Siskiwit MC free kayak plans
Build It Yourself,  Free Kayak and Canoe Plans,  Free Kayak Plans,  Kayaks

Siskiwit Bay Multi-Chined Kayak Plans for Plywood Building

March 1, 2009 / 50 Comments

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Description: The Siskiwit Bay MC  is all-around fast mid-sized British-style touring kayak designed for plywood building. This kayak suits a medium to heavy paddler looking for good initial stability and with increased flare above the waterline lots of secondary stability. As the water gets rougher, this kayak feels more stable. It’s a fast design slightly more efficient than most British kayaks in its class. Designed by Bryan Hansel.

Experimental: Since the Siskiwit Bay plans became available on the Internet, I’ve received requests for a plywood version of the kayak. The SB was originally designed as a multi-chined boat for plywood building using the excellent HULLS software. I’ve taken the original file and used Delftship Pro to clean it up and fair the lines. From this cleaned up original file, I’ve produced a dxf and a text file of offsets. These are available for plywood builders. A deck is included, but it is experimental.

Hydrostatics: Generated for 295 pounds, which is the number used for Sea Kayaker Magazine’s reviews. (195 pound paddler + 45 pound kayak + 55 pounds of gear).

Design Name: Siskiwit Bay MC

  • Design length: 17 feet
  • Design beam: 1.757 feet
  • Design draft: 0.417 feet
  • Length on waterline: 14.908 feet
  • Beam on waterline: 1.649 feet
  • Displacement: 295 lbs.
  • Longitudinal center of buoyancy: 7.878 feet
  • Transverse metacentric height: 0.761 feet
Siskiwit MC free kayak linesplan

KAPER: KAPER is a resistance program used by Sea Kayaker Magazine for their reviews. SK uses a weight of 250 pounds plus the weight of the kayak to calculate the resistance. It is provided here at the same weight for comparative purposes.

  • 1 knot – 0.24
  • 2 knots – 0.87
  • 3 knots – 1.81
  • 4 knots – 3.35
  • 4.5 knots – 4.66
  • 5 knots – 6.87

Stability Chart

stability chart

Note: This chart shows that the MC isn’t as stable as the Bay or LV.

Drawings: Three formats are available. DXF, PDF of the DXF printed over ten ARCH E sheets at full size and offsets in text.

Most likely, you’ll want this book: The New Kayak Shop: More Elegant Wooden Kayaks Anyone Can Build

Yost-style Skin-on-Frame Plans

The three drawings provide the basis for a Yost-style skin-on-frame. I’ve gotten many requests for this, so someone better build it! :)

 

Builder Images

siskiwit bay MC
siskiwit bay mc plywood kayak

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50 Comments

  • Bellieud

    April 28, 2009 at 4:07 pm Reply

    Hi
    Is it possible to have the file with the developped plates who you show upside?
    I can’t open the DXF developpements because I can’t save it on my computer.

    Thanks

  • admin

    May 28, 2009 at 11:31 am Reply

    I used Delftship to export the developments to a dxf file.

    You have to make sure your panels are set to be developable in the layer menu, and you should also make sure that your error rate is low. Ideally, you’ll want panels that develop in one try and with a zero error rate. Running your control grid perpendicular across the panels helps.

  • Wolfgang

    April 12, 2011 at 2:26 am Reply

    Bryan,
    thanks for sharing this design. I noticed, you made an update on this webside. Is there also an update on the design other than the rounded stems? Or can I still use my printouts I made month ago?

  • Gelu Botezan

    August 8, 2011 at 12:23 pm Reply

    Bryan,

    I would like to understand how am I suppose to read the text developments. I converted in centimetres and as it looks like the first column contains x axis coordinates and the second one, y axis coordinates. please correct me if I am wrong.
    I’ll buy you 20 beers if you come to Romania :))

    Gelu

  • Gelu Botezan

    August 9, 2011 at 9:35 am Reply

    Bryan, I lost you by the “just an FYI, the original are in feet” sorry for my ignorance; could you detail/explain?

    thanks,

    Gelu

  • Gelu Botezan

    August 9, 2011 at 10:29 am Reply

    I think I got the FYI acronim issue.
    Course, I considered the original measures as expressed in Feet for both columns.

  • Gelu Botezan

    August 10, 2011 at 3:52 am Reply

    I wish I build it, it is really sexy !
    don’t know yet , actually I don’t have much of a sea or ocean around, here in Transylvania, only lakes.
    I wish to build a kayak that’s easy to turn, must roll (low profile aft deck) and have some speed . This project looks to have some rocker, and the rest of features I need. It will track more than I need I think.
    thanks for your effotr on this site.

  • James

    August 14, 2011 at 8:00 pm Reply

    Brian,

    Thanks for posting. I’m a professional boat builder (fiberglass, ranging between 64-151ft) and have been dying to get into plywood boat construction. All of the free plans I’ve found have been very ugly and I’m really happy to see the amount of effort you’ve put into this. I’m going to begin construction within the next week or two and take detailed pictures and notes for you. Thanks again!

    James Lyon,
    Anacortes, WA

  • James

    August 15, 2011 at 7:15 pm Reply

    Brian,

    I can’t get my version of AutoCAD LT to work on this computer (windows 7) so I downloaded a DXF viewer. If I print the DXF at 100:1 will that allow me to spray-glue them down to MDF and have full scale patterns? Thanks.

    James

    • Bryan Hansel

      August 16, 2011 at 7:23 am Reply

      DXF is tricky, so I’m not sure if 100:1 will work exactly right because I’m not sure what viewer you’re using. The shortest strake, which is the one in the center, measures 15 feet, 3 13/16 inches. As long as the scale turns out right, you should be able to print them out. I can turn the file into a PDF if that helps. What’s the widest you can print?

    • Bryan Hansel

      August 17, 2011 at 11:13 am Reply

      James, I couldn’t get the pdf to print correctly, because the paper size is too long. I need to install a plotter driver. I found http://www.doublecad.com/ which is free. It will allow you to import the dxf and print it. You may need to scale everything by 12 to get to feet. Double CAD should allow you to print the file directly to your plotter.

  • Robert N Pruden

    August 17, 2011 at 8:02 pm Reply

    Linda is not gonna like this design, Bryan, because I have to add it to my list. I should get it built by 2018…gotta give her some personal time inbetween projects. Great design, love the lines. I can see that it will move very nicely through the rough stuff.

    RNP

    • Bryan Hansel

      August 18, 2011 at 6:22 am Reply

      Thanks. It seems like the first reports are coming in on the builder forum and this sea kayak sounds like it paddles as well as the cedar strip version. I think you’ll like it when you build it.

  • Dave Wilson

    February 7, 2012 at 8:54 pm Reply

    I’m having a hard time with the formating. I’ve downloaded several different cad programs and can see the plans but I don’t think I have all of it. Are there stations included in the drawings? I really like the look of this boat but before I try the strip build, I would really like to build the S and G model. Can I use the stations from those plans on the S and G? Do you have any other suggestions. I’m hoping to start my buld by the end of the month so I can take it to Florida in September.

    Thanks,

    Dave

  • A Student

    March 5, 2012 at 8:31 pm Reply

    Is there a visual depiction of how to cut the panels for this kayak? Or a simpler way of figuring out how the panels fit together to build? This is my first kayak and I am finding it a little daunting.

  • Konstantin Yarosh

    May 23, 2012 at 8:00 am Reply

    Hello and from BULGARIA !
    Its really great looking kayak, from free plans, that I looking till today.
    But, I cannot print pictures with sizes to make scale.
    Are You have AUTOCAD version of plans, or picture with dimensions , that can print on sample printer ?

    • Bryan Hansel

      May 23, 2012 at 1:49 pm Reply

      You can print the dxf file via AutoCAD or plot the offsets by hand using the files in the download section. Those are the options that I’m offering at this point.

  • Konstantin Yarosh

    August 2, 2012 at 4:23 am Reply

    I am allready in preparation of building this proekt, and found machine cutting for plywood. But, see, that in project is no inside pieces… And, I see, that project is made fullsize. But, plywood is sell on sheets of 2.4 m x 1.2 m. My ask is, is there any inside pieces, and, if is possible to convert project to pywoods of sheets of 2.4mx1.2m ?

    • Bryan Hansel

      August 2, 2012 at 9:44 am Reply

      You can use the stations from the Siskiwit SOF to help with framing this. It’s to the outside skin, so you may have to reduce the size by the thickness of your plywood. You could convert it to 2.4×1.2m plywood, but the drawings are provided as is.

    • Chris, Somerset UK

      January 29, 2013 at 2:32 pm Reply

      Hi Konstantin,
      I was also hoping to cut the parts with CNC, however ran into the same issues. I was unable to source marine grade ply bigger than 1.2m (4ft) x 2.4m (8ft) – hence 3 joint point on the longer peices. You can buy non marine grade bigger, but it splinters & delaminates too much.

      We have not yet found the time to convert the drawing to full sheets with jigsaw joints. Did you manage to make this file and would you be prepared to share it?

      This week we are going to cut the peices with jigsaw joints into 12mm MDF on XLARGE sheets instead and use this as a bench router template. But if you manage to work out the best way to nest all the components to fit then I would rather cut directly into ply.

      • Bryan Hansel

        January 29, 2013 at 3:11 pm Reply

        Have you made jigsaw joints before. If you have the dxf template for those joints, it’d be easy enough to add them to the drawings, but I don’t have experience with that kind of joint. After that nesting the plates would be easy.

  • David Jodo

    October 22, 2012 at 9:55 am Reply

    Hi, i was wondering if you have the DXF or a DWG of the inside seperation of the KAyak? Sorry for my english, i am french from Quebec. I plan to use a CNC to cut the pieces and on your DXF there only the long parts, the hole for the cabin and the form that goes inside are not on the DXF. Can you send thoes to me?

    Tanks you for thoses plans it is verry cool to have acces to that kind of professionel work.

    • Bryan Hansel

      October 22, 2012 at 10:01 am Reply

      I don’t have a specific cockpit opening that I offer. You can make one any size that you’d like. You can use the Siskiwit SOF forms for the stations. Just remove the width of your plywood. Otherwise, you can purchase a builder’s package that includes both as a pdf.

      • Ilija

        February 15, 2022 at 9:06 am Reply

        Hello again!

        this was the fastest and most effective response! The link really works… I spend my day transfering the drawings / the only link that worked / into vector files :) Now, I just have to create the bulkheads and will be ready to start building / I actually build s&g kayaks for some years, it is my favorite hobby: pipello wooden kayaks /.
        Thanks again. I hope, my Siskiwit will be at least as beautiful as the ones on the pictures here.

        Ilija

  • Ilija

    March 3, 2022 at 3:11 am Reply

    Hi Bryan,
    I wrote to You once and I am sorry, that I bother You again.
    I am trying to draw the bulkheads, using the linesplan, but it would be great, if You have them. So the kayak
    will be fully original built, as You have created it, with all the positions and angles.
    Thanks in advance for the bulkhead plans, if You have them, and for the rest anyway :)

    Ilija

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