free plans on the net.

[rvBilly]

Does anyone know of websites that offer decent boat plans for free? I am wanting to build a small 10 or 11 foot ski boat, plywood and fibreglass construction, must be able to handle up to a 30 or 40 Hp outboard, carry a driver and 1 passenger, do about 30+ mph, and be able to handle somewhat of a rough lake when the wind comes up. I`ve found some plans from Glen -el marine but they want money for them, this is the internet and there should be some website that provides free plans but I am having trouble finding any.Thanks Billy

[JR-Shine]

How much do think the boat will cost in materials and engine? Now would you be willing to risk that investment on a free plan - you get what you pay for.

[SamSam]

Try this place. Go to the outboard runabouts category. There is a bunch of plans for just what you want, drawn by William D. Jackson, one of the best of his time, free. Sam
http://www.svensons.com/boat/

[Raggi_Thor]

Svensons has a lot of interesting old plans.
But why are people allergic to paying for plans when they want to spend many hundred hours and dollars on building the boat?
Have you looked at Glen-L and Boatplans Online or Bateau?

[Jakegator]

hey youve probably figured it out by now, but just incase it may help anyone else. Try the website below, ive built several of there skiffs and they do just fine. I have used a 20 hp evinrude and they held and handled just fine.

http://koti.kapsi.fi/hvartial/#XX2

[Milehog]

Be careful, many free plans use outdated construction methods and call for materials that may be hard to find.
I tried going that way once and it was an embarrasing, expensive mistake. Your SOR is asking quite a bit from a small boat, not leaving much room for a half assed design.
Good plans will save you money and yield a better, safer boat.

[daiquiri]

Originally Posted by rvBilly

I`ve found some plans from Glen -el marine but they want money for them, this is the internet and there should be some website that provides free plans but I am having trouble finding any.

They want money? Oh! How much do they want? $80, $100?

If you can't afford spending $100 for a set of plans, then your only hope to build a boat is to search for a place where someone will give you all the material for building it for free, and a free engine too.

[hoytedow]

Here you have it, rvBilly. Totally free and supplies available domestically. Thank Guillermo. He found it.

Click here: CÉsar Et Son Canot D'Écorce

I doubt it will do 30+ unless you are very fit!

[Jakegator]

Anything under 15 feet is, in my opinion ok with free plans, just have enough sense to know if you go over the recommended HP reinforce it. I have done it plenty of times, also you dont necessarily need 40 HP to pull a skier it will depend on the hull design somewhat. Alot of the free designs i have come across lack longitudinal members... add them. As for the lower cost glen-l plans if you can affoard it they will come with useful information and cant hurt, the larger the boat the further from free plans you should go.

[jamesgyore]

Free plans seem to ignite people.

I must admit that I browsed a great many web sites looking for a small yacht that would satisfy my requirements.

I found nothing other than a strange floating cork (see unrelated thread), that turned out to be an untenable fiction posted on youtube.

Having then re-evaluated and compromised on my requirements I searched some more and found the K-800 quite by accident. Free plans supported on and off by a sometimes mercurial Alik of this forum.

At about this time, I hired a pro to look into designing a small yacht and also review available plans for purchase.

Having spent a little money on the pro, I found exactly what I was looking for.

Guess what... The plans are free. The polish designer is fluent in english and very approachable and genuinely interested in helping anyone attempting to build one of his designs.

It seems "you get what you pay for" does not always mean that you get nothing for nothing.

I'm my case, comparing the K-800 to the S-750, I have a case of chalk and cheese.

The K-800 plans offer sufficient information to build a hull but not much more. The S-750 and S-650 plans on the other hand offer a great deal more information. Simply put, the drawings are of a higher standard.

In my opinion an amateur builder of a S-750 or S-650 would be more likely to put a yacht to sea than someone attempting to build a K-800.

To further assert the notion that free plans are not necessarily of a poor standard, a poor design or poorly thought out, I'd like to refer you to the outstanding work of Paul Kotzebue. His free plans are superior to any plans I've seen available for purchase. I understand he is also a member of this forum.

For those interested, I include these links as references:

http://www.zeglarstwo.sail-ho.pl/s650/s650.html

http://www.pkboatplans.com/K8500_Download.html