Can yak build

[SCTony]

Will be building a can yak with my great nephew. Am in the process of obtaining materials. Would like to build as light as possible without sacrificing strength and safety. Those who have used the 3mm “ocoume” did you skin with fiberglass cloth? Was thinking about using 1/4 inch on bottom, 4 mm on sides and 3mm for decking. Will cost with epoxy but would like to eliminate the weight of cloth. Any thoughts?

Also have access to southern cypress which is relatively light and rot resistant. Has anyone used cypress?

Thanks
SC Tony

[DeltaDawg]

SC Tony, Have you watched YouTube videos of kevlar kayak builds? A neighbor down the street said he built them in Oakland California and really liked them. One of the YouTube videos shows a wood frame you could use the Glen-L plans for the frame. My neighbor told me kevlar kayaks are very light and very strong. I think I saw some composite materials at James Town Distributors when I was browsing. Good luck with your build. Leland

[rleete]

In the overall build, the weight of cloth is not significant, and adds considerable wear resistance.

[curt1893]

I did mine entirely with 1/4 inch and it's HEAVY. A lot heavier than I wanted, so I would go with something thinner if you can. I only found 1/4 marine grade local, so that's what I went for, but honestly I wish I had taken the time to source some thinner material. I imagine thinner would have rolled easier too at the ends (my bottom isn't as rounded as I would like in the ends).

[Moeregaard]

I'm with Curt. I built both of my Can-Yaks, using 6mm (~1/4") Okoume ply for the planking. This was definitely overkill, and 4mm material would have been more than adequate. My hulls both weigh about 75 lbs. The 6mm ply was an absolute bugger to fasten, especially on the bottom at the stems. It just doesn't want to twist. 6mm Okoume is made up from five plies; 4mm has only three. This would have made fastening much easier than with the thicker stuff. In an effort to reduce weight, I used 1/8" birch ply for the decks. Four-ounce glass and epoxy covers the hull, while the deck is covered with 1.45-oz. deck cloth. My recommendation? Go with 4mm Okoume or similar.

-Mark Shipley
-One Zip, Two Can-Yaks, What's Next?