Strip-Planked Kayaks

The Guillemot Collection from Nick Schade

Back in 2007, Chesapeake Light Craft teamed up with internationally recognized kayak and small boat designer Nick Schade, owner of Guillemot Kayaks, to offer high quality boat kits based on Schade's designs.  Since 1993 do-it-yourself builders have used Schade's plans and instructions to craft their own small boats at home, earning Guillemot Kayaks worldwide respect as a source of beautiful, high performance boat designs.  

Schade's 1998 book The Strip-Built Sea Kayak established Guillemot Kayaks as one of the foremost authorities in the "strip-built" boatbuilding process.  This technique utilizes thin strips of lightweight wood encapsulated in fiberglass, and has gained a reputation as a straightforward way for builders to assemble an ultralight boat. Schade published a follow-up book called Building Strip-Planked Boats in 2009.

Guillemot Kayaks offers both plywood stitch-and-glue and cedar-strip boat plans and designs.  Chesapeake Light Craft supplies complete and partial kits for all of these Guillemot Kayaks designs, with computer-cut plywood parts and building forms, pre-milled bead-and-cove cedar strips, plans and instructions, and the requisite fiberglass, epoxy supplies, and outfitting gear.

Check out our Kayak Comparison Chart to figure out which of our kayaks will be a good fit for you.