, you eagerly enter your shop, all set to make great progress toward finishing your boat, only to find that you forgot to glue one critical part last...
Quick Bonding and Emergency Repairs
On Saturday morning, you eagerly enter your shop, all set to make great progress toward finishing your boat, only to find that you forgot to glue one critical part last...
Safe Boatbuilding (Part 2) by Dave Carnell
These are the general rules for keeping out of trouble with hazardous chemicals. Let's take a look some specific materials, their hazards, and procedures for using them safely; Epoxy Resins...
Safe Boatbuilding (Part 2) by Dave Carnell
These are the general rules for keeping out of trouble with hazardous chemicals. Let's take a look some specific materials, their hazards, and procedures for using them safely; Epoxy Resins...
Preventing Epoxy Bubbles
Have you ever coated bare wood with epoxy or varnish in the morning, then returned in the afternoon to find thousands of little bubbles on the surface? As the temperature...
Preventing Epoxy Bubbles
Have you ever coated bare wood with epoxy or varnish in the morning, then returned in the afternoon to find thousands of little bubbles on the surface? As the temperature...
Epoxy in Cold Weather
In many parts of the country there comes a time in the Fall when there aren't enough layers of neoprene and fleece in the world to make the local waters...
Epoxy in Cold Weather
In many parts of the country there comes a time in the Fall when there aren't enough layers of neoprene and fleece in the world to make the local waters...
Epoxy Basics
Stitch-and-glue boat building must be done with marine epoxy adhesives. Other resins such as polyester or vinylester are simply not strong enough to hold the panels together. You'll use epoxy...
Epoxy Basics
Stitch-and-glue boat building must be done with marine epoxy adhesives. Other resins such as polyester or vinylester are simply not strong enough to hold the panels together. You'll use epoxy...
Conserving Epoxy
Many first time boatbuilders use more epoxy than is required. Epoxy is both expensive and heavy, so here are some tips to help you use less epoxy, spend less money,...
Conserving Epoxy
Many first time boatbuilders use more epoxy than is required. Epoxy is both expensive and heavy, so here are some tips to help you use less epoxy, spend less money,...
Assembling a Boat Kit: Stitch and Glue Construc...
Stitch-and-glue boat building, along with the development of epoxy and modern mahogany marine plywood, has revolutionized and revitalized wooden boat building. This method of boat building is not only stronger,...
Assembling a Boat Kit: Stitch and Glue Construc...
Stitch-and-glue boat building, along with the development of epoxy and modern mahogany marine plywood, has revolutionized and revitalized wooden boat building. This method of boat building is not only stronger,...
Premium Epoxy in CLC Kits
In June of 1995 we began including complete epoxy kits with every Chesapeake Light Craft kit. But which epoxy? By then we'd already helped thousands of people build their first...
Premium Epoxy in CLC Kits
In June of 1995 we began including complete epoxy kits with every Chesapeake Light Craft kit. But which epoxy? By then we'd already helped thousands of people build their first...
Wooden Vee-Blocks
Our rudder kits, like most kayak rudders, come with a black plastic vee-block. It holds the rudder in the centered position when raised on-deck and locks the footbraces. Several of...
Wooden Vee-Blocks
Our rudder kits, like most kayak rudders, come with a black plastic vee-block. It holds the rudder in the centered position when raised on-deck and locks the footbraces. Several of...
Glass-Bottomed Mill Creek
Want to see the fish and other marine life under your kayak? Add a plexiglass window on the bottom of your Mill Creek. The sketches below show how.
Glass-Bottomed Mill Creek
Want to see the fish and other marine life under your kayak? Add a plexiglass window on the bottom of your Mill Creek. The sketches below show how.
14: Deck Rigging & Fitting Out a Stitch and Glu...
Part 14: Installing deck and rigging and fitting out our Chesapeake 16 stitch & glue kayak.
14: Deck Rigging & Fitting Out a Stitch and Glu...
Part 14: Installing deck and rigging and fitting out our Chesapeake 16 stitch & glue kayak.
13: Learn to Varnish like a Professional Boatbu...
Part 13: Learn to varnish like a professional boatbuilder!
13: Learn to Varnish like a Professional Boatbu...
Part 13: Learn to varnish like a professional boatbuilder!
12: Sanding & Prepping a Stitch-and-Glue Kayak ...
Part 12: Sanding and prepping the Chesapeake 16 stitch-and-glue kayak for varnish.
12: Sanding & Prepping a Stitch-and-Glue Kayak ...
Part 12: Sanding and prepping the Chesapeake 16 stitch-and-glue kayak for varnish.
11: Fabricating Hatch Covers on a Stitch-and-Gl...
Part 11: Fabricating hatch covers on a Chesapeake 16 stitch-and-glue kayak.
11: Fabricating Hatch Covers on a Stitch-and-Gl...
Part 11: Fabricating hatch covers on a Chesapeake 16 stitch-and-glue kayak.
10: Installing Cockpit and Hatches on a Stitch ...
Part 10: Installing the cockpit coaming and hatches on a Chesapeake 16 kayak.
10: Installing Cockpit and Hatches on a Stitch ...
Part 10: Installing the cockpit coaming and hatches on a Chesapeake 16 kayak.
09: Fiberglassing the Deck on a Stitch & Glue K...
Part 9: Trimming the deck and fiberglassing the deck on a stitch and glue kayak
09: Fiberglassing the Deck on a Stitch & Glue K...
Part 9: Trimming the deck and fiberglassing the deck on a stitch and glue kayak
08: Putting the Deck on a Stitch & Glue Kayak [...
Part 8: Putting the deck on a stitch and glue kayak
08: Putting the Deck on a Stitch & Glue Kayak [...
Part 8: Putting the deck on a stitch and glue kayak
07: Fiberglassing a Stitch-and-Glue Kayak [video]
Part 7: Fiberglassing a stitch-and-glue kayak
07: Fiberglassing a Stitch-and-Glue Kayak [video]
Part 7: Fiberglassing a stitch-and-glue kayak
06: Sanding, Smoothing, and Prepping for Fiberg...
Part 6: Sanding, smoothing, and prepping for fiberglass
06: Sanding, Smoothing, and Prepping for Fiberg...
Part 6: Sanding, smoothing, and prepping for fiberglass
05: Epoxy Work - The Gluing Part of Stitch & Gl...
Part 5: The Chesapeake 16 is epoxied together
05: Epoxy Work - The Gluing Part of Stitch & Gl...
Part 5: The Chesapeake 16 is epoxied together