Over 3000 sea kayaks are being built around the world from Laughing Loon plans. Kayaks
are being built in: the Caribbean, Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia,
New Zealand, Australia, Japan, the South Pacific, Finland, Sweden, Norway,
England, Ireland, Holland, Germany, France,Slovinia, Switzerland, and Italy.
And of course all over Canada and the United States, including Puerto Rico.
And the list is growing.
I have been truly amazed at how much interest there is
in sea kayaking around the world. I am very proud of the overwhelmingly
positive response of people to my kayak designs.
I do a number of things differently than most other builders.
I have a quite a few tips to make strip building easier for you. The big
three tips are: use 3/16" strips, use northern white cedar for your
hull bottom, and use a heat gun to bend tough to place strips with ease.
For more details follow this link.
I have received a great deal of positive feedback from
builders saying they found my plans to be clear
and easy to follow. I have written these plans describing in detail how
I build wood-strip boats. My assumption is that folks buying my plans have
not built a boat before. I have worked step by step through these instructions
to make boat building accessible to you.
"Compliments for your plans and instructions!
Building Georgian Bay with your plans was very easy,
step by step explanations, helpful drawings, many tricks!"
Martin Lacher, Switzerland
"Edgar, Judy and myself have just completed one
of your Panache designs.
It paddles even better than it looks."
Jen, Edgar and Judy, Homegrown Boats, Cape Cod,
MA
"Your directions were very easy to understand.
Everything worked well with no problems."
Thomas Templeton, PA
"I have built two of your Georgian Bay Kayak designs
and I wanted to thank you for the great instructions and pictures you provide
with your plans. You really know how to get your point across in an understandable
manner and you also give some great tips! Using a sharpened scraper on
the hull and deck really works great!!"
Thanks again. Bryan C.
"How well written your plans are and how well
thought out is the design."
George Bush, OR
"Your instruction manual is very, very good, and I felt well guided throughout the many steps. I am glad that you had the patience to really delve into the details, describing pitfalls and tricks, at every turn. I Love the magnetic hatches and am glad I took the time to follow your design on those (I feel the "shoe box" hatches that are on many home built boats are their downfall). The laminated combing is also very sweet, and solid! I often felt as though you were looking over my shoulder, which influenced me whenever I considered taking a short cut. My only disappointment is that I did not carefully "fair" the deck, but just dove into stripping it, so she has a bit of a "roman nose" at the front. Fully fitted out, she weights 68# (more than I had hoped, but still very manageable for this 60 year old guy). Though I intended to build the boat for "use" and not for "show", I think she came out awfully pretty."
I am certainly willing to talk to other builders about this boat or strip building the "Rob Macks Way", so you may share my email address with others.
Thank you again for a wonderful design and excellent guidance.
Sincerely,
David Crocker
David Crocker's Twin Star tandem kayak above
My plans include a 88 page book of instructions with over 200
illustrations and photographs of work methods and jigs. I provide
a materials list, research reading list and all my sources for woods, resins,
fiberglass cloth and hardware.
Building time for the kayak
designs is approximately 300 hours. Materials cost is in the range
of $500 to $700 US dollars. I give you the experience of my building advice
and my materials sources to save you a lot of leg work. My hope is for
you to be successful and to enjoy building your Laughing Loon kayak.