Chesapeake Light Craft: Wooden Boat Kits

One strip at a time. ⚒️

Building a strip kayak is a process of patience and precision. Andrew continues adding deck strips, carefully gluing and clamping each piece into place as the Shearwater Hybrid slowly transforms from individual strips into a finished kayak.

👉 Thinking about building your own? Check it out at clcboats.com or send us a DM.

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Meet the Surge Coastal Rower. ⚡
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At 19’8”, the new Surge is CLC’s take on the C1X coastal rowing boat, and the only C1X you can build yourself from a kit!

Bringing the Surge to life took years of development and four prototypes, with each iteration pushing the design toward greater speed, efficiency, and refinement. The result is a true speed machine on the water that’s still designed to be approachable for home builders.

Ready to take a closer look? Visit clcboats.com/surge to learn more about the new Surge Coastal Rower.

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The deck is starting to take shape!

With the outer deck strips in place, Andrew’s Shearwater Hybrid is beginning to reveal its final form. A collection of clamps helps hold everything perfectly aligned while the glue does its work.

A little patience, a lot of craftsmanship, and one beautiful kayak in progress.

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Precision takes patience.

Fitting deck strips at the bow and stern requires careful shaping and attention to detail. Andrew uses a low-angle block plane and Shinto rasp to fine-tune each piece until it fits the curves of the kayak perfectly.

It’s these small adjustments that make a handcrafted boat unique.

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The deck is where the beauty starts to shine.

Andrew’s Shearwater Hybrid kayak build is ready for the first deck strips. This is the stage where carefully prepared wood begins transforming into the graceful curves and classic look of a strip-built kayak.

Follow along as the deck comes to life.

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A little preparation goes a long way. ⚒️

Before the deck goes on, Andrew sets up the temporary deck forms, adds plastic to catch drips, and tapes the forms and sheer clamps to prevent accidentally gluing anything in place.

Every step is intentional when building a wooden kayak—and these small details help create a clean, precise finished boat.

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The details inside the hull matter. ⚒️

Resident boatbuilder Andrew Schroeher is building a Shearwater Hybrid kayak in the CLC shop, and the first steps are all about creating a strong, clean foundation. Here he’s filleting the interior of the hull—carefully shaping and reinforcing the joints before the build moves forward.

Follow along as this kayak takes shape, one step at a time.

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From stacks of plywood to boats ready for the water... that’s what these classes are all about.

Every Skerry in the room is being built by its future owner, with guidance from our in-house boatbuilding experts from the first stitch to the final finish. Watching an entire class bring their boats to life never gets old.

End of the video may be a sneak peek of what’s going on next in the shop 👀

👉 Thinking about building your own? We’d love to see you in the shop.

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It’s amazing what a few days in the shop can do.

The Skerrys are looking more like boats with every session, and you can really see each student’s hard work paying off. There’s something special about watching an entire classroom progress together, one step at a time.

Before long, these boats will be ready for the next stage, and one step closer to the water.

👉 Ready to build your own? Join us for an upcoming class in Annapolis.

☎️(M-F,9AM-5PMEST) 410-267-0137
📧[email protected]