Anyone ever build a plywood boat?

[danpemby]

I keep looking at the plans for some of the plywood style boats out there, Jon, canoe etc. I was just wondering if anyone has did this and what were the results?

 

[JB]

Re: Anyone ever build a plywood boat?

I built an 8' pram from plans a loong time ago.

It turned out so good I have never even considered trying another.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Anyone ever build a plywood boat?

Glen-L sells some great plans. They even sell templates for some harder cuts.

 

[steelespike]

Re: Anyone ever build a plywood boat?

If you are handy with tools go to it.try something simple first.Years ago I built a 7 1/2 ft punt for the kids.using 1
4 X 8 1/4 inch plywood and some crating lumber.I used galvinized common nails. and roofing nails.silicone caulk.
red and white paint.We rowed or used a 15lb thrust trolling motor.With our 2 kids (about 6 years old)it scooted along nice and would go pretty good with the 4 of us.We stayed close to shore and it went about as fast as you would want to row any distance.Served the kids well until I found a deep sixed home made steel boat a few years later.Probably would still have it today if we had taken better care of it.
I often think of building another just to do it.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Anyone ever build a plywood boat?

I was in high school and decided to build a boat since I couldn't afford to buy one thought that building my own was the way to go. 14' seemed like the right length for the 18 hp Rude I owned at the time. In short, I made it so sturdy that it almost sank when I finally launched it and the Rude could hardly plane it out with just me in it.

My biggest problem was lack of proper tooling. The challenge was the keel area forward where the V is formed. You have to shape the wood properly (router would help, table saws, high volume sanding machine for starters), have clamps (a dozen or so) to hold it in place while the glue is drying and while inserting the brass screws.

I had no commercial plans so I had to guess at the rib shape; plans surely would have helped that part....especially if you had a pattern in the plans......walla!

As it turned out, I chopped off the bow and it came out a 12' boat with a john boat looking bow.

One thing I could never figure out. On a vee bow, installing the first side at the keel seemed pretty straight forward.....with proper tooling. Never could figure out how to get the other side on....no place to grab to hold it.

Oh yeah, and a steamer would help too.

Would I do it again? No. Wood requires just too much upkeep and you can't get sophistocated hull shapes with it like you can with glass.

HTH

Mark

 

[Terry Olson]

Re: Anyone ever build a plywood boat?

Stick with Glen-l (www.glenl.com) and you won't go wrong. They have been selling a large variety of plans for more than 50 years and you can't argue with that kind of success. Building from plywood is easier than you might think and you'll avoid the pitfalls Tex found if you stick with something that is already proven to work well. Many of the plans (look at the "stitch and glue" method) are for the first-time builder with limited tools and experience.

With that said, my primary boat is aluminum because it offers so many advantages over wood from a maintenance perspective. My second boat is a chris-craft like runabout powered by a small block chevy made of plywood over frames. My dad built it from plans from glen-l about 6 years ago and recently gave it to me. It's the "Audeen" model. That type of construction is best left for a second-time builder or someone with better than average woodworking skills and equipment although plenty of first-timers have been successful in building the more complicated models.

The other reason I recommend glen-l is that they offer tremendous customer support and maintain a great website which includes a much better than average builder's forum. If you're serious about it get plugged in there and you'll have no problems getting it done and done well.

Good luck with it.

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: Anyone ever build a plywood boat?

I built one one out of 3/4 inch plywood and mahogany door skins.Used the 3/4 plywood for the ribs and main beam. The door skins made a very nice outer shell when it was well varneshed.The boat looked like a 15foot cigar hull. I put an 40merc on the back and on calm water it halled a$$.The funny thing was the only people that would come over and chat on the water were the ones in like 50-100,000 dollar boats.May be it was i would blow the doors off of the lesser boats.
PS this boat could be picked up by 3 people and put in the back of the truck with out the motor.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Anyone ever build a plywood boat?

Mine was built from 1x4x3/4" oak frames and 3/8 marine plywood for everything else. Used brass screws and a purple marine glue....forgot the name of it. Don't remember how far the ribs were apart.....but it had to be tough (so I thought)....course nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Plywood boats were the thing back in the early days as www.old-omc.de will attest to.....as were the Penn-Yan/Thompson/Lyman style of boat (which were beauties....lusted for one at the time). You could plane them (plywood boats) off with little or no hp.......................but not mine. 8)

Good luck.

Mark

 

[danpemby]

Re: Anyone ever build a plywood boat?

Thanks for the input. I was thinking of building a "Gheenoe" style craft for fishing the small river /streams that we have around here.
http://www.jemwatercraft.com/StudyPlans/BuccaneerXW16StudyPlans.htm

Light yet stable and can be put on the top of the Jeep for thhose hard to reach put-in areas. Finding a Gheenoe up here in next to impossible.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Anyone ever build a plywood boat?

Bassboy and Terry,

I visited the glenl site and spent a couple of hours brousing the site. Brought back memories of my experience. If anyone reads this and has any inclining that they would like to do that, do yourself a favor and visit the site. Some of the workmanship is absolutely stellar. All of it is great. My hat goes off to The Riveria and Tam Tam (home page featured) builders. You guys are real craftsmen....patience, dilligence, patience, and more patience............oh yeah, $$$$$$$ too.

Mark

 

[steelespike]

Re: Anyone ever build a plywood boat?

The Gheenoe type looks like a great boat for paddle or a small motor.It should moove easily at displacement speeds.4 to 6 mph.A long slender boat with a narrowed lifted stern is ideal for efficient displacement speeds.I wonder if a slightly wider stern might work better with a 3 hp. It might keep it from squating too much at speed.

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: Anyone ever build a plywood boat?

It's probably cheaper to buy a used freighter canoe. I have a 15 ft fiberglass freighter with a side mount for my 3 1/2 hp Westbend. It was our first geat combination for fishing that we bought 35 years ago. Only problem is you get sore from sitting in the same spot all the time. In a small boat, at least you can stand up and stretch a bit. I'd think boat, unless you have to cartop it all the time.

 

[danpemby]

Re: Anyone ever build a plywood boat?

Cobra

The problem is the areas i want to fish are small river / streams. Some places are fine for a boat but alot of time you have to portage around obsticles / shallows. We used a 12' narrow Jon last year and it worked but a canoe worked even better.

I have seen the Gheenoe in action with one person standing and fishing and another standing on a platform a few feet above the craft "poleing".

It would be perfect for this environment.

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: Anyone ever build a plywood boat?

ahhh interesting!8)

 

[aerwin]

Re: Anyone ever build a plywood boat?

look up free boat plans on yahoo and you will get tons of plans and building techniques. I built the "one sheet skiff" by herb mcloud and a canoe of simular constuction, I think it was the "wee lass"that I made bigger. the small boats are very easy to build. give it a try, very rewarding, expect a little critisism tho. some people just don't understand building a boat that will float