Finally, a kayak cockpit large enough for you and your dog!

Annapolis, Maryland, USA – Chesapeake Light Craft’s Wood Duck 10 and Wood Duck 12 have been huge successes: four hundred of these build-it-yourself kayak kits have shipped in just over two years.  The Wood Duck 10 is a super-light, super-easy-to-use recreational kayak for anyone up to 200 pounds or so. The Wood Duck 12 has a bigger payload and enough waterline length to cover miles with the sea kayaks. 

CLC designer Eric Schade drew the Wood Duck 14 to appeal to two kinds of paddlers: those who need a really generous amount of room for comfort, or those who need the space in the cockpit for a toddler or---more commonly---a big dog. The Wood Duck 14 is also an amazing platform for serious fishing. The cockpit is absolutely voluminous.

The amount of cockpit volume indicated a need for watertight bulkheads both fore and aft, so those are standard in the kit to make it easier to self-rescue. Flush deck hatches and two storage compartments are also standard in the kit.

Construction is as simple as possible in a kayak. CLC’s computer cuts out the panels and drills the holes for temporary wire stitches. "Puzzle joints" aid in quick, precision assembly. The Wood Duck 14 is an ideal first boatbuilding project.

Construction begins by joining the plywood hull panels with “puzzle joints” to reach the 13’9” overall length. Then the panels are brought together along their edges with stitches of copper wire, with four bulkheads helping to form the hull shape. The seams are reinforced with thickened epoxy, then fiberglass fabric. The deck is assembled separately from the hull, then stitched and epoxied in place. All of the copper wire stitches are removed prior to a final sheathing of fiberglass fabric. Finally, the cockpit is laminated in place and the front and rear hatches assembled. A comfortable seat and footbraces, included in the kit, are mounted after the hull has been varnished.

Because of its size, the Wood Duck 14 is not recommended for paddlers under 200 pounds unless there is also a need for the extra-long cockpit opening. A rudder will improve handling for lighter paddlers. The Wood Duck 14 is ideal for all conditions, from placid narrow creeks to open bays.

Wood Duck kits include detailed instructions, CNC-cut and –drilled BS 1088 okoume (and optional sapele) plywood parts, 2.25 gallons of no-blush epoxy (CLC #2 Economy Kit), fiberglass, hardware, kayak “tractor” seat, Rapid Pulse backband (3-point adjustable), Keepers footbraces, rear flush deck hatch, forming bulkheads, and deck rigging (bungies and hold-downs).

The Wood Duck 14 kit with standard okoume deck costs $949 and with the sapele deck, $999.