CLC Build-Your-Own Chesapeake Kayak in St. Michaels, MD

Here is a unique opportunity to build your own boat on the waterfront grounds of the fascinating Chesapeake Maritime Museum in historic St. Michaels, MD, during the week leading up to and culminating with the annual Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival, for a unique combination of experiences not to be missed.

In this six-day course, each student will build a Chespeake series sea kayak. Most build the Chesapeake 17LT, as this model fits a broad range of paddlers from 130lbs to 230lbs. However, you may choose from any of the six Chesapeake single kayak models.  www.clcboats.com/boatbuilding_classes/379.html

This beautiful and capable design can carry enough gear for a week of camp cruising. Lightweight yet sturdy, the Chesapeake is easy to cartop, carry, and store. The Chesapeake kayak is stable, fast, and seaworthy. If you want to travel along rocky coasts and in exposed waters, this is the perfect boat. Even so, a kayak is ideal for coastal and inland waters. The kayaker travels in a low, quiet boat which floats in only a few inches of water. A kayak is a great choice for bird watching, simply exercising, or just watching the marsh grass bend in the wind while camping in remote places.

Chesapeake Light Craft has been manufacturing stitch-and-glue kayak kits since 1993. CLC’s many designs emphasize easy construction combined with good looks and uncompromised performance. Using the stitch-and-glue method, the student will build a kayak without the complication of frames, molds, or a strongback. The resulting hard-chine Chesapeake kayak is very stable, maneuverable, and suited to both beginning paddlers and experienced kayakers.

At the end of the course each student will take home a kayak plus a cargo of self-confidence which comes from having completed his or her own wooden boat. In addition, they’ll have gained experience with wood/epoxy construction, reading plans, and kayak design fundamentals.