Choosing the right kit

The focus of this, my first ever blog, is to chronical my trials and tribulations while building a plywood sea kayak from a kit. I originally got the idea to build a kit boat while reading an issue of Sea Kayaker Magazine. I thought that this sounded like a great challenge and it was the most cost-effective way for a cheapskate such as myself to own my very own sea kayak for about a third of the price of a comparable fiberglass boat. Add to this the beautiful look of these boats and a miserly weight of around 22 kg (40 lbs) for a 5.25 m (17.5 ft) kayak, I found it hard to say no to the idea. The only drawbacks seemed to be finding the time and a workspace large enough to complete the process. I am lucky enough to possess both of these in ample quantities, so the next stop was the internet to find my kit.

In the end, the kayak kit I chose to purchase was the "Coho" from Pygmy Boats Inc. from Port Townsend, Washington, USA. This choice was an easy one for me because I had read very favorable magazine reviews of Pygmy's highly rated Coho and the Actic Tern models. Now there are definitely other well designed kayak kits out there, but the close proximity of the Pygmy showroom in Port Townsend to my home in Vancouver, Canada clinched the deal because I was able to easily drive down and test paddle a few boats to make sure I like the look and feel of them. I was more than impressed with how both these boats performed and the final decision to buy the Coho came down to very subtle differences in stability and handling. In my hands the Coho tracked straighter and had slightly better primary stability, while still carving a very respectible turn when put on edge.

The Coho kit itself belies the boat that awaits inside. The wood all comes in a very thin and light 2.5 m (8 ft) box and is accompanied by a smaller but much heavier box with the epoxy and fiberglass. I also purchased some extra goodies to add hatches and shock-cord to the deck of my boat since I plan to do lots of sea-touring in this baby and will need lots of places to hold all my gear. I can't wait to get started!!