cheap and recycled

[adamanderr]

hi i live on a lake and am a dumpster diver...i constantly see materials 2x4s bits of ply etc.. i was hoping that i could build a small flat bottomed boat that i could sleep aboard. it isn't marine wood.... what about cloth and paint sealing....i was hoping to make the entire thing out of recycled/found materials....any ideas. will the wood just rot right out..
thanks
adamanderr@hotmail.com

[SeaSpark]

I'd go for a catamaran design, then you can use a smaller, more economical engine.

Build the hulls from any old barrels and pieces of foam you can find, glue them together with cloth and PU foam. For the looks can give them a skin from any old pieces of thin wood you find. I'd build the skin first and then fill it up with the barrels and foam.Put some longer pieces of wood in the lenght to give it more stifness. Your skin will need good external support while filling. Foam will be the most expencive in this project, so fill the gaps between barrels with any hollow object you can find and save on foam.

More ideas to build a ship from scrap would be welcome.

[SeaSpark]

Please sea post in:

3rd post is about a boat build from empty bottles

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/sho...1058#post81058

[Wellydeckhand]

Do u think using a normal plywood is the smae as marine plywood interm of strenght? It seem many used plywood i can get for free but it aint marine.....

[SeaSpark]

Have seen many discussions about this on boatdesign.

My personal opinion:

It will be less strong but it is free so just use more unless you want a race boat.

It will rot sooner but it is free and building a boat is fun and after a while you ideas change and you will want to build a new one anyway.

If going on open water, use even more, it is free, and check for rot on a regular basis.

p.s.
Please dont take my old barrels and foam idea to serious if you want to go to sea.

[1stboat]

The wood will rot, but you won't notice it for a while, what you will notice is that the waterline on your boat gets higher and higher until you've got just a little bit of space left until the boat is flooded. To prevent all of this, you could buy some sealent and some brushes. Put a few coats of the sealent on the boat and it will last you much longer.

[Wellydeckhand]

I have been given a stack of plywood from the plywood mill of reject size and because the outerlayer is a bit rough and peel off. Does this mean it still can be use?

The owner of the Mill own a glue and formalin factory so i go a barrel of each for free.

Is formalin any good in curing of the plywood?

Thanks

Welldeckhand