newbie wants to build boat

[max503]

Hello everyone. I registered on this site because I am going to build a boat, and I need direction.
I know a little about woodworking but I don't consider myself an expert by any means. I teach high school woodshop classes.
Basically, I want to make a wooden jon boat. I want this to be a boat that I will use, not just look at. I want it to be nice, but nothing fancy. Just a boat. I want it to be able to take a 25 HP outboard. I will use it on large inland bodies of water. I want to trailer it behind my pick-up truck. I'm thinking 12 to 16 feet long. I have a supply of mahogany planks to build this boat from.
I want to build a sound, no-nonsense boat that I can take out and use. Functionality is my primary consideration.
I will be building this boat for the following reasons:
1) I want a boat.
2) I am a wood worker.
3) I have wood and tools so it will cost me little more than my time.
4) Since I will save money on the boat, I will buy a nice new 4 stroke outboard to put on it.
5) I get satisfaction from doing stuff like this.
I need to find out where to get plans for a project like this, and I appreciate any advice from those with experience.
Thank you very much in advance.

[timgoz]

Hi Max,

For a Jon boat style your mahogney will work for trim and structural members. The hull panels may be better suited out of good marine ply. I'd glass and epoxy it if you are looking for some life.

Just hit "boat designs" on google and go from there. Tons of stuff. Once you get a clearer picture of what your shooting for, come back and ask till your hearts content. There are many bright people here willing to help.

Welcome & take care.

TGoz

[timgoz]

Another thought. Sharpies traditionally were designed utilizing transverse hull planking. Your lumber stock might approve ideal for this.

Get yourself some books on basic wooden boatbuilding and go from there.

By navigating the info on this site you can learn alot also.

TGoz

[kerosene]

I am still in the dreaming department and don't have a place yet to start playing with concrete attempts. However I am gathering information and have readu quite a few books.

My favourites are:

Gougeon brothers on boat building
and
Nature of boats (David Gerr)

[max503]

I have a question.
What are "sharpies"?

I've been rethinking my initial intentions. Actually, I'm not certain at this point what type of boat I want to build. I teach high school woodworking and I've got one of my students building a one-sheet (plywood) boat. It's shaping up well and making me want to build my own. I'm also thinking of turning it into a class project. I have a small class of 6 design students. I'm thinking along the lines of breaking them into teams of two, then giving them a sheet of 5/32 luan, some mahogany for trim, a computer design program, and the internet for reference.

As you can see, my mind is spinning with ideas. Just thought I would throw this out there.

Thanks

[timgoz]

Hi Max,

I have both the books Kerosene mentions. The Guogen book will prove very useful construction wise. Gerr's book would be good for your general marine knowledge. It is written in an enjoyable style & very informative.

Sharpies are flat bottomed, shallow draft boats that originated in the Carolinas from what I understand. Google them.

Even an 8 foot dinghy usually requires several 8x4 sheets of ply. How big is your student's boat going to be?

I've taught in the past (7th-8th mainly), and bow to your courage.

Take care.

TGoz

[sal's Dad]

Lots of great books and plans out there. Payson / Bolger is a good start. Also, Check out the Duckworks, and the Duckworks forum on Yahoo.

Starting with the little boats is a good idea, but for a school project I would give them the plans and materials. Kids with no experience in boats WILL NOT be able to create, or even pick, an adequate design. Certainly not their first try. And a boat, however pretty, that is a failure on the water will discourage them, and doom future class projects.

And for a school project, think long and hard before doing an epoxy boat, especially if you have limited experience in the form. It's messy, and potentially harmful to health - fine for a careful skilled adult... (that being said, my brother has for many years taught boatbuilding and boating to inner city kids - and they use epoxy...)

Sal's Dad

[Raggi_Thor]

Here's an old article from FAO:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5649e/y5649e00.htm

It's for slower boats that you probably want, but it can, give you some ideas for construction in plain wood.

[Raggi_Thor]

There are so many plans for great boats...
Most of them include plywood and epoxy.
Here is an old one from Atkin:
http://www.by-the-sea.com/atkin&co/atjess.html

And a BIG on
http://www.by-the-sea.com/stimsonmarine/smplans.html
OCEAN POINTER designed and built by Stimson Marine, Inc

You need to find plans for the boat you want :-)
If you want flat bottom, cross planked, that's probably the easiest to build.
There was an article in one of the lates wooden boat magazines on that.

[Raggi_Thor]

Another one you might like,
http://www.benford.us/scp/18texas.html

It's bit bigger than you wanted, but it looks quite straight forward.

[timgoz]

Raggi,

That is a nice boat. Simple, functional, & stylish.

The class project might work better building one larger boat than numerous small ones. One advantage is the students could be taken out together & taken out further than with small boats.

Do you have any more details on the posted boat?

Take care up there.

TGoz

[Raggi_Thor]

I just looked around, searched for "skiff outboatd -ply -epoxy" :-)
Jay Benford is a very well known designer.
You have to ask the Benford Group for plans.
Paying a few hundre dollars for a stock plan is normally a bargain compared to making a new design from scratch.

This one costs 80 USD!
http://www.benford.us/index.html?lists.html

[timgoz]

Raggi,

I agree as to stock plans being a bargain, especially when they include reasonable consultation.

From what I understand, commissioning a new design starts at approx. 10% of the finished boats value.

The above boat would make a nice class project for the threads originater. It also caught my eye because I utilized a 14.5 foot 9.9hp aluminum skiff in Alaska several summers ago. My range and other abilities (breaking inlets, ect...) would have been substantially increased had I a simular boat as posted. Built out of aluminum it would be hard to beat for my needs. My budget did not allow though, and I made due with what was at hand & affordable.

Max,

The above advice to go with a designer's plans is certainly best heeded.
How many students are involved in this project(s)? What kind of budget are you working with? Like Raggi says, stock plans can be very inexpensive. On a different tack, thier absence can turn out to be very expensive!

TGoz

[Gilbert]

Here is a link to an article I wrote in 1979 about a skiff my father Britanus Vik designed and built in about 1958 or 1959. The webmaster of the Small Boat Forum website built one of these many years ago and has several articles about trips he has made with it posted on the site. If you register and login you can see the pictures, etc.
There is a thread in that forum under Outboard Boats with the heading ncskiffs that mentions this boat.
The article is in pdf format and is called A Practical Outboard Skiff.
http://www.smallboatforum.com/7_sba.htm

[Gilbert]

If that link doesn't take you directly there, use the www.smallboatforum.com link. Then click on small boat adventures.