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Rating:  -
A good read. Good instructions. Color photos would help.
I have built a canoe, a kayak and a row boat, so a lot of the
things he covered were not new to me. A novice could build
a Kayak from this book.
Rating: -
This is an excellent how to book which has stood the test of time and is relevant to any "back yard" kayak builder.
Text and pictures are well laid out and easy to compare. The author has a sense of humour which add to the reading enjoyment.
Rating:  -
I have to admit it - I did not build this kayak. In fact, I have never built a kayak, and most likely I never will build a kayak. I already have a kayak which I like a lot, and if I wanted another one I would probably go store bought. But still...
People like to make things, and when I can not make real things I do it vicariously, which makes this book a particularly good match for me. I almost felt like I was in the shop, smelling wood chips and epoxy as I read it. The author is always entertaining, almost always clear as a bell, and reasonably well organized. There are a few places where I might have put the picture a page earlier, or even used a line drawing, but once you understand his style, you know that if you just keep reading the mystery will be solved straightaway. He explains the technique so thoroughly that the reader has no doubt that this is a job they could do, and do well. One must only begin.
Rating: -
This is not traditional kayak building. It is modern, "Popular Mechanics" style kayak building, which means the boat will be fine for what it is, but overbuilt, too heavy, and basically nothing like the sleek racy craft that it could be. The design and construction is suited for the amateur builder who wants as little of a woodworking challenge as possible, which makes it perfect for a project to build with kids. A parent and child could have great fun building a boat such as this. So, keeping that in mind, it's just fine. For real kayak building in the traditional manner see Cunningham's "Building the West Greenland Kayak", or Morris's "Building Skin on Frame Boats".
Rating: -
If you are a beginner looking for a, relatively speaking, quick and easy way to build your first kayak, this book is for you. While these kayaks probably are not ones that will push the envelope, they will serve the recreational kayaker well. Also included with the book is the article of the kayak that inspired George's design and if you compare the design to others kayaks that are on the market you will see that their designs were inspired by it too (Klepper and the old Folbots, though heavily modified, resemble both George's Walrus as well as the original Walrus design). While I probably will not build this kayak as my first, I do plan on using many of the weight savings ideas that are evident in George's design. There is an excellent chapter that discusses the various issues with repairing problems after the kayak has seen some use. Other books tend to leave this info. out.
One area I was disappointed in is that I believe the author should have shown an alternative building method that utilized the actual plywood floor frames instead of using the stands, then going back and replacing the stands with plywood frames. The other point that I disagreed with was the author's attitude toward plastic kayaks, there is enough room on the water for kayaks of all kinds. The author's writing style was different, very much down to earth although opinionated in some respects, but does not detract from the book at all, IMHO.
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