The following "frequently asked questions" section is designed with you, the customer, in mind; we hope you will find the information you need about our boat kits.

I have heard of a number of kit manufactures producing CNC cut boat kits; are you new?

Why haven’t I seen any of your ads until now?

How are your kits produced?

Since 1994, we have been producing our kayak kits with CNC router cutting technology. Over the years we have learned that this technology is not magic, the faster you cut and the thicker the material you cut the more accuracy you give up. We cut at a fraction of the machine's capability to ensure accuracy and to avoid chipping the wood during the cutting process.  We want to be sure you have the best parts available and a positive building experience.  Boat Models

Yes practically anyone can build one of out kits!
Over the years, people from all walks of life have successfully built boats from our kits. Most of them had no previous building experience (notice we didn't say boat-building experience) of any kind.

I recall three young women who bought our Explorer 16 canoe kit. They built it for a friend as a wedding present!
The women built it using our shop canoe building notes and the Lightning 17 building manual since the Explorer 16 manual wasn’t ready yet.
The boat impressed a neighbor so much that he just had to come down to see the rest of our boats/kits. See Customer’s Photos.

Our kits are cut from the finest mahogany plywood made.
We use British Standard (BS) 1088 Okoume marine plywood (an African mahogany registered with Lloyds of London.) Okoume mahogany is obtained from sustainable growth forests (tree farms).
We purchase our Okoume plywood by the container load direct from the manufacturer to keep costs as low as possible.

What kind of epoxy hardener do you use?

We use marine epoxy with a non blushing clear coating hardener.  We use this resin hardener combination for its outstanding clarity, exceptional low blushing characteristics and superior flexibility with high bond strength.  The pump set (included in the kit) takes all the guesswork (and mess) out of mixing epoxy.  You can be secure knowing that you are building with the best!

How long will it take to build my kit?

Building times vary from person to person. In general the more time you allow, the better your boat will look! We list the approximate building time with each kit.
See Boat Models.

Are there strong fumes when using epoxy?

Our marine epoxy has no solvents, so the fumes are kept to a minimum. We recommend the use of a charcoal filter mask when using any chemicals including varnish. Epoxy is quite sticky, so you may want to wear old clothes or a smock. The 2015 flagship varnish included with the kit is smelly; grab your mask!
(For masks and other supplies see our Accessories / Price List.)

Yes!  Okoume plywood/epoxy boats are as strong as and 30% lighter than fiberglass boats.  Under impact, fiberglass shatters like a windshield.  You may not even see some of the small cracks that need repairs in your fiberglass hull.  This makes bringing the hull back to 100% strength almost impossible for the average “do it your self” person.  If you do need to repair a fiberglass boat, fix it with our marine epoxy. It is ten times stronger than the polyester resin from which most fiberglass boats are made.  Our marine epoxy is an adhesive and will not “let go” like polyesters and some other epoxies.  We are in our fifth decade of repairing boats and helping people with the supplies and information they need to make repairs, on all types of boats, aircraft, motor homes and cars.

Because Okoume mahogany plywood is built with three laminations, the hull takes impact much better than a cedar strip hull, which is more likely to crack.

What about maintenance?

The maintenance required for the Okoume/epoxy boat is similar to that needed with a fiberglass or plastic boat. Epoxy requires protection from long term exposure to ultra-violet sunlight. We supply 2015 flagship single component polyurethane varnish in our kits, which is the best money can buy! It has six times the UV protection compared to the next leading varnish.
It is recommended that the boat be scuff sanded and re-varnished every three to seven years, depending on the amount of exposure to the sun.

Note: Fiberglass and polyethylene plastic boat have no UV protection added during their manufacturing process, so keeping them out of the sun is crucial to the life of the boat. As the main supplier of boat repair supplies in this area, we receive calls about repairs to these supposedly "indestructible" polyethylene plastic boats regularly.
Left in the sun you will require a new plastic boat every seven years or so. Plastic boats are not in my opinion a high quality craft. They are too heavy, and when the hull flexes, the water pressure forces the bottom of the boat up in the middle so it’s like paddling a suction cup through the water.

Wood/epoxy on the other hand is very stiff and holds its shape better than either plastic or fiberglass.  This makes for better glide and consequently less effort is required to cover the same distance.  The lighter (by 15-25 lbs.) wood/epoxy boat means that much more gear or supplies can be carried.

On the bottom at the bow and stern we apply five layers of fiberglass cloth and two coats of epoxy/graphite. While this adds a few ounces of weight, it provides more abrasion resistance than a sheet of steel! Once in a while (usually at the end of the season or when its required) you can mix some resin/hardener and add a small amount of graphite powder, smear it on the narrow ends (bow /stern) of the boat and you’re good to go!

Unlike cedar strip/wood strip construction the Okoume plywood/epoxy boats do not require a strongback or staions. The stongback and staions add to the building time and cost of the project. It takes approximately three times longer to build a cedar strip boat than a boat from our stitch and glue kit.

How do your kits compare to others?

We design each boat with care to give you the best performance, handling, and comfort available anywhere. We select the most aesthetically pleasing sheets of Okoume for our decks since they are the most visible and are the showpiece of the boat. As stated earlier, we have been cutting our kits using CNC technology since 1994. Our kit parts have a repeatable accuracy of several thousandths of an inch, (our hair is about six thousandths of an inch) to ensure the parts fit perfectly.
Our kits come complete and are of very high quality. We include many more components than our competitors.

I have seen several types of decks offered by kit suppliers, what's the difference? And why do you choose the decks you have?

We have chosen our deck configuration, which offers significant advantages, for a number of reasons.
In most cases we use a deck with three longitudinal joints (see Boat Models for examples) for examples.
Each time you put a joint in a panel the deflection is decreased and the strength of that particular panel is increased. We also do this to control the shape of the deck at every inch along the length of the boat. The reason for controlling the decks shape is that water gets funneled off the deck as quickly as possible. We start with the bow raised, dropping it as it runs back roughly half way to the cockpit, lifting it again towards the cockpit. The raised bow reduces the amount of water able to run up on to the deck. Any water up there is then brought down due to the drop in the deck and is quickly funneled off when the vee'ed deck line rises to the cockpit. This results in a much drier boat than the one-piece curved deck. This one-piece deck limits the amount of shaping that can be done because plywood will bend in one direction only, resulting in a deck that in the side view is straight. This means that, with a one-piece deck, water is able to roll along the length of the deck constantly washing over the paddler; our deck shape eliminates this.

Our deck also eliminates the necessity for sheer longitudinals; these, if improperly installed can allow gaps that can reduce the strength of the hull and collect water which can cause damage.

The installation of the deck using sheer longitudinals requires screws or nails to secure it, while the epoxy cures. Testing has proven that fasteners reduce the strength of joints by concentrating the stress at the fastener. This squeezes the epoxy out, again reducing the strength of the hull. Fasteners create condensation, which over time, causes rot in a wooden hull.

The curved deck typically leaves a sharp angular corner at the sheer line. These corners can cause considerable discomfort when wet cold knuckles unexpectedly make contact! On our decks with the double sheer or softer angled shoulder, the impact is considerably lessened when inadvertently hit. The double sheer allows water to run off the deck more quickly. It also effectively reduces the height of the sides of the hull thus reducing the effect of wind on the boat. Additionally, a deck joined with fillets and tapes rather than sheer longitudinals provides a much cleaner inside hull. With our pre-cut hatch openings, it is possible to reach to the end of the hull to apply the tapes with relative ease. For those not wanting bulkheads and hatches once the boat is built, the bulkheads can be left out and the hatch covers can be glued in position.

What are the "Quicklock Connector System" joints?

This joint has a number of advantages over scarf and butt joints.

• It is faster, easier, and takes less space to join than either scarf's or butt blocks. (It takes 45 minutes to join all the hull and deck parts for the Lightning 14.)
• You don't have to worry about accidentally knocking the parts out of alignment; they are "locked" together! Once the hull is completed the joint is as strong as or stronger than anywhere else along the length of the panel. It is even stronger than conventional butt joints and in our testing it proves to be as strong as scarf joints.
• The "Quicklock Connector System" allows you to joint your hull and deck parts without string lines and measuring to check alignment. Consequently, you need less space (width) to do the joining.

 

What makes them important to me as a kit builder?

The "Quicklock Connector System" does a number of positive things for a kit builder:

• It is easier and faster to join than the other joints (scarf or butt joints)
• It is much cleaner and more attractive than scarf joints, allowing even first time kit builders to achieve a clear finish.
• Its more interesting than a straight butt joint and it quite often attracts interest once its been pointed out to people.
• It identifies the front of the panel from the rear (an important feature on parts that otherwise look very similar).
• It is impossible to join the parts upside down or with the wrong mating part. They only go together the correct way!

 

Are your kayak hatches waterproof?

Our hatches have a thick neoprene rubber seal so they are as close to waterproof as they can be! The air temperature is generally warmer than the water temperature so as the air inside the hatches cools, it creates a vacuum inside the hatch. When the hatch lid is removed it sounds a little like opening a can of pop. Most kayak hatches do let in an ounce or two of water after a day out in rough seas. It is advisable to put any gear in dry bags of some kind no mater what type of kayak you have.

Some kits are built with fewer bulkheads than others; do you need all the temporary bulkheads?

Why do you fiberglass the entire hull inside and out?

We don't always fiberglass the entire hull inside and out. In fact we are currently working on the design of a boat that can be joined with fiberglass tapes over the inside and can either be fiberglassed throughout or be fiberglass taped only on the chine joints outside. This type of construction reduces the cost and weight of the boat, but it also significantly reduces the strength of the hull. The same is true of a hull that is fiberglass taped on the inside and fiberglassed covered only on the outside. Generally, we do fiberglass the inside and outside of the hull with six ounce fiberglass cloth. Fiberglassing the hull inside and out with six ounce cloth increases the strength of the plywood X 4. When the deck is installed, the strength of the joints is increased X 16. On impact, if the inside of the hull is left un-fiberglassed, the wood on the inside will splinter. On a hull fiberglassed on both sides, the same level of impact will not cause damage. When building your boat you must decide whether strength or weight is more important.

Yes we would like to meet you and answer any questions you may have. Please call two days ahead if you want to buy a kit so we can have it ready for you.

What will I get in my kit? (Please compare)

You will get everything you need for a ready-to-paddle boat:

Supplies with kit

When I buy a kit, what else will I need?

Some other things you will want when your boat is finished.

See our Accessories/Price List section

If you have other questions or would like more detailed information, 
please call us at (780) 437-4919 or visit us at our shop at.

E-mail sales@watersdancing.com