Building a Stitch & Glue Kayak: Complete Video

This is the complete Chesapeake Light Craft kayak building video, filmed WAY BACK in 2001. John Harris walks through every step in the construction of a Chesapeake 16 kayak. Straightforward to build, handsome, and with famously benign handling qualities on the water, 8000 Chesapeake-series kayak kits have been built around the world, with countless more from plans. The techniques here are showing their age; kayak kit technology has moved on a bit from 2001 and construction has gotten loads easier. For example, since 2005 or so we've been using simpler puzzle joints rather than the scarf joints seen here. The CNC machine has done a lot more of the work in today's kits. In 2001, the CLC team's goal was to create a boatbuilding video of unprecedented clarity. High production values and an emphasis on watchability has made this one popular. The droll sight gags and general levity of the piece were deliberate—prior to 2001, boatbuilding videos were distinguished by somnolence, taciturnity, and cheap-wedding-video visuals. 25 years later—and 20 years since the invention of YouTube—Harris rolls his eyes. But the video worked very well.