The Wood Duck 12 Hybrid substitutes cedar strips for the standard plywood deck, while the stitch-and-glue hull and underbody are identical to the standard version. Thus it's a "hybrid" of strip-planking and stitch-and-glue building techniques. Wood Duck Hybrids offer builders with more woodworking skills the opportunity to customize their kayaks with creative strip patterns and designs. As a curious historical note, "hybrid" as a term describing a plywood kayak with a cedar-stripped deck actually predates the rise of the hybrid automobile. We still get a lot of emails wondering if the Wood Duck Hybrids are electric-powered (they are not).
The Wood Duck 12 Hybrid is a recreational kayak designed for people of all shapes and sizes to enjoy on the water. With a big cockpit and ample stability, the emphasis is on comfort. But these boats really paddle well! Speed is excellent: a Wood Duck 12 can cover a lot of 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.
Capacity is ample and meant to accommodate a broad range of paddlers. Cockpits are 38 inches long, for easy in and out, and your legs and knees will not be confined. The Wood Duck 10 will carry paddlers up to 200 pounds, and the Wood Duck 12 will easily handle a 275-pounder, plus gear. A flush hatch for the rear compartment is standard in all kits; an airtight oval VCP hatch is an option. In either case, both boats can carry a heavy payload in the fore and aft compartments, enough for picnicking, camping, or a whole lot of fishing gear.
The Wood Duck Hybrid’s hull is identical to the standard Wood Duck’s, with computer-cut BS 1088 Okoume panels assembled with “puzzle joints” so it goes together very, very quickly. Computer-cut molds are set into the hull with temporary hot glue. These molds shape and support the deck during construction. With the kit, we include precision-milled bead-and-cove Western Red and Alaskan Yellow cedar strips. The strips are milled with a “bead and cove” joint so that one slides into the next for perfect joinery.
Once the deck pattern has been established and glued together, the entire deck is gently taken off the hull and the underside fiberglassed. The molds are removed from the hull, then the deck is epoxied back in place. Finally, the top of the strip deck is fiberglassed and the cockpit and hatches are added.
Our strip-built and hybrid kits ship with 50% Western Red and 50% Alaskan Yellow cedar bead & cove strips. Photos on our website and printed materials may show patterns and accent strips with walnut or other materials. Optional walnut strips are available and can be shipped with kit orders.
CLC commissioned designer Eric Schade to draw and prototype the Wood Duck series of kayaks to our specifications. Eric had a huge hit with his Shearwater kayak designs, also designed for CLC as fast sea kayaks. He has another huge hit on his hands with this fun, good-looking recreational kayaks that anyone from age 8 to age 80 can enjoy on the water.
Do you fit in this kayak? Study our kayak fit chart.
Build this boat if:
- You need a stable, comfortable kayak with a beautiful cedar-strip deck
- You need a kayak that fits nearly all sizes
- You want speed AND stability in one kayak
- Ease of construction is important
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