One of the things at the top of my bucket list for about 10 years was to build a kayak. I have always loved the look of wooden watercraft. I have been a hobby woodworker all my life but mostly on projects utilizing a square or level. The challenge for me was building a project where these tools had no place. I had never kayaked so that was not the draw.
I chose the 12' Wood Duck Hybrid because of its beautiful lines and the very positive reviews from those who had built and used one. I ordered the plans from CLC and sourced the supplies locally using Okoume plywood, and red and yellow cedar. I spent about 140-150 hours on the kayak running all the bead and cove strips myself in addition to tracing and cutting the pieces for assembly.
It is now in the water and I could not be more pleased with the handling of the Wood Duck and the attention it draws in the water. While kayaking was not the main reason for the project, it should have been the next item on my bucket list!
