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The Top Ten Kits of 2012
This year's most popular kits. Great to see a mixture of old faithfuls and brand-new models on here! -JCH
1. Kaholo Stand-Up Paddleboards - 12'6" and 14' - $885
When folks see our Kaholo paddleboards, they think, "But of course! Paddleboarding is just great fun." The lowest of barriers to entry as an athletic pursuit. When WE look at our Kaholo boards, we think..."That was a LOT of hard work." Creating boards with such great all-around performance took a multitude of prototypes over several years. In the end, the Kaholos are quick to build, high in performance, and much coveted, and they were our most popular kits in 2012.
1. Kaholo Stand-Up Paddleboards - 12'6" and 14' - $885
When folks see our Kaholo paddleboards, they think, "But of course! Paddleboarding is just great fun." The lowest of barriers to entry as an athletic pursuit. When WE look at our Kaholo boards, we think..."That was a LOT of hard work." Creating boards with such great all-around performance took a multitude of prototypes over several years. In the end, the Kaholos are quick to build, high in performance, and much coveted, and they were our most popular kits in 2012.
2. Northeaster Dory - $1395A paragon of all the virtues. The Northeaster Dory is beautiful, a fine sailing and rowing craft, and uncommonly easy to build. Northeaster Dories are winning adventure races, rowing races, going on long expeditions, and entertaining families for Saturday sails. At 17 feet and 800 pounds payload, truly a lot of boat for the money.
3. Eastport Pram - $975
Let's not use the word "cute." Handsome, capable, fun, and utilitarian are the best way to describe this wholesome dinghy. Designed as a tender for cruising boats, many use their Eastport Pram for daysailing and just knocking around. The Eastport Pram's sister, the Eastport Nesting Pram, almost made the Top Ten.
4. Wood Duck 12 (Sapele Deck) - $999
Sweet lines, comfortable cockpit, deceptively fast, at home in waves or on millponds. What's not to like?
5. CLC Cradle Boat - $374To our certain knowledge, not a single one of these has ever been in the water. No matter! A beautiful piece of furniture and an outstanding gift for the little people in your life. Still time to build one before Christmas...
6. Annapolis Wherry - $1399
Always on the Top Ten since its first year of production in 1998. Long, sweeping, elegant lines in a fast sliding-seat rowing boat. As we refine the kit they get a little easier to build every year, but the Wherry has been as lovely as a swan since Hull #1.
7. Wood Duck 12 Hybrid - $1074
All the qualities of the Wood Duck 12...but with a fancy strip-planked cedar deck to tickle the woodworkers out there.
8. Passagemaker Dinghy - $1275Another one that has never slipped off the Top Ten since its 2005 launch. If you loved the children's series of books, "Swallows and Amazons," the Passagemaker Dinghy will have you dreaming of slipping off on small-boat adventures. A great many people do just that.
9. Cocktail Class Racer - $1199
Rookie of the year! Alright, alright, we truly are human- and wind-power snobs here at CLC. But we found this 1939 powerboat design (updated with 21st-century wood-epoxy technology) absolutely beguiling, and so did a huge number of our boatbuilding customers.
10. Shearwater 17 - $1114
No Top Ten would be complete without a high-performance sea kayak, and this Eric Schade thoroughbred (and its sisters, the Shearwater Sport, 14, and 16) is holding steady year after year as the finest build-it-yourself kayak kit money can buy---whether you're counting performance, kit quality, ease of construction, or value. Dark sapele decks are standard!
