South Wind 17-9

Hull Specifications	Estimated Cost
Estimated Labor Time	Plans Packing List
Build Materials List	More Details.

Our South Wind falls somewhere in between a canoe and kayak. The hull is larger than that of a typical kayak allowing room for paddling comfort and to haul more gear. The deck helps protect against rougher conditions while the large, open cockpit allows for easier access to gear and easy mounting/dismounting of the canoe. A decked canoe can also be portaged like a traditional canoe.

The South Wind 17-9 is intended for paddling where speed and efficiency is important and quick turning is not. On open water, The South Wind will leave most boats in its wake. On narrower water ways, multi turn strokes and/or a rudder will be required for quick maneuverability.

This design is cousin of our North Wind decked touring canoe. The South Wind 17-9 is slightly longer and narrower than the North Wind. It has less panels than the North Wind. However, the South Wind cross section is not as round as the North Wind. A more rounded hull cross section will generally produce a faster/more efficient hull but requires more skill and time to build.

The South Wind can be paddled with a single blade canoe paddle or double blade kayak paddle. The open cockpit allows the builder to customize and innovate to their hearts desire!

Specifications

*Weight of hull: Hull weight will depend on skill of the builder and chosen build materials.

The plans come with 2 methods to construct the cockpit coaming. One method is the traditional flat-stacked layers of plywood strips. This option is easy to assemble but requires 5 sheets of plywood to assemble the hull.

The second method uses plywood strips stood on end and fiberglassed in place. This option requires the purchase of some inexpensive lumber strips found at any lumber yard or home improvement store. It also reduces the number of plywood sheets to construct the hull to 4 instead of 5. This option can save $50 - $100 on material cost.

Material Build List

Plywood:	4 or 5 sheets
Epoxy Resin (With 15% waste factor)	3.0 gallons
Fiberglass Tape:	25 yards
Fiberglass Cloth:	20 yards
Wood Flour	2 quarts

Click here for a downloadable Bill of Materials. To open this file in a separate window, right-click and then choose "open in new window". You will need the free version Adobe Acrobat Reader to open this file.

-Click here for info about purchasing epoxy and fiberglass.

-We also off a precut plywood kit for this model. Click here for info.

For epoxy and fiberglass, starting price will be about $330 delivered in the United States depending on the brand and vendor you choose. This doesn't include items such as varnish, brushes, rollers, mixing sticks, gloves, etc.

For marine grade plywood, price will be $200-$250 if you pick it up yourself. Delivery cost of full sheets of plywood is expensive. Please compare our pre-cut plywood kit price if you are considering having plywood delivered. Our precut kit price may be cheaper than what you'll pay for the full sheets and delivery.

A builder who chooses to draw and cut out all the panels manually can save around $400 over the cost of CNC cut kit. However, drawing and cutting the multiple panels on this design will be time consuming and there will be a risk of error.

When comparing the cost of this decked canoe kit to boat kits from other companies, please keep in mind this canoe is much bigger than a solo touring kayak. If you would like to make a reasonable comparison, compare this decked canoe to tandem or triple touring kayak and be sure to factor in shipping costs.

Please Note: This is a multi-paneled hull and will require significantly more effort to assemble than some of our other designs. If you're a first-time builder, we highly recommend you consider completing a simpler project first. What you learn on the first project will allow you to build a better, lighter second project.

The hull will required about 70-85 hours to complete. You can save about 10-15 hours with a precut kit. These times are rough estimates and will vary according to the skill of the builder. Please note these are "hands on" hours and do not include the time waiting for epoxy to cure.

• Simple to follow, detailed drawings of each part with all dimensions required to layout and cut from flat plywood sheets.
• Nesting drawings for the best plywood layout with all panels clearly labeled.
• Drawings list
  • Plan and Profile
  • Nesting
  • Panel Drawings on A size paper (11" x 17")
  • Frames and Bulkheads
  • Quality Assurance Drawings
• Specific building manual for this boat.
• Bill Of Materials.

- All dimensions are shown in metric and U.S. Standard units.