Canoe and Kayak Building the Light and Easy Way

Sam Rizzetta is a boat designer and builder, a master luthier (a builder of stringed, fretted musical instruments), music historian, a composites fabricator, a self-publisher, and an author. A canoeist since the age of three, he has designed, built, and modified numerous canoes, made several notable lengthy canoe voyages and first descents, and averages 1,000 miles of paddling annually. He developed his innovative Fabric Form method of boatbuilding as an offshoot of his work in the fabrication of custom composite aeronautical components. Sam has written several booklets on musical instruments for the Smithsonian Institution; articles for numerous music and professional magazines; he writes a regular technical column for The Dulcimer Player's News; and has written three books of original music – two of which he self-published, and one of which is published by Mel Bay. He earns a living designing and building exquisite musical instruments in West Virginia.

Part I: Construction
1Choosing a design
2The fabric form method
3Shop, tools, plans, materials
4The form
5Laminating the hull
6Turning the hull into a boat
Part II: Building in Safety
7The self-rescue concept
8Outfitting existing boats
9Outfitting new boats
10Testing and self-rescue
Part III: Designs
11A solo canoe
12Kayoo, a decked canoe/kayak
13Wasp an ergonomic canoe
Appendix A Information resources
Appendix B Tools and materials