Wooden Boat Kits

12 Responses to “Building a wooden boat ?”

1. wayneypayney55555 Says:
   September 21st, 2009 at 12:50 am

   i got a book from the library, it explained how to build it, and what tools you will need.
   References :

2. KJ Says:
   September 21st, 2009 at 1:39 am

   hey wayneypayney55555 what is the name of this great book
   References :

3. Drummer Dan Says:
   September 21st, 2009 at 2:24 am

   Costs depend on size( a 12 foot dinghy? Or a 30 foot yacht?) and materials(Fiberglass or wood?) you use…. Most wood on boats is teak. And teak is a very expensive wood… Comes mostly from indonesia I believe…. Then there’s the motor, different types of hardware etc… And the time it takes to build, even assuming you have all the proper tools, fasteners, adhesives, etc… whew… be prepared for a long process… not to mention, a wood hull boat is difficult to build, and almost just as, if not more difficult to maintain… In other words, after some time(some more, some less) they leak like crazy ( a strainer comes to mind)… I prefer fiberglass hulls…. But all that being said, when you are done, you may never experience anything as gratifying and rewarding as building a boat by hand!
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4. Lawrence S Says:
   September 21st, 2009 at 2:42 am

   Get a job as a helper in a boatyard. When you see all the grief wooden boats bring, you will know why they are called holes to pour money into.
   Working in a yard will give you a good idea of the costs, skills and tools needed. You could get a deal on someone elses project for little or nothing that way.
   A man can’t have a mistress and a wooden boat.
   References :
   I lost the mistress and the good ship lollipop.

5. Simon A Mechanic Says:
   September 21st, 2009 at 3:14 am

   Firstly you need a very large wallet.

   Then a lot of time and somewhere to put it.

   As for construction there’s Carvel, Double diagonel, Cold moulded the list goes on..

   Buy a welder and make her from steel
   References :
   Done it

6. jtexas Says:
   September 21st, 2009 at 3:55 am

   this website right here is a great starting place — they sell plans and kits, and the website has links to methods & techniques, materials, etc.

   http://www.glen-l.com
   References :

7. trunorth Says:
   September 21st, 2009 at 4:43 am

   Let me start by saying that I own several wooden boats, but they were built by the Chris Smith and Sons Boat Company.

   Building a wooden boat is a huge undertaking, especially something as large as a cabin cruiser or day sailer.

   Hanging around a wooden boat repair shop/yard would give you a good idea of all the work that goes into woodies.

   Take a class at Mystic Seaport and learn from the ground up. Lofting a boat alone can be a real brain tester.

   Start with a rowboat or canoe, and see how it goes.

   And check out Jimmy Buffet and Alan Jackson "Boats to Build"
   …. fair curve from a local plan.
   References :
   Inland waters guru and graduate of Mystic Seaport boat course

8. mark t Says:
   September 21st, 2009 at 5:01 am

   check out this site for how to info:

   http://www.westsystem.com/ss/how-to-publications/

   and these for boat building kits:

   http://www.bruceroberts.com/

   http://www.clarkcraft.com/

   http://classicwoodenboatplans.com/

   http://www.smallboats.com/kits.htm

   many more under "wooden boat kits" in the search engine
   References :

9. ricsudukai Says:
   September 21st, 2009 at 5:32 am

   Like everything, start small and steadily build your skills. Don’t pay attention to the negativity of some of the answerers, some must have had very bad experiences, or bitten off more than they could chew. A wooden boat properly built and coated will last as long as any material – historically the longest in some cases.

   I like this designer very much, his boat designs are very well drawn, and much better explained than many. Oh and they actually work beautifully.

   http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?s=d6e3d9cf693ece012a4ecd6c190eb312&t=62035

   http://www.storerboatplans.com/

   The PDRacer is an excellent very cheap entry level boat – and very capable. Best to start with something like that before getting in too deep. A boat with a cabin may take hundreds of hours, and if you work may take months or years to do a bit at a time.

   We have a boat at our club that was launched four weeks ago, but was started in 1970!! Life can get in the way.

   Good luck
   References :

10. threesheave Says:
    September 21st, 2009 at 5:53 am

    You can start to learn, first by reading everything you can get your hands on. That will help you understand and decide what to build first and what method to use.

    I suggest just Googling ‘wooden boat plans’, ‘wooden boat kits’ and ‘learning to build a wooden boat’.

    A good place to learn quite a bit is at this site:

    http://www.thewoodenboatschool.com/

    You might also want to subscribe to this great magazine:

    http://www.woodenboat.com/

    There are many boat building schools where you can go and learn hands-on boat building. You’ll have to take vacation time or retire for some of them, depending on where they are in relation to your home. Google that!

    You need to know the size and type of boat you want to USE after you have built it. Power? Sail? Length? The cost of building a boat depends mostly on the size. If you double the length of a boat, you roughly quadruple the amount of materials and time to build it, (assuming you just build the same boat bigger).

    Wooden boats are awesome, but do require more upkeep than most other boats. I do agree that you should try to build a small dinghy, row boat, or canoe first, (something under 16 feet), but only after you have researched and decided what type of method you would like to build your larger boat with. You’ll need a ‘boat shed’ or a building large enough to build the boat and store all the other necessary tools and equipment.

    You might learn that building isn’t the way to go to get where you want to be. Is a finished boat what you want, or is building it the goal?

    As far as the cost, you can build a very small boat for next to nothing, a nice canoe for under $3,000 and if you so desire, a couple of million can be spent building a huge cabin cruiser. I doubt if you have time for that much boat building though.

    Good luck! I hope you do learn to build a wooden boat and have a long happy life on the water.
    References :

11. aclrfp Says:
    September 21st, 2009 at 6:34 am

    If you want to build something to try your skills and get in the water for real cheap, try building a PD Racer.

    The plans are free.

    http://www.pdracer.com/
    References :

12. werepoodle Says:
    September 21st, 2009 at 7:24 am

    There are many designs posted on the internet. Some home builders even blog their progress and you can see each step in the process. I would second the suggestion of looking in your library for books on the subject as well.

    For a small boat that offers a lot of space, a catboat is hard to beat. They have a traditional look that you might like. The source site posted below has 3 designs that offer cabin space and which are less than 20 feet long. Look around for other designs, you might find something you like better.

    The cost of building a wooden boat is about one third to one half the cost of buying a production boat the same size. The down side is that there is very little re-sale value in a home built boat.
    References :
    http://www.devlinboat.com/designcatalog.htm

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