For a long time I’ve been threatening to build a Greenland skin on frame kayak. After reading Chris Cunningham’s Building The Greenland Kayak about four times I’ve finally gotten up the nerve to build it. My plan is to document different stages of the construction here on my blog. I am also going to figure out a way to post the spreadsheet I am keeping that documents my exact expenses.
Why a skin on frame kayak? Well it boils down to a couple of reasons. One is I just like to build things and this seems like a really cool winter project. Two, I like traditional stuff (I shot flintlock muzzleloaders growing up) and this was the way Greenland kayaks were originally built. Sure I’m going to use nylon instead of seal skin to cover the boat but the heart of the original boat is still there. Finally I want a roller; this boat is going to be 17 feet long and 19 inches wide, which should make it fast and a great boat to roll.
One nice thing about this project is I’m in no hurry. I have a fiber glass Greenland boat, a Wilderness Systems Arctic Hawk, so it’s not like I have to get it done so I can paddle. Skin on frame boats are also cheap. A buddy of mine built a wood boat and finished it this year. It took him over a year to build, he used up most of his garage (that made his wife really happy) and I know the kit cost him around $1000 so his finished product was much more. I hope to be under the $300 mark on my boat and I can build for a day then move the frame out of the way so my wife can still get her car in the garage. An added bonus is the boat will be built to my dimensions.
So if you’re interested in Greenland kayaks, or skin on frame boats follow along on my journey and we’ll see where it goes.
