These pages detail the methods that Jenny and I use to build proprietary composite kayaks for our own expeditionary use. The boat pictured below, Siku kayak, emerged from our workshop the spring of 1996 and traveled 1,400 miles along the West and North coast of Arctic Alaska.

We also wrote a book about this trip Siku Kayak.

The process begins by computer designing the kayak. Hand lofting from an existing set of tables would also work, but the computer is easier, faster, and more accurate. It also allows us to configure the design to our specifications, and to predict its performance.

The computer program (written by myself, former aerospace engineer) outputs data in the form of mold frames and bow & stern profile pieces. This can be output to AutoCad for machine plotting a set of full-sized patterns, or simply printed as a table of offsets for hand plotting.