Kudzu

OK. That makes sense. I was thinking I had only built two and mine modified several times and finally recycled.

I built??

I will be honest, I am confused. I have multiple versions on the computer for this boat where I played with it over the years. I did find one version that 'appears' to the correct one and appears that it it 1" to high and should be 1-25/32". I will have to spend some time later on and get this straightened out before we print any more books.

Found it. I created a Spread Sheet that converted the dimensions to Inches and Metric. Decimal point was in the wrong place on this dimension so that is why it is wrong on both version. Imperial should be 3-2/32 Metric should be 2.54 Please post photos as you build. Not seen anyone's photos of this boat yet.

Good question. I will have to look into that and get back to you. Formatting the offsets into the book was a real pain so I wouldn't be surprised at all if it wrong.

I think I like you yard/view more than the boat frame! 😉

Have you looked for Baltic Birch? For the money it is a better choice.... no nearly as pricey as true marine ply and if your near a larger city you can probably find it. Last I bought was $30 +/- a sheet. Price does vary pretty widely though. Search Google for plywood or plywood dealers or maybe wood suppliers. Look for the ones that supply commercial wood shops or cabinet shops. I use Google maps and find the ones out in the industrial areas, not the retails sectors. (Some people have found it at Lowes or Home Depots but I have never seen it.) Call and see if they have Baltic Birch in 5' x 5' sheets. That is the perfect size for one of my boats and only true BB, imported from Russia, comes in 5x5 sheets.

FreeB is a Recreational kayak (fat, wide and slow). It was never meant for rolling. If she paddles Rec boats of similar size, good. If she paddles skinny Sea kayaks she isn't going to like it. Had surgery so my typing is limitedto one hand, so being brief.

I have never offered this one in full size plans and it is a good paddling boat too. I would like to have one but i have way too many boats now.

5 x 5 sheet is the perfect size for a boat kit too. Very little wasted.

I have never seen or used MDO. I have people talk about it and while it sounds good, I have tried a few things that sounded good but didn't work out so good in the long term. Can't recommend it at this point.

I agree with Dave. I have had one stringer warp a little with all the boats I have built and it wasn't a big deal. Cypress would be my go to wood if I could get it easily. I have left the frame bare. I have used paint, varnish, poly, oil and probably some more and now I just use what ever I have or the client wants. I think oil. poly or varnish look the best since the wood looks like wood. If the 'marine' plywood you have found is American made Douglas Fir, it probably crap. At least that has been my experience. Lots of voids in the ply's, horrible surface finish, splinters when cut. Nasty stuff and no way would I sell you a kit made from it. There maybe some good stuff made here in the US but I have not found it. That is why I use imported plywood. Baltic birch is still my favorite, best quality vs. price I can find. Imported marine plywood is fantastic stuff but very pricey. Try searching Google with terms like 'plywood wood dealers' and find the suppliers for the cabinet shops use. Skip Lowes, Home Depot and the like. You want the guys out in the industrial parks outside of town. They don't have show rooms. You go the counter, tell the man what you want and they load you up. They deal with pro's so don't expect hand holding. But they are the place you will find Baltic Birch and reasonable places.

I don't have numbers in front of me but it is typical for all my boats. Less stable than a commercial consumer boat but far from unstable.

If you compare the drawings on layout section you will see the strings bottom corners are the layout points. So stringers bottom edge is the point.

Once you attach the gunwales and the blocks it will be more obvious. But It is virtually impossible to glue all those in place and perfectly even, so the idea is get that top of the gunwale smooth/flat for cosmetic reasons. If you are installing breasthooks on top of the gunwales then you going to need the ends shaped so the breasthook rests flat on the gunwales.