So, you want to build a CLC Chesapeake kayak?

I was posed these questions back in late 1998, and here were my responses, after a season of paddling:

I am considering building the Chesapeake 17 and had a few questions.

1. Did you find it easy to build off the plans and not using a kit?

I had no problems building from plans. I am an amateur woodoworker, so I already had a jigsaw, table saw, and belt sander to use. (it can be done without all 3 of these - you can eliminate the table saw altogether, use a plane visa a belt sander [preferred by some] and use a hand saw visa the jigsaw [not recommended])

The plans were very clear and easy to follow. I am considering building a strip-built kayak because the Ches 17 wasn't excessively challenging. You are only undertaking a couple extra steps over building from the kit. You have to rip the plywood, loft the panel shapes, cut them out, and fair the panels. All of these steps are easier than putting on the sheer clamps and deck (the 2 most difficult steps IMHO, and steps on both plan and kit boats.)

2. Do you think you saved a lot of money by doing it by the plans?

I saved a ton of money! My brother and I built 2 Ches. 17's for a total of $850. That's $425 apiece--and we had a whole sheet of $45 4mm okoume left over. Of course, we purchased some larger quantities of materials (varnish, 'glass, and cut each of our plywood shipping costs almost in half)

3. Did you buy all the wood epoxy and supplies from Chesapeake crafts?

I bought my plywood and plans from CLC. They were pretty reasonable for shipping (4 sheets 4mm and 1 sheet 6mm okoume). I'd check Boulter though, before I ordered from CLC again. Boulter supplies CLC's plywood, so it may be cheaper (unless CLC gets a quantity discount from Boulter and passes it on to you).

We covered the decks with lauan doorskins. I wouldn't trust them for hull material, but they have been sturdy enough for decks. I did have to 'glass above my knees, since I was pushing small cracks when I braced and rolled. Since glassing, I've had no problems.

We bought our epoxy and glass from Raka Marine supplies (www.raka.com) I would highly recommend them. He has dirt-cheap epoxy and glass. (It's not low-quality, just low-cost.) He buys epoxies in 55 gallon drums direct from the manufacturers and just re-packages it in 1 gallon/1 quart jugs, so his overhead is just low. The glass was also a good bargain. We bought 8 yards of 72" cloth and just cut it down the middle to cover both our hulls. (Another advantage of building 2 boats) We had enough left over to glass the insides of our cockpits. The Raka epoxy was easy to mix and didnt' stink. (make sure you get his booklet on epoxy if you order from him--it has great advice) We also bought silica fume from raka.

4. Do you like your boat, and if you did it over again would you change anything?

I love my boat. It paddles great! I wish I would've built a strip-built boat, but only for the fact that they are more challenging to build and while my mahogany stitch & glue Ches. 17 is beautiful, a well-built stripper is absolutely gorgeous!! (That didn't sound right, did it? No pun intended!)

I am able to roll my boat without too much effort--I do wish the back deck right behind the cockpit were lower. I'd cut down the back bulkhead about 2" to make it easier for me to lie back on the deck. I would also make a cedar-strip deck. Mine looks good, but can you tell I like strip boats?! I did, however, have a boat, that when started in January, was in the water in March when the water thawed. I would've been June or July with a strip boat.

Note that a 24" wide, hard-chined boat like the Chesapeake will be much harder to roll than a narrower, soft-chined boat.

5. Do you think I could shrink the plans easily for my wife to make her a 16' or should I buy the other set too?

I will build a boat for my wife based on the Ches. 17 plans. I am going to shrink it to 15.5 or 16' like you're thinking about. It would be no problem at all. The plans show your top and bottom-of-panel dimensions every 12". You could drop to 11" or 11.25", get a 16' boat, and still have no problems. I'll probably build her one this spring or next summer. I'll do exactly this with my extra sheet of plywood and cedar-strip the deck. Just make sure you send CLC a $10 check for building a second boat.

6. And finally is the boat fast being that it is 24" wide?

Even at 24", it kicks ass! (Pardon my french!) I can easily paddle 4.5 (statute) miles in an hour..I can probably go 5.5 or 6 mph in short bursts without too much problem. The Chesapeake 17 has about a 16.5' waterline, so that gives it pretty good speed. My good buddy has an Aquaterra Chinook NW - I can out-paddle him any day (as long as we don't switch boats!) Of course, his boat is 24" too, but the hull design of the Chesapeake is faster. You might have a much faster boat with 21.5" or 22" beam, but your wife wouldn't be able to keep up with you in a 16' boat. (and we wouldn't want that, would we? :) 24" is comfortable to sit upright in when you're not moving, but doesn't sacrifice too much speed.

Also, with a 24.5" beam, the boat gets rocked a bit in waves, but if you're just starting out, you'd be more comfortable in it than a 21" boat, and safer than a 26" boat.

A few more things I added in January, 2001:

One thing to look at (among many other factors) is the shape of the chines. The Chesapeakes' chines are all nearly parallel to the waterline. This results in more wetted surface, more drag, fuller ends, a longer effective waterline length, and a higher top-end speed.

Most people don't paddle their boat at the top speed, except for short bursts, and even if they're capable of it, they're generally paddling in the company of folks who can't paddle that fast. Having a fast boat and not using it's capable speeds just means unnecessary wetted surface which means more drag than you need to sustain a 3-knot cruising speed.

Don't get me wrong, the Chesapeake is an excellent boat. It has tons of stability--I really think a 24"-ish beam is great for beginners. A lot of beginners rush out and buy 27-30" beam recreational kayaks, and hate them because they're so sluggish. 24" is nice, because you can start to feel the effects of good edging and leaned turns, but not so twitchy that you're afraid to go out and play in larger and larger waves. I've been in 5' boat wakes with it, and had no problems at all. In fact, I was so comfortable in it, I probably outgrew it quicker than I would have in a different boat--because it helped me "feel my edge" as I slowly progressed in my skills learning. If you have a hard time packing small, you would have no problems packing the Chesapeake. I think the front hatch is a bit too small for the volume it offers, but other than that, it's a dream to pack. If you pack like a backpacker, you can fit two people's gear in this thing! I learned a lot from my Chesapeake--I can roll it--it's not the easiest touring kayak to roll, but it is rollable.

Currently, I'm drawn to more "playful" and less "beamy" boats, but I'm grateful for the safety and dynamic _and_ static stability the Chesapeake gave me.

I don't want anyone to get the impression that I'm knocking the Chesapeake--it's just a very large boat, and often larger than most people need for a day-paddling boat. It is very comfortable in big seas, and for carrying larger people or lots of heavy gear. I have no problems squeezing my 6'-6" frame and size 14's into it, where I had to do some slight modifications to the Guillemot and might have to do some to the Cormorant.

Happy and Safe Paddling,

Shawn