How to Build an 11-Foot Kayak

Eleven-foot kayaks are ideal for someone who needs a light, easy-to-handle recreational boat. Beginners to boat-building should consider using the strip build method. Though this technique takes longer than other methods, usually around three months, it's one of the more affordable ways to make a boat and is usually easier than more advanced building processes.

Things You'll Need

  • Spray-on glue
  • 1/2-inch plywood
  • Table saw
  • 11-foot 2-by-4 plank
  • Screws
  • Power screwdriver
  • Cedar wood planks
  • Router
  • Staples
  • Staple gun
  • Carpenter's glue
  • Block plane
  • Water-based wood putty
  • Epoxy resin
  • Bristle paintbrush
  • Fiberglass cloth
  • Strapping tape
  • Sawdust
  • Squirt bottle
  • Varnish
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Instructions

  1. Assemble the Boat

    • 1

      Attach a building plan to the plywood you're using with spray-on glue. Cut interior supports of the kayak, or forms, out of 1/2-inch plywood, using a table saw.

    • 2

      Assemble forms around your strongback, an 11-foot 2-by-4 plank. Double-check to make sure your spacing is correct; the skeleton of the boat is crucial to the kayak's structural soundness. Attach the forms, using screws and a power screwdriver. You may want to reinforce these bonds with epoxy.

    • 3

      Cut cedar planks into strips 3/4 inch wide and 1/4 inch thick, using a table saw. Cedar strips should have one slightly concave and one convex side so that they fit together more snugly. Cut these grooves with a router.

    • 4

      Lay strips on the boat form, beginning in the center and moving outwards. Staple the strips into place, then glue them with carpenter's glue. Work slowly, doing only two full strips from stem to stern each night, then leaving them to dry.

    • 5

      Remove staples once the strips have dried. Trim and sand the edges as necessary, using a block plane. Fill in staple holes with water-based wood putty that matches the color of your boat. Also use this putty to fill in other gaps or gouges left by construction.

    Fiberglassing and Finishing

    • 6

      Apply epoxy resin to the outside of your hull with a bristle brush. Let the epoxy dry according to directions on the container.

    • 7

      Unroll fiberglass cloth over the hull and measure it. Trim to size if necessary. Pour epoxy over the cloth a small section at a time. Let dry a few minutes, then lightly scrape off any excess glue. Each side gets two layers of fiberglass, each covered with enough epoxy to just fill holes in the weave and give a smooth appearance. Once dry, sand uneven spots. Repeat the process with the outside of the deck, then inside the deck and hull.

    • 8

      Clean out mating surfaces of both hull and deck to ensure proper joining. Join the two halves. You may need a friend to help you lift and reposition the boat sections to get them perfect. Tape the two halves together as tightly as you can with no gaps between them, using nylon-reinforced strapping tape. Fiberglass and epoxy the inside of the seam, using fiberglass cloth strips. Let them dry.

    • 9

      Seal either end of the kayak using an end pour, or a mixture of epoxy resin and sawdust. Pour this mixture into a squirt bottle, then squirt 6 to 10 times in either point of the boat. Let it dry. Varnish your boat, using two coats. After the varnish has dried, smooth out the boat, using a block plane or sandpaper.