Kayaks You Can Build: An Illustrated Guide to Plywood Construction by Ted Moores & Greg Rossel is the second book you should buy if you are thinking about building a plywood kayak.

This book is split into 6 chapters but I would argue that it is really 3 broad sections. The first couple of chapters cover some history of kayaks and how to choose the kayak that is right for you. All good stuff, but still the sort of thing you’ll find in just about any kayak building book. Ted & Greg are veterans in the boat building world and promptly got that background stuff out of the way in the first 20 pages.
The second big section of the book, chapters 3-5, is what I think is an invaluable resource for anyone building a plywood kayak. These chapters cover Setting up the Shop, Tools, Materials and Supplies, and Plywood Boat-Building Techniques. These chapters are loaded with step by step instructions, discussions, and pictures that take you through all the building steps for a plywood kayak. For all that I liked Chris Kulzycki’s The New Kayak Shop, these are the kind of instructions that I was looking for.

The final section of the book is chapter 6 – A Kayak Builder’s Journal. In this section Ted & Greg walk you through their own building of three different plywood kayaks. The three kayaks are The Coho by Pygmy Boats, the Mill Creek 13 by Chesapeake Light Craft, and the 17′ 4″ Enterprise by Bear Mountain Boats. This final section provides even more step by step building details for each of the 3 kayaks that it covers. I’d say this Journal is a real bonus section if you choose to build one of these specific kayaks.

So if I like this book so much, why is it only the second book I would buy to help build a plywood kayak? Well the answer is really simple. It doesn’t give you the plans for any of the kayaks. That’s where you’ll need to go back and either order a kit, buy a set of plans or loft them from a book like The New Kayak Shop. Nonetheless, once the kit arrives and you’re standing in your shop wondering where to begin, or how to use the epoxy, or why the pieces just aren’t lining up – then you’ll be glad you bought Kayaks You Can Build: An Illustrated Guide to Plywood Construction