Chesapeake 17: builds and build times

Chesapeake 17

A 17 ft stitch-and-glue touring kayak from Chesapeake Light Craft, the high-volume member of a series that has shipped more than 9,000 kits since 1996 and one CLC flags as a top seller. It is 24 in wide and about 45 lb, fits paddlers of 180 to 250 lb with shoes to size 14, and carries 325 lb, enough for unsupported trips. Kits, wood-parts kits and plans are sold.

CLC grades it a beginner build with an in-depth manual. Its estimate is about 80 hours: 40 to 50 to assemble the 4 mm okoume hull and deck, then around 30 for sanding, painting and varnishing. Real hours from logged builds are below.

What building a Chesapeake 17 actually takes

Medians from the build logs kept on this site, not the designer’s estimate. Nobody has logged this boat here yet, so they are empty until the first builder does.

Build logs

Launched

n/a

Median hours

n/a

Median months

Those medians firm up as more people log this boat.

Builds of this boat

Nobody has logged a Chesapeake 17 here yet.

If you are building one, yours becomes the reference: the page the next person building this boat finds when they search for it. One photo and one line is a valid first entry.

Start the first log of this boat

Boats like this one

Same type, closest in length.

Design	Plans from	LOA
17' Disko Bay	Newfound Woodworks	17′ 0″ (5.18 m)
17' Fire Star	Newfound Woodworks	17′ 0″ (5.18 m)
17' Lapstrake Canoe	Duck Trap Woodworking	17′ 0″ (5.18 m)
17' Sea Wolf	Newfound Woodworks	17′ 0″ (5.18 m)
17' Spirit	Newfound Woodworks	17′ 0″ (5.18 m)
17' Traveler	Newfound Woodworks	17′ 0″ (5.18 m)