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Scott B. Williams
Pygmy Boats Arctic Tern 17-foot Sea Kayak
designed by John Lockwood
built by Scott Williams
Pygmy Boats offer by far the most sophisticated designs for wooden sea kayaks.  These boats are built of Ocoume
mahogany plywood, in the stitch and glue method with an outer laminate of 6-oz fiberglass, producing a lightweight
boat with the beauty of bright-finished wood and the strength of fiberglass.  The 17-foot Arctic Tern design shown
here weighs only 40-lbs., and paddles like a dream with no rudder required.  This boat is as seaworthy as any
factory-produced sea kayak, with watertight bulkheads and hatches fore and aft and a standard-sized cockpit
coaming for fitting a sprayskirt.  
These boats are only available as kits that include the precut wood panels for the hull and deck.  Plans are not sold
separately, except for some of the older designs.  The kit prices are reasonable though, and most builders would
not be able to obtain the materials seperately for the same cost.  Construction is straightforward, but time
consuming if done to high standards.  

For more information on Pygmy Boats, click here to go to their website.