Challenge: The 100$ boat!

[ancient kayaker]

Lapstrake above the bilges was suggested elsewhere as well. For this boat there is no need for lapstrake sheer planks as a single plank will do the job but for a larger boat or one with tumblehome it would indeed look very nice especially in the water where it belongs. Of coures canoes spend most of their time upside down on a beach getting wet more from the beer than the water

I expect to complete the strip-planking in a couple of days; then let the sanding commence ...

[NoEyeDeer]

Sanding between those frames would be fun. I assume you wont worry about the inside much and will only fair the exterior. Since there is not going to be any internal glass there's really no need to get the inside fair as long as it looks neat and tidy.

[ancient kayaker]

Originally Posted by NoEyeDeer

Sanding between those frames would be fun ...

The inside is what I will spend most of my time looking at so I really want it to turn out smooth, although I can always say I was aiming for the rustic look

After sawing the strips off the planks I thickness planed them on the inside surface and glued and clamped them to every rib. I hope they will be aligned along the edges. Then I just have to remove the glue that squeezed through and lightly sand the interior *. A chisel plane should trim the glue nicely - it's high time I had one of those and any excuse for new tools is good

The worst place on the inside will probably be near the sstems, but that's what decks are for

* I have heard about Robbie Burns' "best laid plans of mice and men " but then there's also Alexander Pope's "hope springs eternal in the human breast"

[WilsonsofOxford]

Originally Posted by mygoldfish

... my older sister (21 yrs) and I designed a boat for a competition they have on Lake Union in Seattle every year, during the Center for Wooden Boats' Wooden Boat Festival.

I was at the CWB Festival last year but had to leave before the race unfortunately. I love that place, good to see the mention.

As for cheap boats. Has anyone thought of cardboard, duct tape and paint? I know the Coast Guard Training Center at Yorktown holds a cardboard boat race each year. It seems like, with proper layering and structure and a good coat of paint to seal you could make a decent sized boat for real cheap.

[ancient kayaker]

See What do you think?

[Raggi_Thor]

Originally Posted by ancient kayaker

..

After sawing the strips off the planks I thickness planed them on the inside surface and glued and clamped them to every rib. I hope they will be aligned along the edges. Then I just have to remove the glue that squeezed through and lightly sand the interior *.

More pictures, please

[NoEyeDeer]

Let him do some more planking first.

[ancient kayaker]

Whatever happend to our friend DanishBagger who started this great thread? he hasn't posted anything for a couple of years that I have seen . . . I think he was going to start a new boat build so perhaps he's busy.

[copenhagen]

my suggestion would be a skin on frame type boat. a couple of 2x4 spruce or fir sawn into strips and laminated as frames. strips lengthwise to form the skeleton and covered with any fabric (old sheets perhaps) wetted with polyester (because epoxy is more expensive) covered with 400 gr bidirectional glass and lastly filles and painted inside and out...

[Deadeye]

FWIW, I built one of these for way less than $100:
http://www.bateau2.com/free/cheapcanoe.htm

Later I ripped a sheet of 1/8" doorskin into 1" strips and used thinned wood glue and laminated a 2ply deck. There's a watertight b/h between the cockpit and the rear hatch as well.

It's a pig to try and paddle so now I've lammed some beams from some D Fir left over from another job and I'm going to carve some styrofoam floats for it.

I got an old windsurfer on CL for $25 (w/ 2 sails!) for power. Now for a leeboard and to rework the kickup rudder I built from 1/4" ply, then finish the rudder pedals...

If you include the fact that it's been built mostly from scrap left over from paying jobs, I'm probably pushing $100 as it is now...it cost me nothing to build the original hull that I started with.

[nukisen]

My first boat did cost about 50$.

[GIMike]

I just joined, this is my first post I was actually looking to make a small craft from scrap just to see if I can make something. I've always preferred to make something myself. For this though, I'm just looking to make something to float around the local creeks and ponds with. A couple of years ago, I found this:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo..._1SZGCG7G9JqiA

That piqued my interest, until I went to my local hardware store and discovered the price of PVC I would need to build the project would be well over $300. I could buy a kayak new for that. I want something cheap I can build myself. I pondered calling up construction and plumbing companies to see about cheaper or scrap pieces, but gave up on the idea shortly thereafter.

I'm divorced with 2 kids, paying half my paycheck in child support. I need something cheap, and would love a project to build myself. I also want it to be light enough to put in/on top of my gas guzzling SUV my ex didn't want in the divorce. I don't want to deal with a trailer as that can be more expensive than a boat, and for 1 person, I shouldn't need all that anyway.

Recently, while walking through my local Bass Pro and admiring the fishing gear and kayaks, I had a thought. 5 gallon paint buckets with lids would probably be very easy to find for very cheap. A tube of cheap sealant and a few buckets and you could have some cheap pontoons. Better for me, my family has cats and goes through those kitty litter plastic buckets every so often. Those have flat sides and may sit on the water better too. So now I'm thinking, IF I can find cheap styrofoam (IF being the key word), I could fill the buckets with the foam, attach to a cheap wooden structure somehow (rope lashing, nuts and bolts, screws are things that come to mind), and you could have a 1 man pontoon boat. I'm afraid I may find that block styrofoam may be hard to come by and just as expensive as the PVC. Somebody suggested I could break up a bunch of cheap styrofoam ice chests and once filled, cover the top with the foam sealant (great stuf?) and that should make it light and watertight and be very cheap to build. So, even if the styrofoam blocks are too expensive, at least this time I have a cheap alternative (ice chests).

When I felt the first urge to build my own boat, I was in Texas where you only had to register a craft if it was powered by anything other than yourself. Couldn't even use a trolling motor. Floats, kayaks and canoes were exempt as long as you didn't have any sort of motor. But, now I'm in Oklahoma, where it seems that anything larger than a pool type air matress has to be registered with the state. If it's not titled, it has to be inspected and given a HIN. Do I really want to go to all this hassle for something I'm building from scrap? I guess I'll never get to float on my scrap boat after all....

[Raggi_Thor]

Your picture:

[GIMike]

Thanks, that's the one I found awhile back that looks like it would simple to build and lightweight. Found out the cost was way too high for what it is. I do like the uniqueness of it though

[ancient kayaker]

When it comes to cheap boats without regard to anything else like performance, it becomes a question of enclosing enough air to keep you afloat at the lowest cost. However, few air-filled boats deliver a good performance to cost ratio, the cheap ones are floppy and hard to propel and steer; there's some good ones out there but they aren't cheap. And they are not easy to make.

Probably the best performance-to-cost ratio bet is a skin-on-frame boat, which can be very cheap and at the same time provide a respectable performance. A SOF boat is also very light so hiking it up on the roof rack is no problem. if you browse this thread you will find several good examples. Another good approach is to buy a used plastic canoe or kayak - try someone with a single kid in the upper teens especially if they're just returning from a vacation. I am a strong proponent of wood for a home-built boat. Careful shopping and a bit of scrounging, with a bit of effort can provide a boat that requires no apologies.

Just don't take any risks, be sure and be safe, boating is fun and healthy but the boat needs to be sound and the boater should stay within the capabilities of both the boat and himself or herself.

If you buy used try to get the paddle(s) or oars at the same time; buying paddles and oars on their own can be surprisingly costly. This is particularly so if you go to speciality stores so try the big box stores - but not too late in the season, before they put the leftover seasonal stock into storage. My double-bladed paddle cost $275 at an outdoor sports store, it's gorgeous and featherlight, and more expensive than my home-built canoe! On the other hand, I picked up a pair of oars and rowlocks from Walmart for less than $40 total.