Strip Building Boat Plans
Strip building also known as cedar strip or plank building is a method of boat building where narrow strips of thin wood are glued together around a frame, the strips are then faired and fiberglassed and the form removed. The resulting boats are beautiful and light. This method is commonly used for canoes, kayaks and small dinghies. Several outriggers and rowboats have also been built this way.
Not only are the boat lovely, they are also light and strong. Strip building is one method of boat building which allows the builder to produce smooth complex curves.
Boat Plans in no Particular Order.
Let me know if you find a broken link. Things change quickly in the virtual world. More boat plans on the left.
- Lovely Strip Canoe plans from Ashes Still Water Boats. Models include solo, trip, extra stable for photographers and anglers. He also build Custom Boats.
- Stripper Canoes from Make a Canoe which is a Selway Fisher Company, Some nice canoes and kayaks. Offers outrigger, leeboard and sail plans also.
- Clark Craft have lovely cedar strip boats They offer kits and plans. Not particularly nice photos but lovely boats.
- Canadian Canoes offer cedar strip kits, supplies, classes in strip building.
- Glen L Whitehall strip built rowboat They have many other strip built boats as well.
- Green Valley Boat Works kits and plans for Canoes and Kayaks. Lovely strip construction canoes.
- Guillemot Kayaks, canoes and rowing boats, plans and kits. They also offer Custom build.
- Free Boat Plan for Strip Planking the EasyB 14 ft. solo strip canoe
- Several canoe designs from Northwest canoe They have supplies and lots of resources including free canoe plans..
- Georgian bay Kayak They have a large selection of sea kayaks
- Siskiwit Kayak free plans from Paddling Light
- Newfound Woodworks has cedar strip kits for kayaks, canoes and row boats, including the Rangeley.
- Orca Boats has plans and kits for cedar strip canoes and Kayaks.
- Barracuda canoe from John Winters.
- Strip plans from Valley Woodworking, plans, boats and accessories
- Gary Dierkin Proa sailing and plans in his book, Building Outrigger Sailing Canoes: Modern Construction Methods for Three Fast, Beautiful Boats
- One Ocean Kayaks Wood strip and stitch and glue kits.
- Plans for Selway Fisher Design yacht and Boatsincluding several strip built designs.
- Redfish Custom Kayak and Canoe Co. Plans and custom built boats, Cedar strips
- Sandy Point Boatworks have lovely strip built boat plans. including canoes, kayaks and pulling boats.
- Shearwater Boats offer plans, classes, kits and boats. Strip and stitch & glue boats are offered.
- Many designs offered, some free. Interesting one man mini keelboats. Some concept boats. Not all have been built.
- Boat plan Directory from Wooden Boat Magazine. Many different types of boats plus kits. A goldmine of plans.
- White Salmon has cedar strip plans, and kits in various types of kayaks, canoes and rowboats
- Classic Wooden Boat Plans specializes in wooden motor boats. They have some lovely wood plank boats.
- Duckworks boatbuilding plans Many designers. Fabulous boat building resource. Lots of plans but also articles and information on boatbuilding, supplies and hardware.
- Noahs Marine has cedar strip boat kits and plans as well as supplies such as plywood, epoxy and fiberglass. They have long length of cedar bead and cove lumber.
- Tender Craft Boat Shop has kits, plans and traditional (and modern) building materials, They have supplies including epoxy and cedar strips.
- Boat Plans and Kits from Chesapeake Light Craft (home of my Skerry design) has plans and kits for many different types of boats. Eye candy.
- National Museum of American History boat plans from the Smithsonian. Not specifically strip plans but many traditional hulls that could be adapted.
- Bear Mountain Boats, Plans for stunning canoes and kayaks and small boats made by the wood strip building method.
- Wooden Boat Store has plans for many boats and also has hardware. Some of the plans can be adapted for strip building by more advanced builders.
- Paul Gartside offers plans, boats and custom boats. He offers several cedar strip designs. Water Craft magazine prints free complete sets of Paul Gartside plans in every issue.
- Carrying Place Canoe Works Has plans for many styles of cedar strip canoes as well as kits.
Youtube video on Milling Cedar Strips, very detailed.
Many authors include plans for strip built boats when they write their books. Gil Gilpatrick's book: Building a Strip Canoe, Second Edition, Revised & Expanded: Full-Sized Plans and Instructions for Eight Easy-To-Build, Field-Tested Canoes.
Building Strip-Planked Boats AND The Strip-Built Sea Kayak: Three Rugged, Beautiful Boats You Can Build
Strip Built Canoe: How to build a beautiful, lightweight, cedar strip canoe, and Building an Adirondack Guideboat: Wood Strip Reproductions of the Virginia are a few examples.
I try to be accurate and check my information, but mistakes happen. IF you find a dead link please let me know and I'll update it.
email me if you find mistakes, I'll fix them and we'll all benefit: ChristineBoat, Paddle and Oar Plans
Boat plans for many different types of boatsWood Strip boat plans
Stitch and glue boat plans Many Designers offer plans for just about every kind of boat in Stitch and Glue form.
Free stitch and glue boatplans
Free Canoe and Kayak Boat Plans
Take apart and folding boat page has several boatbuilding plan links.
Free Oar Plans
Free Paddles and Oar Plans
Free Punt Plans
Other Interesting Boatbuilding articles
Polyurethane glues are amazing and convenient.Resorcinol glues are time tested start of the boat building world.
One Sheet Boats including links to several free plans.
Great Strip Building Resource from the Chesapeake Light Craft website. Step by step video of a Petrel Kayak being built.
Although it is possible to build a nice boat from just the offsets, building a wood strip boat is somewhat complex. NOT impossibly difficult but not baby simple either. A good set of plans will have tested dimensions, often full size mold patterns, and many tips and instructions that will save time and money. In the end you get what you pay for.
Another great advantage of buying good plans is that the designer has a vested interest in your success and wants you to succeed. They are willing to answer questions and offer advice if you need it.
Small Print
This information is for general knowledge. If you plan to build a boat do your homework and check out the design before you build. I have not tested most of these boats so I can't recommend them. There are good and not so good plans.