trying to build a 14 ft. boat

Woodonglass

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Re: trying to build a 14 ft. boat

White pine is typically not a wood that is recommend for marine use and boat building. Spruce is good, White oak, mahogany, and Douglas Fir are all typical woods used. You will be using epoxy to encapsulate the wood so that will help immensely no matter your choice however, woods with a high amount of natural resin and rot resistance are what is desirable. Marine Grade plywood is the King for making plywood boats but ext. grade plywood coated with epoxy and cloth is used frequently as well. I would really recommend you spend a lot more time on the Glen-L site and do a lot of research and study on wood boat building before you invest your time, effort and money in this project. You really need to have a very good idea of all the processes and procedures needed for a successful build.
 

jigngrub

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Re: trying to build a 14 ft. boat

As a Master Commercial/Industrial Carpenter with 30+ yrs. experience I say forget wood if you're on a budget. Become a versatile "mechanic" (roofers card).

Wood is high material cost, high maintenance, and elaborate for boat construction... go with aluminum! I was offered a junker/project 14' tinny today for $100 including trailer.

You still get to practice your carpentry skills on a tin boat... there's transom wood to replace and decks to build, but the boat will need minimal maintenance, will be more durable, and you'll get to spend more time fishing!!!... best of all, it won't take 4 months to get it water ready... and you'll have money leftover for a motor!

You'll learn how to frame out of metal (it's a commercial carpenter skill) and get to cut, seal, and fasten wood too!... not to mention flooring finish skills like carpet or vinyl installation too!

Aluminum is the logical choice in boating!
 
Joined
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Re: trying to build a 14 ft. boat

thankyou all and that advice about the aluminum boats got me thinking once again and agree aluminum would be the longer lasting and lower maintenance however honestly I've been working on wooden projects my whole life and the cloeset I've gotten to aluminum projects is I've installed 3 tin roofs for my brother in law's construction company however that is far from boat building.
Well it got me wondering if I shouldn't go for aluminum instead of wood.
Argg it is a difficult decision I'll let you know what I decide after some more reading any advice on both materials would be great.
 
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Re: trying to build a 14 ft. boat

what thicknesses of aluminum do you guys advise? My choice between the two materials is a mix between the two.
I wondered if I could build a jon boat using all original plans besides the fact all the outer hull will be composed of aluminum.
I then could spend time perfecting the inside.
So what do you experts think could I substitute aluminum for plywood and over the heads of screws on the outside just sauder a thin coat of steel wire over them.
the would be less as well as the cost but would fallow the plan for the jon boat.
Is this legible and could I do this with what thickness?
I do fancy the fact of using aluminum but want atleast to have the interior have that woodworker's time and quality.
 

jasoutside

Supreme Mariner
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Dec 20, 2009
Messages
13,269
Re: trying to build a 14 ft. boat

Hmmmm...

I'm thinking buy an alum boat (for a few hundred bux) vs. build an alum boat (mucho $$$).

Then, run the boat, fish, have fun, repair/rebuild the way you see fit. Then move on to something more ambitious like building a boat from raw materials (wood or otherwise).
 

Bigboyitm

Seaman
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Feb 26, 2011
Messages
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Re: trying to build a 14 ft. boat

I agree with his suggestion. ^^ I priced aluminum yesterday and it pretty expensive and it's hard to weld it. Without welding experience I wouldn't suggest going the aluminum route. If you want to build a boat order some plans and build a wood boat.
 

kfa4303

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Re: trying to build a 14 ft. boat

Welding aluminum is tricky and and sort of an art unto itself, however many aluminum boats are/were built using rivets. It would be a lot of work, but you could probably do it. Although, as bigboyitm said, the price of aluminum is very high now, which would probably make the cost prohibitive, but it would be and interesting learning experience.
 

Woodonglass

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Re: trying to build a 14 ft. boat

With your desire to work with wood, I strongly advise you to use these free plans and build a simple wooden jon boat. Functional and you can finish it in a couple of weekends. You'll be fishing in no time. You don't even have to glass it if you don't want to. Using normal wood working tools and wood working adhesives you can make her watertight and use her for many years. Should cost less than $200 bucks for wood adhesive and paint.

http://www.vintageprojects.com/boats/jon-boat-plans.pdf
 
Joined
Mar 19, 2012
Messages
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Re: trying to build a 14 ft. boat

whew a boat for 200 and a trailer priced at 150 this is turning out to be a not tooo expensive proposition.
I really want to thank all you after I get something built atleast to the early stages I'll post some picts for some reason my web cam isn't working but the i've found other complaints the hp pavilion has some web cam problems.
Haven't checked this in 2 days massive power outage probably a 1/64 of the state was out but gave me time to cool down and observe the KISS theory OR
Keep
It
Simple
Stupid
Got a bit carried away and looking back on the posts went a bit off the deep end in ideas.
Thank you all once again
 

andgott

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 2, 2009
Messages
801
Re: trying to build a 14 ft. boat

I have built a number of wooden boats- It is a lot of fun, and well worth it. Those who tell you that it can't be done cheaply have either never done it themselves, or are talking about building to a different standard, or generally both.

Check out this page-
http://www.instantboats.com/

Boats on there range from a small 6' pram to large cruisers. They were designed by a guy named Phil Bolger, who is (er, was) a very famous boat designer. He did a lot of traditional boats, but he also did a LOT of designs that were aimed at the do it yourselfers. With the help of a builder named Harold Payson (who runs that site), he came up with a line of boats called the 'Instant boats'.

The idea behind them was that they be super simple and CHEAP to build. Simple enough that anyone with a little determination could do it. They were also designed to be built on the cheap- Using materials that were readily available at local lumberyards. They aren't what you'd call pretty- In fact, some consider them downright UGLY, but they are very functional and well mannered boats.

They also use materials like dimensional pine, outdoor grade plywood, and construction adhesive, that a lot of the 'experts' will tell you are incorrect for building. Sure, there are better materials out there, but better at what cost?? You can build one of these boats in a week or two, for very little money, and with some maintenance enjoy it on the water for decades. There is no real need to spend big bucks on mahogany and marine ply, unless you want it for show. I'm not claiming that these materials are EQUAL, just more than adequate!

You can order plans from the website, but the books are the best- They have all the plans in them!

I had some scrap plywood laying around, and I built this a few years back-

IMG_9421.JPG


IMG_9423.JPG


My TOTAL cost, since I had the ply and the 1 by material, was less than $25 for paint and glue.

-Andrew
 
Joined
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Messages
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Re: trying to build a 14 ft. boat

I've seen plenty of ugly lumber but in house building its easy to make it pretty because all the framing will be covered up with dry wall or outer plywood. Thanks for the boat picts That is a beautiful one ,thanks for link as well
 
Joined
Mar 19, 2012
Messages
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Re: trying to build a 14 ft. boat

yesterday on a job I went to a small hardwear and lumber yard and asked about duglas fir plywood but he said ", um all our plywood is fir I don't know how different that is that duglas fir. "
So i thanked the clerk ' which i knew ' and headed back to the job site so my question is
would just plain fir plywood make the boat last?
 

jigngrub

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Re: trying to build a 14 ft. boat

How long a boat lasts (any boat) depends on how it is cared for. If a boat is neglected and left exposed to the elements when not in use it will age quickly and won't last very long.

If a boat is shown the proper care and protected from the elements when not in use it will stay new looking longer and last a lifetime.

If I personally was going to build a wooden boat I would opt for a better grade of exterior plywood or marine grade plywood, mainly because the higher grade plywood contains fewer voids between the plies (layers) of wood.

MDO and BB plyform (fir not pine) are better grades of plywood that are cheaper than marine grade.

Using a quality sealer will also help extend the life of a wooden boat.

Using cheaper grades of materials are fine if you just want a boat you can use for a few years and don't mind painting or sealing it annually.
 

dlp_90731

Cadet
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Feb 20, 2011
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Re: trying to build a 14 ft. boat

Here is another site for boats if it helps bateau.com
 
Joined
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Messages
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Re: trying to build a 14 ft. boat

I've got a link for fiberglass cloth as well so how much would that increase its life if the underside was covered several times in the cloth with apoxy
 

andgott

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 2, 2009
Messages
801
Re: trying to build a 14 ft. boat

Check out the boats on the page I gave you the link to- Most are built with ACX ply, from a lumberyard. I built my first one when I was 13, it's still in service last time I checked- That's about 18 years. Others were not cared for as well, and have long since been cut up for kindling... The last one I built, in fact, only lasted about 2 years, due to lack of care.

Epoxy and fiberglass will seriously extend the life, too. It will make the boat a LOT more expensive- But if you plan to keep it for a while it's a worthy investment. Some of the boats that I gave you the link to are built using the tack and tape method, where the seams are all taped with fiberglass and epoxy, and filleted on the inside with thickened epoxy resin. They are nice, strong boats!
 
Joined
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Messages
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Re: trying to build a 14 ft. boat

what do you mean cared for?
I have a huge barn I can put it in but I'd have to cover it with plactic or the goats would climb on it.
I've found some fiber cloth for good pricing but my worry is it is not wide enough to cover the bottom and come up the sides could I use 2 different pieces and overlap them about 2 feet in the middle of the boat?
I have a 2nd nephew who is 21 owns a pickup to pull a boat trailer and loves to fish so I hope it will last quite a few summers for us and others to go fishing in the boat.
He actually wants to help build it and that is good news because he is 19 and has worked for the contractor I told you worked in construction for 30 years so between me , timothy , my nephew , and my dad that is about 70 years of building experience.
 

kfa4303

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Re: trying to build a 14 ft. boat

If you have a covered area to store the boat that's great. You'll be fine. You just don't want it sitting out in the weather unprotected unnecessarily. You can also use the fiberglass as you said. Overlapping the seams won't cause a problem, but f'glassing the entire bottom will add a bit of weight. Some folks only apply glass and resin to the seams of the boats, but I like the idea of sealing the entire bottom too. Sounds like you've got plenty of experience and enthusiasm at your disposal too. Of course, building boats isn't like building a house. There's a reason they're called shipwrights and not carpenters. Boat builders operate in their own world of cool tools, techniques and funny lingo. Good luck! Keep us posted!
 
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