Do skin on frame kayaks need a lot of maintenance?

No; no more than plastic or fibreglass kayaks. The canvas, of course, is subject to a certain degree of wear and tear, and will therefore need maintenance. This usually consists of a light sanding and a thin coat of paint every two or three years. See the references section on this page.

Courses 2019!

The course calendar has been updated. Check out this year's kayak building classes:here

Kayak building in the USA

From Autumn 2017, Delmarwa USA: Here:

Baidarka paddling

A video clip from summer of 2011's great baidarka adventure:here

Baidarka building

A video from a kayak building class in Vestfossen, Norway:here

New pages!

New, and well illustrated presentation of our beautiful new paddle types! More.

Traditional kayaking article

Jeff Allens article from Ocean Paddler:Les her: