Build your own skin-on-frame kayak

April 12-25, 2026. Langeland, Denmark
Tuition: EUR 2900€

A custom built skin-on-frame kayak has so much going for it that it is pretty hard to beat.

At around 14 kilograms, it’s just about the lightest sea kayak out there. This makes it very easy to handle, especially when you need to carry it or get it on the roof rack of your car. Also - being a custom built boat - it is built to fit you like a glove: Width, length, coaming size, paddle dimensions are all made to fit the weight, height, leg length, and strength of the paddler.

On top of that, a skin-on-frame kayak is one of the quickest boats you can build. Most planked boats take hundreds, if not thousands of hours to build. But even a beginner can build a skin-on-frame kayak in about 50 hours, and a beautiful Greenland paddle in another 10 hours. This makes the boat not only very useful, but also very accessible.

For me, though, the best thing about skin-on-frame kayak building is that it’s FUN. Steam bending the ribs. Assembling the frame using only mortise and tenon joints, wooden dowels and lashings is awesome. Carving the shape of the paddle is a wonderful sculpting job, using hand planes and spokeshaves. And skinning the boat is the icing on the cake: Stretching and stitching the skin onto the frame, which transforms the skeleton shape into a real boat.

In this course, we will be using the plans and the video material created by Brian Schultz of Cape Falcon Kayak. His F1 design is exceptional - highly refined, easy to build and very customizable.

Practical info

When:
April 12 - April 25, 2026
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day
Lunch break 12–1 p.m.

Where:
Small Boat School
Ristingevej 41
DK-5932 Humble
Denmark

How much:
Tuition is 2900 EUR which includes all materials and tools needed to build your kayak. If you want to build your boat with a partner please let me know per email. Partner tuition is EUR 950€.

Reservations will be first come first serve. A deposit of EUR 950€ is due upon enrollment to provisionally reserve your place, subject to minimum numbers being reached.

Instructor:
Mikkel Pagh

Experience Level:
All skill levels. Some woodworking experience is an advantage.

Activity Level:
Moderate to high. You will be on your feet most of the day.

Language:
Mikkel speaks English, Danish and German.

Getting here:
Nearest international airports are Copenhagen (CPH) and Billund (BLL). Public transport is available via train and bus. More info will be sent to students after registration.

Accommodations:
The school has a student apartment and a student cottage. Please contact Mikkel per email for availability and pricing.

Other accommodation options:
Ristinge Camping (Tenting or cabins, 4 km from the shop)
Humble Kro og Hotel. (5 min walk from the shop)
Broløkke Manor (8 km from the shop)
Airbnb

Meals:
Humble Kro og Hotel (Traditional, Danish food. Big servings. 5 min walk from the shop.)
Broløkke Manor (High-end restaurant 8 km from the shop)
Humble Burger house (Good hamburgers, 5 minutes walk from the shop)

Groceries:
The Brugsen grocery store is a 5 minute walk from the workshop.

Map showing the location of the various points of interest

Questions or inquiries?
Drop Mikkel an email - [email protected].

Can't make it this time?

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Your instructor: Mikkel Pagh

Hi, I'm Mikkel, founder and boatbuilding instructor here at Small Boat School. I'm excited to help you grow your boatbuilding skills.

What students are saying:

"I'm out of a seaman's family and boats and boatbuilding has always fascinated me. At Mikkel's course I got deep into the fundamental wooden boatbuilding techniques, which has given me a number of skills that I now use in all sorts of creative work."

Freja

"When I enrolled to Mikkel's course, I was a carpentry apprentice, somewhat disillusioned by the current state of craftsmanship. In Mikkel's class, I leaned that real hand tool work still makes sense, and now I work full time as a boatbuilder."

Philip

"Taking Mikkel's boatbuilding course was my way of strengthening my inner renaissance man. It was the rare luxury of diving deep into an entirely new, fascinating subject. If you're an office worker like me, don't worry - with Mikkel at your side, you can do it!"