# Newbie looking for advice on best kayak plans **URL:** \ **Category:** Builder's Forum\ **Created:** [July 29, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://forum.clcboats.com/t/newbie-looking-for-advice-on-best-kayak-plans/47896 "2020-07-29T16:37:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tom\_Gill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@Tom\_Gill](https://forum.clcboats.com/u/Tom_Gill)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://forum.clcboats.com/t/newbie-looking-for-advice-on-best-kayak-plans/47896/1 "2020-07-29T16:37:18Z")
I'm doing research for building my first strip kayak. I'm a skilled woodworker with an outfitted shop, in case you are wondering why plans vs a kit. I also bought the book "Kayak Craft" by Ted Moores.  I see many companies on the web that offer plans. Can I get some feedback on what people here think are the better plan vendors? I know to look for plans with full-sized templates, so I won't have to enlarge the diagrams. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Howard\_Spira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ec9cab/32.png) [@Howard\_Spira](https://forum.clcboats.com/u/Howard_Spira)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 3:00am UTC](https://forum.clcboats.com/t/newbie-looking-for-advice-on-best-kayak-plans/47896/2 "2020-07-30T03:00:06Z")
 in addition to the great catalog CLC offers, a very popular designer who sells plans is bjorn thomasson  [https://www.thomassondesign.com/en/](https://www.thomassondesign.com/en/)   i have built his designs as have others who routinely participate in this forum. i would also check out guillemot kayaks builders forum [http://www.kayakforum.com/KBBS/forum/1](http://www.kayakforum.com/KBBS/forum/1)  which is a place a lot of strip builders hang out and discuss their projects.  they will quickly give you a list of another couple handfuls of strip plan sellers....that will probably cover the preponderance of the market. fwiw....depending on what you want to do, clc does a great job of selling materials and will also custom cut forms if you don't want to do that yourself.    in my last plan build, i had them do that for me...bought the plans as a computer file, e-mailed them to CLC and CLC cut them for me on their CNC machine.  figured it was easier than finding a printer these days and dealing with large boards.  also figured i was not going to bring any artistry to the forms cutting process. best of luck h   ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Nye](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/forum.clcboats.com/mark_nye/32/18_2.png) [@Mark\_Nye](https://forum.clcboats.com/u/Mark_Nye)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 10:45am UTC](https://forum.clcboats.com/t/newbie-looking-for-advice-on-best-kayak-plans/47896/3 "2020-07-30T10:45:38Z")
 As always, good advice from hspira above. At the early stages of searching for a design to build, I would suggest it is more important for you to decide how and where you will use the boat.  With that info, you can decide what type of boat will best meet your intended use.  Once you know the type of boat you want, then it is time to look at particular designers. My two latest race boats are pictured below.  They are very good at going fast but would be a horrible choice for fishing in narrow streams. ![](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50169471108_adbf1896c7_4k.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Matt\_Redmond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@Matt\_Redmond](https://forum.clcboats.com/u/Matt_Redmond)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 11:03pm UTC](https://forum.clcboats.com/t/newbie-looking-for-advice-on-best-kayak-plans/47896/4 "2020-08-08T23:03:52Z")
   @Mark N:  If you don't mind, whose design is that?  Those are drop-dead gorgeous.   ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Nye](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/forum.clcboats.com/mark_nye/32/18_2.png) [@Mark\_Nye](https://forum.clcboats.com/u/Mark_Nye)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2020, 3:06pm UTC](https://forum.clcboats.com/t/newbie-looking-for-advice-on-best-kayak-plans/47896/5 "2020-08-09T15:06:22Z")
 Top boat is the Mystery and bottom is Yukon both by Nick Schade.  I built them to race in the USCA Touring (Mystery) and Sea Kayak (Yukon) classes.   ---
**Author:** ![Matt\_Redmond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@Matt\_Redmond](https://forum.clcboats.com/u/Matt_Redmond)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2020, 11:28pm UTC](https://forum.clcboats.com/t/newbie-looking-for-advice-on-best-kayak-plans/47896/6 "2020-08-09T23:28:36Z")
Thanks for your reply.  Wow.  Very cool!  Great job.