Welcome to Kudzu Craft, we specialize in the 'Fuselage Frame' style of skin on frame boats. Our boats are designed for the home builder. We offer full sized plans, precut frame kits and many of the supplies needed to build your own small boat.

 

Tired of fighting with 50 pound boats?

VARDO when finished weighted 24 pounds. Curlew with a heavier 12 oz. skin weighed 32 lbs. Shad weights 32 lbs with a 8 oz polyester and painted finish.

These weights are typical. These were not special built boats. These were built exactly as I recommend you build yours. Our boats are made using fuselage style frame covered in nylon or polyester fabric and then sealed to make it waterproof. You end with a very lightweight boat and yes, a very durable boat.

My boats are based on construction methods that have been used for literally thousands of years but using modern materials. My frames are built using a fuselage style, much like airplane construction.

The frames are cut from marine plywood and the stringers are made from lightweight woods and lashed together with artificial sinew. A synthetic fabric skin is sewn over the frame, shrunk,waterproofed and becomes a structural member of the boat. This method makes an strong, durable and very lightweight boat.

Building a Kudzu Craft boat Would like to see what is involved in building one of my boats? I created this short video that walks you through the steps involved in building a boat. It will not show you details but it will give you an overview of what you can expect.

Oh yea, they are tough Contrary to their delicate looks, SOF boats are very tough and durable. I have run mine upon many rocks, across submerged logs, stumps and tree limbs and I have yet to make more than a small mark on the hull. This video shows you just how tough they really are. It takes a lot more than hitting a rock, stick or some other object in the water!

Sling Shot frame under construction

Latest News

MY NEW BOOK IS OUT More Fuselage Frame Boats A new book with a new style of boats. Open boats such as Crawfish, a two person Pirogue. Two rowing boats; Matilda, a faster recreational rower and Flyfisher, a smaller rowing boat intended for more leisurely pursuits. Both of these designs feature varnished wood transoms. There are only two kayaks in this book. The Mess About 12, a short and wide recreational kayak with a large cockpit. The other, a Kids kayak named Tadpole, that is styled to look like Mom and Dads boat. If your interest is in longer kayaks my first book, Fuselage Frame Boats will probably be more to your liking. Included are metric offsets for the different boats too. You can purchase an autographed copy in our store.

Custom Built Boats are available. I have retired my Appraisers License to concentrate more time on my boats. I can now offer you my boat building skills to craft you a new boat. If you are interested, you can find more information on this page. I will be happy to work with you and build a boat just for you. Drop-In Rowing unit Plans are now available for a sliding seat unit you can build yourself. Plans include scaled, dimensioned drawings for the frame and full size patterns for the outrigger forms. The outriggers are made from several layers of thing stock, laminated together or a form. You will need moderate woodworking skills and a bunch of clamps to build this.