Build your own skin-on-frame kayak
April 12-25, 2026. Langeland, Denmark
A custom built skin-on-frame kayak has so much going for it that it is pretty hard to beat.
At around 14 kilograms, itโs 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 itโs 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 12โ1 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, their tuition is 950 EUR.
Reservations will be first come first serve. A deposit of 950 EUR is due upon enrollment.
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.ย
Language:
The instructor speaks English, Danish and German.
Other practicalities:
Accommodations
Getting here
Meals
Tools to bring
Safety
Can't make it this time?
Sign up for the Small Boat School email list to get notified about future course openings.ย
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!"
Michael
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.
