Anyone built a boat?

[doug hodder]

George and Pat, I do a lot of "bold" (read stupid) things. I bought this house in Calif, without ever setting foot in it. I bought it out of a flyer in a Safeway store. Also had no job to come to. My sister did however look at it, but I had no idea what I had bought until I put the key into the door and walked inside. It has worked out well for me however. For me.... a lot of money tied up into something that isn't usable is enough motivation for me to finish a project. Kinda Dumb Huh???? but it works for me....Doug Hodder

[doug hodder]

Dean... just to clarify, I am only repeating what I read, can't exactly quote as I don't remember where it came from and I think that this number also reflects "boats" which may include anything from a canoe to a 40' trawler, in steel, concrete, aluminum wood etc... They weren't too specific. I would imagine that chances are, it was for boats that were incredibly money intensive, as a lot of shade tree builders get in over their heads. Doug Hodder

[David Grason]

Building a boat really does take a commitment. What I do to make sure it happens is drop the coin on the engine, somehow that investment drives me to completion.

Yup, that's working for me too. I bought my boat already started by a previous builder. He did a very good job but when I picked it up, I could quickly see that the remaining part of the project had him terribly intimidated. He had built a lot of RC airplanes and such but he'd never taken on anything this big. He really didn't know his next step and yet his work had been excellent up to that point. I only have found 3 small mistakes. Two can be corrected and the other I can live with. I bought the thing judging by the pics he emailed me and I wasn't worried because the price he asked was so darn cheap he practically gave it away. I really didn't feel I had anything to lose.

Next I immediately bought an engine for it on ebay. Somehow, seeing the boat in one corner and the engine in the other keeps telling me that this project is not far from completion at all. This design is probably one of the best designs for the first timer wanting to build a little outboard runabout.

[campadk]

Dave, I would love to meet you at Tahoe for a boat outing, unfortunately, Tahoe won't allow 2 strokes on it anymore. That's why I went to a 4 stroke. It won't be long before 2 strokes are outlawed in Calif completely. Oh Well, guess I was born 20 years too late. When 2 strokes are outlawed only outlaws will have 2 strokes.... Doug Hodder

Are they really going to outlaw 2 strokes there? Maybe the older ones, but I doubt the newer breed. Actually the boat we just bought is a 2 stroke Evinrude DI. Specs and tests show that it is as efficient or better than the new 4 strokes and supposedly a slight bit better fuel wise. Also quieter, lighter and less expense. It's also 2006 emissions compliant. 2 strokes seem to have come a long way since the days of smoky startups and gas puddles on the lake that I remember as a kid.

[doug hodder]

Yup!! Tahoe won't allow any 2 strokes over, I think it is 15hp, mostly for sail boat pushers, absolutely no mix engines, injected jet skis are gone in 2006, There is talk about no 2 strokes, injected or otherwise, on a lot of the lakes out here. I don't know much of the specifics on how a boat like yours would qualify, all I know is that my 1959 Mark 58A is a no go. Lake Powell also went to 4 stroke engines also.

[ugh]

I like to build little boats! I uploaded a pic now I need to figure out how to add it to my post but I hate to follow directions

[ugh]

O>K> I have a pic in my profile but you have to click it cause it don't preview well. I have a little experiance with a smaller variety of wooden boats. 5 1/2 to 8 1/2 ft long and amazingly very stable. I use a program called hulls that gives the basic design then I just wing it. It's a simple stich and glue method that only takes a few hours over say a weeks time. Truth be told you'll spend more time just looking at it while the epoxy dries than you do accually working on it. The power I've been using for my little babies is a store bought trolling motor and they buzz along on a fresh charge.

Everyone can build one of these, most likely better than I do looking at your teardrops!

[asianflava]

-Ugh

You could put some R/C gear in that thing and make it up to look like a Scarab or Cigartte boat.

[rowerwet]

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/11/spl ... /index.htm
my latest build, the bottom of one of these looks kind of like the top of a TD to me

[droid_ca]

I've been dying to share this link hope you enjoy it
http://www.watchthisletme.com/watch-271 ... -Guy-Built
if you like this style you should like this show
let me know your opinions

[sdakotadoug]

I will second the Duckworks site and another good one is Bateau.com. For Cedar strip canoes I went to Bear Mountain boats. Doug

[john warren]

i have built several boats. a lot depends on what sort of boat you want to build. do you want a framed and planked boat?
or would a stitch and glue be more what you need?
i am assuming you want a wood boat.
look into stitch and glue . usually very easy to build and a very effective and strong method for a boat that will probably be in the size range your looking for. if you want to see a lot of options do a websearch for "mother of all marine sites" it lists all sorts of things and has an extensive section for plans for home builders.

[Wimperdink]

I've been dying to share this link hope you enjoy it
http://www.watchthisletme.com/watch-271 ... -Guy-Built
if you like this style you should like this show
let me know your opinions

Clicked the link.... hit download now.... browser wanted divx plugin... I allowed and norton blocked it as malware.

[droid_ca]

ok thats not good the show was called
The Boat That Guy Built if you can watch it I highly recomend it as he rebuilds a canal boat

[Pottercounty]

Built a canoe,..very time consuming...proud of the way it turned out. It was very heavy (92 lbs) good building experience however, I wouldn't do it again.
You may have a different experience...Go for it!