We won't say that anyone can, but thousands of amateurs with no woodworking skill have built beautiful boats. If you are patient, can follow directions, and have a little free time, you can do this. If you'd like a detailed introduction to the stitch & glue boatbuilding process, check out our YouTube Channel.  There you’ll find many construction videos, of both the overview variety and start-to-finish step-by-step tutorials.

Chesapeake Light Craft kits contain all the parts and materials you need to build the boat; computer-cut marine plywood, hardware, epoxy, fiberglass, and assembly instructions—it's all in the kit. Bead-and-cove cedar strips and solid timber stringers are included where relevant. Seats, hatches, bulkheads, footbraces, and deck rigging are included in the standard kayak kits. 

About the only thing kits don't include is the final finish: paint or varnish.  (We don't know what kind of color scheme you have in mind!)

You'll need a few ordinary tools, such as a cordless drill, a decent 5-inch random orbital sander, and for most boats, a wood plane. You'll need disposables such as sandpaper and paint brushes and mixing cups. 

You need a workspace a couple of feet bigger all the way around than the boat you want to build, and you'll need to be able to maintain temperatures at or above about 60 degrees F (15 C) during steps when epoxy is being applied or curing.  Since a lot of boatbuilding gets done during winter, we've written up some tips on how to heat a cold space cheaply, easily, and safely.

The most popular kayak kits take about 45 hours to assemble. Add another 40 hours for applying the finish (varnish, or paint, or both. Our sailing and rowing craft have interiors to finish and thus take a little longer. A straightforward sailboat like the Skerry will consume 120 to 140 hours or so with the sailing components and a decent finish.

CLC boats have been built in basements, recreation rooms, living rooms, on the decks of larger boats, on the sidewalk in front of town houses, and in carports. They've even been built in high-rise apartments and lowered out the window on a rope. The primary requirement is a space that's reasonably warm. Marine epoxies of ALL brands work best at room temperature but lose strength and become difficult to work with at temperatures below 55 degrees F (13 C).  It's not hard to heat up your space, though: Click here for complete details on how to do that cheaply and easily.

Epoxy is not like the eye-watering fiberglass resin you may have worked with 30 years ago. (That distinctive odor is polyester resin.) The epoxy CLC uses is not solvent-based and has very little odor. It's simply a two-part plastic that becomes hard when mixed. So you’re not going to stink up the house, but that doesn’t mean that epoxy is a benign chemical. You need to keep it off your skin. Wearing disposable gloves is an imperative; no human can “tough-it-out” with epoxy skin contact. And getting it in your eyes means an emergency room visit. Be safe. Click here for more information on working with epoxy.

It's easiest to think of CLC boats as fiberglass boats with a wood core. All of our kayaks and most of our other craft are completely sheathed in layers of epoxy and fiberglass fabric. (In its natural state, fiberglass and epoxy are perfectly clear, which is why you can still see the wood on CLC boats.) With this strong sheathing, we expect you to use and abuse your CLC design like you would any production fiberglass boat with a similar design brief.

Tech support is free and unlimited. Professional boatbuilders are standing by to help via phone or email. They will be happy to talk you through the building process. CLC has grown largely by referrals and word of mouth; we know that only happens if you have a good experience building your boat kit.

Kits in stock will ship within a few days, but it may take several weeks during busy times of the year.  Kit customers will be contacted via email with a firm shipping date and with a tracking number. Transit times will vary greatly, depending on your proximity to shipping hubs.  

Boat Kits:  At any given time our inventory may include more than 50 boat kits.  If we have your kit in stock, we'll ship it immediately, within a day or two.  If not, turnaround may take as much as ten days or more during busy periods while our craftsmen assemble and pack your kit by hand.  Whether you place your kit order online or on the phone, you will receive an email with a shipping date, and updates if it changes.  You'll also get an email with tracking information when your kit ships.  Kits are shipped air freight and will take on average 5-7 days to arrive at your door, depending upon where you live. 

Accessories and other items will be shipped the next business day if possible.  We'll use UPS, FedEx, or USPS for shipping on most of those items. Overnight or faster shipping options are available. Don’t hesitate to ask us about shipping options.

Every single day. We ship kits, plans, and accessories to Europe, Asia, South America, and the Pacific rim. Delivery time to Europe is about a week and delivery to most other parts of the world takes 1 to 2 weeks. We might redirect you to one of our dealerships (UK, France, Germany, Japan, NZ/Taz/Aus) when that’s cheaper and more expedient. 

After you order, we'll exchange emails with you as we work up an exact shipping cost.  You'll be able to approve the shipping costs and work out delivery details with us.

Overseas orders over $250 are generally paid for via wire transfer.

Yes, please stop by. We have a beautiful showroom with many completed CLC designs on display. Our classroom, prototype shop, and production shop are adjacent to the showroom. We are just outside of historic Annapolis. Click on that link for hours, directions, and contact information.

We ask that you order a kit a few days before you pick it up. While we do keep many models in stock, we may need time to fabricate your kit.

Every single week we customize kits to suit the needs of our customers. Email us or give us a call to discuss your ideas. Sometimes a simple mod will do what you need; sometimes we may direct you to a related design that’s a better fit. Sometimes we end up designing a major modification.

Yes, replacement parts are only a phone call away and are shipped immediately. However, the stitch-and-glue boatbuilding approach is so forgiving that it's extraordinarily rare to need a replacement part due to a mistake. Most of the replacement kit parts we ship are the results of mishaps like water damage from storms, or because parts got eaten by the dog.

A typical kayak kit comes in three boxes. The dimensions are 98" x 30" x 2", 25" x 7" x 25" and 13" x 13" x13". Kits will fit inside most minivans, pickups, or larger station wagons. Kit boxes may also be transported on a roof rack. Larger kits are packed in a variety of carton sizes; the largest boats ship on pallets. Please call if you need information about picking up the larger kits. Read more about kit shipping here.

Few hatches are 100 percent waterproof, but CLC hatches come pretty close. As long as the hatch straps are tight and the gaskets are in good shape, very little water will find its way past the hatches. After a day in rough water or after practicing rolls you might get a few ounces of water in the boat.

Not until digital-rights management for architectural work catches up to books and music. Yes, we wish it was that easy, too! But in a world swarming with intellectual property thieves, the technology simply isn't ready.