building a boat from scratch... indecisive

[jason41987]

hey everyone.. im looking to build a small boat for scratch for fishing for now, someday id like to build something considerably larger, but for now this is enough...

id like a design that can go into pretty shallow waters.. but i also like classic designs... i would also like to be able to put decks between the transom and rear seat, bow and front seat that can be used as storage compartments like a modern freshwater fishing boat would have...

so i was looking at some rowboat designs with a flat transom that could be started as a classic rowboat, like a dinghy or a skiff, and maybe later be converted to outboard

so.. i was wondering if anyone knew of any plans for a traditional style rowboat that sits relatively shallow in the water (flat bottom would be nice) that would have a very traditional/old fashioned look, but would be able to accept a deck in the front and rear sections so it can be used as a more professional power boat later on?

 

[oops!]

Re: building a boat from scratch... indecisive

hi bud....welcome to iboats !

this place is boat university....

as far as plans.....i would check out glenn L

as well,....there is a wooden boat building forum.....they will have acess to plans.

i just talked to a guy who built a boat from plans with one sheet of ply wood. it was a stitch and glue type...he did a good job.

 

[cyclops2]

Re: building a boat from scratch... indecisive

OR

I can sell you my precut pile of plywood.
At 74 I think I killed a couple of plywood trees needlessly.

 

[jason41987]

Re: building a boat from scratch... indecisive

i think the most important feature of the boat i need is the ability to reach over to pull out a fish without going for a swim... but i guess i could always just use a net for that... still though, i would like stability

 

[Pontoon24]

Re: building a boat from scratch... indecisive

What I think you want is not too complicated. The first boat I built was 12', made of plywood and flat bottomed. Something like this plan

http://www.bateau.com/proddetail.php?prod=FL12

The way I see it you have two options.

Build it very cheap and disposable and consider it a learning experience. Your own design or copied from free plans on the internet, 2 sheets of cheap pine 3/8 plywood, scraps of 2x4, some fiberglass cloth and epoxy and whatever paint you have lying around. Total cost about $100 and good for a few years use.

OR

Go all out from the start, marine grade plywood, store bought plans. everything ship shape and a little more pricey and if cared for properly will last many years.

I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed so I went the first way, learned alot and gained a whole different perspective of what I wanted in a boat. And when the boat was no longer usable I had my moneys worth out of it.

Have fun whatever you do.

 

[jason41987]

Re: building a boat from scratch... indecisive

im noticing a lot of aluminum jon boats are riveted... im assuming that means aluminum panels riveted over some kind of frame.... would it be possible to weld small diameter square tube steel into a frame for a jon boat, and rivet the aluminum to this?... and what sort of rivets would be used so they do not potrude under the water?.. if this could work i could then seal in the seams with some epoxy-based putty before painting it

 

[sschefer]

Re: building a boat from scratch... indecisive

im noticing a lot of aluminum jon boats are riveted... im assuming that means aluminum panels riveted over some kind of frame.... would it be possible to weld small diameter square tube steel into a frame for a jon boat, and rivet the aluminum to this?... and what sort of rivets would be used so they do not potrude under the water?.. if this could work i could then seal in the seams with some epoxy-based putty before painting it

You wouldn't want to plate over steel but you could and normally do plate over alluminum frames. Glenn L has plans for a couple of aluminum boats but be forewarned, they're welded not riveted and you can end up investing a lot of money in welding equipment that you might never use again.

My .02 is to go with wood on your first one. Go to http://www.glen-l.com/boat-plans-catalog-300-boats-you-can-build/, find the boat you want to build and order the plans. If you get half way through it an get bored just burn it in the fire place next winter.

 

[sublauxation]

Re: building a boat from scratch... indecisive

Maybe somebody should warn him that the Glen L site may make him drool a little bit. There's some beautiful stuff on there.

 

[sschefer]

Re: building a boat from scratch... indecisive

I know first hand. I got 1/2 way through a Canyon Cruiser when the price of aluminum went out the roof. I scrapped it out and bought a new JetCraft for about 1/2 of what the Canyon Cruiser (headed to 60,000.00) was gonna cost.

 

[cyclops2]

Re: building a boat from scratch... indecisive

SS & I agree for different reasons.

Buy a complete boat . THEN MODIFY IT.

You will be fishing IMMEADITLY.
If you outgrow the boat. Sell it.

Diy has a ability to cost time & money for tools to .....DO IT RIGHTER ?......

A 12' to 14' Aluminum is what you need. with a 6 to 9.9 hp motor to get you in a roof topper or pick up bed. Worst case is a TINY trailer a motorcycle could even tow around. Less than 10 hp gets you into most gas restricted lakes & rivers.

 

[sschefer]

Re: building a boat from scratch... indecisive

SS & I agree for different reasons.

Buy a complete boat . THEN MODIFY IT.

You will be fishing IMMEADITLY.
If you outgrow the boat. Sell it.

Diy has a ability to cost time & money for tools to .....DO IT RIGHTER ?......

A 12' to 14' Aluminum is what you need. with a 6 to 9.9 hp motor to get you in a roof topper or pick up bed. Worst case is a TINY trailer a motorcycle could even tow around. Less than 10 hp gets you into most gas restricted lakes & rivers.

Absolutely! You don't see many wood boats in daily use today. The weight of the finsihed product can make it difficult to handle for one person and they are a constant maintenance item. However, the personal satisfication is there and the tools you would buy are normal tools you would be able to put to use on other projects.

 

[jason41987]

Re: building a boat from scratch... indecisive

i have a complete wood shop, and a partial metal working shop, i just dont have the tools to weld aluminum specifically... if steel sheet metal was suitable i know how to weld that.. and as far as wood goes, if i was going for a small wooden row boat it would probably end up being something like a planked dinghy or skiff...

right now im trying to determine whats going to weigh more for a fishing boat.. an aluminum hull coated with a liner to make it quiet, or a plywood hull which doesnt need such a coating

 

[cyclops2]

Re: building a boat from scratch... indecisive

Jason

You have brought up a fantastic one of DIY traps.

The first timer has little to no knowledge of something just like wave slap noise on flat surfaces. Cures are simple after you know about the problem.

I built a3' wide X 8' long trolling motor powered boatthat looked just like a Garwood oldy. It had a steering wheel & full foward & reverse speed controls for 2 small kids to use. With a Radio Controlled shutoff.

 

[jason41987]

Re: building a boat from scratch... indecisive

i found these plans online called "duckskiff"... theyre free and they have a grid on them with two different shapes.. one with a narrower transom for rowing, but could still fit an outboard.. the other the transom is as wide as the boats widest point...

im sure you guys have seen these plans.. but theyre very simple, flat on the bottom, and i could EASILY addapt these to different materials.. since the sides are straight in cross section, i could easily make ribs and plank it, maybe a light weight tube steel frame to cover with a composite material, or even rivet together aluminum components... ill go with plywood first

 

[cyclops2]

Re: building a boat from scratch... indecisive

You never forget your lifejacket in a wood boat.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: building a boat from scratch... indecisive

Check this site out. They have everything you could need to build a small wood boat from scratch. You can get help, plans and supplies all in one place. You might want to look up a design called a Pirogue. It's a great all around wooden utility boat that is very light weight and easy to build. Do some searches online for "Stitch and Glue" method of boat building. They should help get you started. Good luck. Keep us posted.

http://www.duckworksbbs.com/index.htm

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/index.cfm

 

[jason41987]

Re: building a boat from scratch... indecisive

im working on these duckskiff plans now, putting the date into a 3D engineering program so i can work with the design in 3D, print patterns, or edit features as needed... i think for my purpose though im going to edit this into a flat bottom design

one idea i had was to make the internal ribs for this boat, and use some kind of skin over the hull.. then i remember something i seen from the 60s using canvas and epoxy to make a very hard, durable skin... i may give this a try as it would be lighter, less likely to leak, and maybe even strong....

so anyway, using plain weave canvas fabric... about how thick of material should i use for this... and how many layers for the sides, and the bottom?.. is it going to be possible at all to put weight on the bottom or will i need to make a floor to stand on?

 

[cyclops2]

Re: building a boat from scratch... indecisive

I did a double skinned floor so I, 200 pounds, could stand in it with no damage. The floor has 3 notched long runners. and notched bottom frames. I did the framing & outer skins first, completly. Then notched the 1 piece inner floor skin. All frames & stringers are completly coated with Tite Bond II. I gave the boat 1 week to dry the exposed skins & framing. I had the boat upside down during the drying period. That allows the heavy water vapor to fall out of the hull. Speeding up the drying.

Then I fully glued in the inner floor skin.I left the tiny spaces between the floor board & vertical frames open. This time I let the upside down boat dry for 2 weeks. SOLID. Then went to install the small under deck blocks for cleats when it is tied uo to a dock.

I added 3 large skids to the bottom of the hull. They allow the boat to be set down & pushed around without scratching the bottom finish. You might need 6" to 9" skids depending how rocky you shore is.

I still smile about how nice the polyurathane shines.

Good luck.

 

[Pontoon24]

Re: building a boat from scratch... indecisive

Jason, when I read about the canvas I thought you meant you were just going to cover the plywood with it but if I understand correctly you are going to stretch it directly over the ribs, is that right? Kinda like silk over framing in old airplanes or a lightweight canoe.

If so, I think you are getting way ahead of yourself. Just my 2 cents but I would stick with a simple flat bottomed, plywood stitch and glue boat.

Or better yet, if you want a low cost, shallow water boat just post an ad on craigslist for a free for the hauling 13 to 15 ft trihull. There are plenty out there that people will give away to get them out of their yard. Here's one I got. 15'6" LOA, I gutted it, The floor was rotten so I put down old fence boards for a temp floor. I took the top cap off except for the front where I made a casting deck. I built a lightweight bench seat to replace stability lost when I took the top and bulkheads out. One this was lightened up I could lift the boat by myself from bow or stern. I estimated it weighed 225 pounds. A 15 HP motor got it up on plane and ran at 21 MPH. My plans were to re-glass the floor, and keep the boat open save for 2 lightweight bench seats and the front deck, then add a PVC cap on the sides for a rub rail. Before I finished it I got a better (free) boat and I'm giving this one to my neighbor. A bare fiberglass hull is so easy to modify and there Free.

Just a suggestion...

 

[jason41987]

Re: building a boat from scratch... indecisive

cyclops2... so the longitudinal runners you installed supported much of your weight, as well as protected the bottom?..

what if i used the plans for the plywood, but cut the shapes out of styrofoam.. making a styrofoam hull and then coating the inside and outside with a layer of canvas and epoxy?