Ever wondered what the beach and the shore looked like from the 'other side' ? Did you ever wish to 'test the waters' at the hard-to-get-to fishing spot in the marshes or the estuary? How about looking out of your car's window over the water and wishing you were there with THOSE kayakers who are having so much fun out there on a glorious spring day.

Well, YOU CAN DO this all in your home-made, easy to build, high performance kayak ! Now, the first step is to decide which of these top notch craft you would like to paddle.

There is a selection of 13 fast, easy to build, wooden sea kayak models sized from kid (petite) to medium and heavy weight paddlers. If you cannot find the perfect size kayak on this page, look at Kayaks in Plans page for smaller or scaled kayak models.
Some of the links below lead to information that will make your kayak selection easier still.
Click on the kayak pictures below for detailed technical information relating to each kayak design.

Cape Ann Storm - 17.5' x 22" ( 5,33 x 0,558m)

Fast and seaworthy high performance kayak that beginners easily tame and advanced paddlers never outgrow. Its displacement is optimized to accommodate paddlers from 160 to 220lb with enough space to pack gear for weekend trips.
Even though it is overall 6" shorter than the Cape Ann, its prismatic coefficient and the length of its effective waterline (curve of areas) make CA Storm very efficient at high cruising or racing speeds.

Its combination of low Area/Displacement ratio, high Length/Beam ratio and its seaworthiness make it a fast hull, good enough for Ocean racing. Harder chines in the aft sections give it good stability in lean and its V cross-section and balanced lateral plane make it track quite well.
If you can dish it out, this kayak can take it!

Cape Ann - 18' x 23" ( 5,48 x 0,584m)

This is a fast recreational / touring kayak, ideal for both milder seas and lakes . It is designed to accommodate large and top heavy kayakers (180 - 260lb and 6ft+ tall). Its forgiving stability envelope is appreciated by both beginners and intermediate paddlers alike.
The Cape Ann is a medium-large kayak and its loading capacity (320lb recommended max.) fills the niche between "expedition" and "touring". It's fun for day paddling as well as longer camping trips. You will also find the Cape Ann to be an excellent fishing platform. Its broad fore and aft deck can accommodate lots of camping or fishing gear.

When I planned the hull form, I wanted a kayak that was stable and easy to paddle by beginners but that could maintain excellent cruising speed for effortless long distance touring. The sharp bow entry and stern slice the water cleanly; almost without any wake. Now that you know it, you won't be surprised when you leave your kayaking friends in the "dust".

Cape Ann Double - 21' x 27" ( 6,4 x 0,685m)

Load up this cruiser, aim and go...anywhere! This fast double is the kayak of choice for both novices and experts who want to share their adventures with friends. It is mine and my wife's favorite for that reason but also for its seaworthiness that will take you through water that single kayakers would think twice about. This tandem makes and excellent fishing and sailing platform and builders can take it even step further by adding outriggers to make a full-fedged trimaran and scuba diving rig.

The Cape Ann Double is very comfortable and forgiving, yet designed to cover distances at a very fast clip. Its hull form features are very much like that of Cape Ann with changes appropriate for a faster tandem kayak.

Cape Ann Expedition - 18.5' x 22" ( 5,63 x 0,558m)

When I was designing the Expedition my main objective was to build a very comfortable and stable touring kayak for paddlers of all skill levels in the 170 to 260lb weight category and for excellent seaworthiness with great emphasis on superb tracking, stability as well as good handling.

I must say, I am pleasantly surprised to find out that all the goals that I set out to achieve in this design have been met beyond my expectations. This is especially true with respect to the Expedition's course keeping ability. This kayak is quite fast and it holds its course (without yaw) better than some kayaks with a skeg. All in all, I believe the Expedition is the ultimate touring kayak of the entire One Ocean Kayaks fleet.
A lot of space for gear makes this kayak perfect for camping trips of extended length (kitchen sink included :) Now, this kayak is also available with elevated deck (by request) which has even more space and accomodates taller and long legged/footed paddlers.

Click on the image below for some views from the hull design program

•  Hull form - CA Expedition has a Swede hull form. Rounded sections throughout the long 'entrance' until midship minimize the area/displacement ratio for very low friction drag. From the mid cockpit section almost all the way to the stern, the chines harden significantly for excellent stability and handling performance.
  

•  A pronounced rocker with zero 'dead wood' in the bow and a sharp V keel line from aft the cockpit to the stern make this kayak track like an arrow. Good directional stability is balanced by the hard chines in the aft for excellent response to carved turns as well as good performance in following seas.

•  Special attention was paid to sharpening the bow / stern entrance and exit angle for minimum wave resistance. Together with its Length/Beam ratio of 10.05, it should bring this kayak close to racing hull performance. Even though the waterline length is 16.86 ft, the Area / Displacement ratio of 8.49 makes this hull look as if it was a much shorter kayak. This simply means that I have taken special care to reduce the 'extra wetted surface' that comes with increasing length.

•  The narrow waterline beam (width) is flared out to 22in overall beam and the sheerline was raised for reassuring secondary stability in lean. In combination with full waterplane above the designed waterline, beginner kayakers will feel right 'at home' in no time.

• I have raised the cockpit in the front as well as the rear a bit more than it is on the Storm to get more 'wiggle room'. I felt that for high performance kayak of this length, snug feel is more important for good control than the looser cockpit of the recreational Cape Ann. Please, note that this definition of 'loose vs. snug' should be taken rather 'loosely' so to speak, for I describe this from the perspective of a 6'1" / 240lb (185,4cm/109kg) paddler.
  The plans include two sizes of cockpit opening for paddlers of different sizes and skills.
  
  
• Optimal performance @220lb paddler and gear weight.
  
  
•  Average kayak weight 48 to 58lb ( 21,8 - 26,3 kg)
  
  
•  Expedition High Deck - same hull size as the Expedition except the deck is elevated slightly at the sheerline and mostly in the front cockpit and foot area to suit tall 6'2"- 6'7" (187.9 - 200cm) paddlers and/or people with long legs (over 32 inseam) and large feet 12.5+.
  
  
• The Expedition kayak is also available in a reduced size. See the Expedition Sport