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Specializing in:
Aleut and Greenland inspired kayak designs
Outstanding Classic designs reflecting their native heritage
Tough Functional wood-cored Fiberglass boats
Finished Boats Handcrafted one at a time
Featuring Building Plans and Kits for the home builder
If you love to paddle. These are the ultimate boats for you.
My boats are extremely light-weight, and take very little energy to paddle.
They respond quickly and handle unlike any boat you have ever paddled.
Their beauty will move you, even when you are not on the water.
Whether you stalk solitude or wildlife, whether you paddle for adventure or fitness, whether paddling is an obsession or path to spiritual peace, take your experience to the next level, in one of these truly unique watercraft.
Let me build a custom Boat for you. Choose a Canoe or Kayak design or see my Finished Boats for Sale Why choose Laughing Loon designs and plans? Laughing Loon boat designs are outstanding. My designs have received awards at shows where the judges were boat builders. Laughing Loon finished boats are of the highest craftsmanship and quality . My building methods for the home builder are 3X easier than anyone else! See "Shop Tips" page for details. And, my building instruction book is the most thorough.
Let me build a custom Boat for you. Choose a Canoe or Kayak design or see my Finished Boats for Sale
Let me build a custom Boat for you.
Choose a Canoe or Kayak design or see my Finished Boats for Sale
Why choose Laughing Loon designs and plans?
Laughing Loon boat designs are outstanding.
My designs have received awards at shows where the judges were boat builders.
Laughing Loon finished boats are of the highest craftsmanship and quality .
My building methods for the home builder are 3X easier than anyone else! See "Shop Tips" page for details.
And, my building instruction book is the most thorough.
"Compliments for your plans and instructions! Building Georgian Bay with your plans was very easy, step by step explanations, helpful drawings and tricks!" Martin Lacher, Switzerland
"Compliments for your plans and instructions! Building Georgian Bay with your plans was very easy, step by step explanations, helpful drawings and tricks!"
Martin Lacher, Switzerland
"...you have an exceptional product."
Mike Dye, Wisconsin "Your directions were very easy to understand. Everything worked well with no problems." Thomas Templeton, PA " As a clinical psychologist I re-discovered the value of creating a thing of beauty with your own hands, (with) perseverance and encouragement from others. Thank you Rob, for your creative contribution to my well-being." Wilfred van Delft, Pretoria, South Africa "I did a lot of research on all things related to boat building before I started and I ran across your suggestions related to achieving a transparent lay-up for fiberglass. Your suggestions were significantly different than the instructions from (a major kit company) but the more coatings I did with epoxy, the more sense your suggestions made. So, I followed your suggestions as closely as I could and the results were impressive - completely transparent and only the slightest hint of the cloth weave. " "Thank you for sharing your expertise. You can rest assured that others are using your ideas." David Peters "We took the Panache Double out again today. Melissa is learning to steer and your design handles very well without a rudder. Upright, it tracks very well. Most gentle turns can be handled by the rear paddler. A slight heal and the turning is a breeze. With both paddlers focused on the turn and heeling to the gunnel and the kayak almost spins. Thank you for a lovely design." Steve Mahovic, Victoria BC "Recently I had the opportunity to read a well established, West Coast designers instruction plans for building a kayak and I must say that your booklet is many heads above his for the information you supply for the customer and the manner in which you approach the whole process, and I'm greatly appreciative of your effort to make the whole endeavor a successful one." Mucho grazias, Jim Gabrielle "How well written your plans are and how well thought out is the design." George Bush, OR
Mike Dye, Wisconsin "Your directions were very easy to understand. Everything worked well with no problems." Thomas Templeton, PA " As a clinical psychologist I re-discovered the value of creating a thing of beauty with your own hands, (with) perseverance and encouragement from others. Thank you Rob, for your creative contribution to my well-being." Wilfred van Delft, Pretoria, South Africa "I did a lot of research on all things related to boat building before I started and I ran across your suggestions related to achieving a transparent lay-up for fiberglass. Your suggestions were significantly different than the instructions from (a major kit company) but the more coatings I did with epoxy, the more sense your suggestions made. So, I followed your suggestions as closely as I could and the results were impressive - completely transparent and only the slightest hint of the cloth weave. " "Thank you for sharing your expertise. You can rest assured that others are using your ideas." David Peters "We took the Panache Double out again today. Melissa is learning to steer and your design handles very well without a rudder. Upright, it tracks very well. Most gentle turns can be handled by the rear paddler. A slight heal and the turning is a breeze. With both paddlers focused on the turn and heeling to the gunnel and the kayak almost spins. Thank you for a lovely design." Steve Mahovic, Victoria BC
Mike Dye, Wisconsin
"Your directions were very easy to understand. Everything worked well with no problems."
Thomas Templeton, PA
" As a clinical psychologist I re-discovered the value of creating a thing of beauty with your own hands, (with) perseverance and encouragement from others. Thank you Rob, for your creative contribution to my well-being."
Wilfred van Delft, Pretoria, South Africa
"I did a lot of research on all things related to boat building before I started and I ran across your suggestions related to achieving a transparent lay-up for fiberglass. Your suggestions were significantly different than the instructions from (a major kit company) but the more coatings I did with epoxy, the more sense your suggestions made. So, I followed your suggestions as closely as I could and the results were impressive - completely transparent and only the slightest hint of the cloth weave. "
"Thank you for sharing your expertise. You can rest assured that others are using your ideas."
David Peters
"We took the Panache Double out again today. Melissa is learning to steer and your design handles very well without a rudder. Upright, it tracks very well. Most gentle turns can be handled by the rear paddler. A slight heal and the turning is a breeze. With both paddlers focused on the turn and heeling to the gunnel and the kayak almost spins. Thank you for a lovely design."
Steve Mahovic, Victoria BC
"Recently I had the opportunity to read a well established, West Coast designers instruction plans for building a kayak and I must say that your booklet is many heads above his for the information you supply for the customer and the manner in which you approach the whole process, and I'm greatly appreciative of your effort to make the whole endeavor a successful one." Mucho grazias, Jim Gabrielle "How well written your plans are and how well thought out is the design." George Bush, OR
"Recently I had the opportunity to read a well established, West Coast designers instruction plans for building a kayak and I must say that your booklet is many heads above his for the information you supply for the customer and the manner in which you approach the whole process, and I'm greatly appreciative of your effort to make the whole endeavor a successful one."
Mucho grazias, Jim Gabrielle
"How well written your plans are and how well thought out is the design."
George Bush, OR
I reveal dozens of tricks to make strip building easier, more than any books on strip building I've seen, and I've seen them all. For information to make strip building easier! Check out -Transparent Lay-ups - Tricks for Rogue Strips -and --Shop Tips page Let me guide you through the strip building process and you will have fun! Wood strip building is easy enough for a beginner and yet is also the choice of professionals. A boat is created by gluing wood strips, edge to edge, over hull forms called stations. The wood hull is then covered, inside and out, with transparent layers of fiberglass and epoxy. This allows the beauty of the wood to show through. Wood-strip building produces a wood cored fiberglass boat. The fiberglass and epoxy layers on both sides of the wood core create a stress skin panel, which is very rigid and strong. Such a hull does not need internal ribs for strength and can be very lightweight. "The wood strip method of building allows me to design and build boats with complex hull shapes. I don't have to compromise my hull design to the limitations of a less flexible building material or to the convenience of a manufacturing technique. All my designs use the wood-strip building method." Rob Macks- designer / builder, Laughing Loon Canoes & Kayaks
I reveal dozens of tricks to make strip building easier, more than any books on strip building I've seen, and I've seen them all.
For information to make strip building easier!
Check out -Transparent Lay-ups - Tricks for Rogue Strips -and --Shop Tips page
Let me guide you through the strip building process and you will have fun!
Wood strip building is easy enough for a beginner and yet is also the choice of professionals. A boat is created by gluing wood strips, edge to edge, over hull forms called stations. The wood hull is then covered, inside and out, with transparent layers of fiberglass and epoxy. This allows the beauty of the wood to show through. Wood-strip building produces a wood cored fiberglass boat. The fiberglass and epoxy layers on both sides of the wood core create a stress skin panel, which is very rigid and strong. Such a hull does not need internal ribs for strength and can be very lightweight. "The wood strip method of building allows me to design and build boats with complex hull shapes. I don't have to compromise my hull design to the limitations of a less flexible building material or to the convenience of a manufacturing technique. All my designs use the wood-strip building method." Rob Macks- designer / builder, Laughing Loon Canoes & Kayaks
Follow these links to see my Canoes Follow these links to see my Kayaks
Canoe Building Plans or KitsKayak Building Plans or Kits
For a hard copy of information on my designs and plans offerings, my color catalog is $5 in the US, International $8, US funds. (The catalog duplicates information on this web site.) Rob Macks / owner / designer / janitor Laughing Loon Custom Canoes & Kayaks 344 Gardiner Rd. Jefferson, Maine 04348 USA 207-549-3531
For a hard copy of information on my designs and plans offerings, my color catalog is $5 in the US, International $8, US funds.
(The catalog duplicates information on this web site.)
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© Copyright Rob Macks 1996 All information and images contained on these pages are the property of the originator. You may download anything for your personal enjoyment, but it shall not be used for personal gain without the written permission of the author, photographer, or artist.