How long it's taking me to build a kayak

Builder's Forum
1
New builders.  Just wanted to share a little building info with you.
I wanted to know how efficient I was building my West River 180 (ca. 2003)  I think I'm not.  example:  anyone else glassing the hull could have done it in half the time, even tho I've built 3 boats before this one (all stitch & glue incl 2 from that Washington state kit maker).  I included preparation & clean up time.  The weight of the fiberglassed hull with bulkheads and deck beam is about 30 #.  

The beauty of the boat will not be surpassed by any plastic or fiberglass tub.

Here's a link to the sheet I use to record times, etc.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjmBLSvy3EXMdEZkWGtyRHQtOV9QN2lWR0k5X3dBMlE&hl=en_US
2

Its hard to judge "how long" a build should take. I found that I had some time to do small jobs every day, but I also had to delay some time-consuming tasks that had to be done "all at once’, such as glassing the hull, until I had "all day" to work on it. I have a job.

3

I second Bruce's comment. No matter how many boats you build, building can be a forced march with all the attendant stresses or it can be a slow, contemplative experience, with time to get creative, do truly satisfying problem-solving where necessary, and just enjoy the whole process. I've tried the former and I prefer the latter by a long shot.

Jim