plywood stich n glue to metal

[Hacklebellyfin]

Hi,

Considering making a canoe or a bass boat or a flat skiff or a everglade pirogue and having access to these plans for stich and glue i would like to know if there is a need to adapt them while building in metal?

How to adapt a plan given for stich n glue construction to an aluminium or steel construction?

Is there a formula or rules?

[Hacklebellyfin]

stupid question right?
Is it the core of the Job?

who knows how to do chewing gum?

Or a good online boat design school?

Peace

Thx

[kach22i]

I think it's an interesting idea. However I question the wisdom of using aluminium in a salt water environment.

Have you seen this webpage (welding)?

Building an Aluminum Two Piece Dinghy
http://www.bebi-electronics.com/rtt.html
http://www.bebi-electronics.com/serving/rttpics/clamps.jpg

Read some of the replies here:

Re: stitch and glue technique for aluminum canoe
http://www.kayakforum.com/cgi-bin/Design/index.cgi/noframes/read/2945

Found by using Google, search term "aluminium stitch glue"

[Ad Hoc]

Not 100% sure what you mean by "stich n glue construction"...can you explain further pls?

[Hacklebellyfin]

We may find easily stich ang glue plywood fiber glass taped 12ft to 18ft boat plans on the internet.

I would like to know what i do have to do if i buy one of these plywood plans and make one of these boats with steel or aluminium sheets?

Will the floatation line be the same ( only fresh water)?

So shall i make sides boards higher?

Or how to adapt a plywood boat plan to steel boat construction.

It does look same to me, i would go buying these plans and try to weld, thorn, rivet,etc...


I do like these:
Jon boat (flatness), glades skiff (compactness), rowing drift boat, texas sled (whole boat deck), flat skiff (small water ability), pirogues , gator trax (strength), pontons ,bass tracker (hull), bear mountain canoes (width), Gheenoe (stability/ compactness).:D

If i could calculate and know how to weave the structure and design the panels i would go for a boat with these features:

14ft *4ft Pirogue + Bass tracker bow + casting platform on front.
She would be motored with a 9hp longshaft propeller.:o

Ugly but simple , almost a punt.


I m feeling at urge to understand how to design my own boat...:P

[Ad Hoc]

Hmmm..im still no clearer to understand what Stitch and Glue means....from your reply above i can surmise that it is a "trade name" for a 'style' of boat??...since you go on to say to construct it by: try to weld, thorn, rivet,etc...so im not clear what this stitch and glue means.

Bottom line is, if you want a boat and to make it from aluminium, perhaps buy some cheap plans suitable for aluminium.

If you buy plans made for wood, it will probably be lighter than ally, but without seeing the scantlings hard to say how much. Since the size you are looking at there are boats on the market which are thin single skin ally which have been "pressed" from single sheet. Owing to the curvature, no stiffeners either...these are very light. You can literally pick these up with one hand...can't do that will wood!

So, you need to find something to aim at first, wood or ally, size, fabrication...do you want to weld, rivet or even glue it....better to focus on what you want, rather than what you see....once you know what you really want, then all the potential red herrings will fall away.

[PAR]

Hacklebellfin, Yes, these types on conversions can be preformed, but it's a fair bit of engineering and material limitations understanding that's required. I'd not recommend this be attempted by a novice.

This said there are a few course available on line, try www.westlawn.edu for a start.

Ad Hoc, weights and scantlings are application dependant. In smaller boats, aluminum will be hard pressed to compete with wood for lightness, unless stamped sheet is used.

There just aren't many aluminum designs in boats under 30'. I have a 18' ketch design for aluminum, being built on the west coast, but it's not a particularly common request so design offerings will be greatly limited.

[kach22i]

Not 100% sure what you mean by "stich n glue construction"...can you explain further pls?
I first learned about it on this forum, it's been around a while and is common, please use the search function to find out more.:)

[kach22i]

I would like to know what i do have to do if i buy one of these plywood plans and make one of these boats with steel or aluminium sheets?
Several of the links I posted show this, so it can be done.

What they all seem to be saying is that a good weld is better than epoxy, epoxy "stitch & glue" will only last 3 to 5 years with aluminum no matter how much you etch it.