> I have seen pictures of home made folding Greenland style kayaks (wood
> frame)and am trying to find a set of instructions on how to build one.
> Does anyone know where in the world I can find a book on the subject or
> perhaps some other kind of plans?

I bought plans from Clark Craft for $26 a few years ago. I'm pretty sure they are still available. The design is "BK 12".

The boat is 12 1/2 feet long and 27 inches wide.

I'm in the process of building one now, or more precisely, I'm building a prototype. This one won't fold. I eliminated the hinges and used single long strips for the stringers with the intention of seeing if the boat design was any good before I spent the time making the folding hardware.

The frames should be cut from a high quality 1/4 inch marine plywood, or a cheaper 3/8 inch plywood. ( I cut mine from a cheap 1/4 inch plywood and they look a bit flimsy, but seem to be holding up. Next time I'll beef things up. The stringers are supposed to be ripped from ash or a siilar hardwood, but I didn't have any, so I used cedar (left over from a cedar strip canoe)

I have not been able to find material as specified for the skin, so I am playing with using canvas that hs been covered with an elastomeric rubber compound that is used for roofing. If this works, then I'll keep using it. Otherise I'll make a skin from nylon cordura cloth and hypalon.

Since I am making a rigid boat with canvas skin I stapled the fabric to the frame. For a folder I wuld follow the plans, and sew the skin into a envelope.

With this design the frame is assembled into a front half and a back half, which are inserted into the skin through the cockpit opening. A portion of the floorboard is then inserted is such a fashion that it forces the frame into the ends of the boat, stretching the skin tight.

YOu could easily use these plans to build different folding boats. Just duplicate the brass fittings, and add them to the frame design of another skin on frame boat.

There are several options for adding a skin to a collapsible frame.

There are several options for making a frame 'foldable', too. If you can give some ideas of what boat you are thinking of building -- or some basic figures describing the hull and cockpit arrangement you want ( single? double?) we might be able to give you more information on wht modifications you would want to consider to modify an existing plan to make that boat foldable.

Hope this basic info helps. Keep in touch

Paul G. Jacobson

If the weather stays clear and I get some time I'll take a few pictures of this project and try to get them online. (hopefully Brian's offer to post pix will still be viable)