small wooden boat

quick question... i think?
wanting to build a small river boat.
just for me and camping gear. not sure design ect atm..

but about fiberglassing?
any other ways? guessing fiberglass the best but costs bit more?

if its more then a few hundred or so just about buy a decent 2nd hand one lol..
guessing will be using normal plywood, what should/do i need todo to make it waterproof and last

 

Material of choice for the amateur is usually wood which can be fiber-glassed or plain with all sorts of options in between, or just fiberglass which isn't so common nowadays as commercially-made boats are so cheap. For the well-equipped professional there's also aluminum, or for the ambitious there's carbon fiber.

But the first choice of most is - buy it. There's a lot of choice out there, new and used. That way you get to use it immediately and there's less worry and work.

For lots of boat-builders it becomes as much about the building (and sometimes the designing and trying out of new ideas) as the actual boating. It IS a bug and you can get bitten . . .

If you're serious about this the forum members will need to know more to advise you properly, trip distance and duration, river conditions (launching access, depth, current, obstructions), moored or transported to river, propulsion options (power, sail, pole, oars or paddle), solo or family and so forth.

 

boats were built, and are built, all over the world without fiberglass. Fiberglass presumably makes the finish more durable, which is why is it use so much. But I have built almost 20 small boats, only one was fiberglassed, and since than I never want to touch fiberglass again.

You can build a suitable boat from salvaged lumber or low cost "hardware" store materials, and use house paint on it, that will be fine as a first project and hold up quite well for a few years. It will weigh a bit more, and will not last for many years without lots of maintenance and keeping it out of the weather, but there is no reason you have to use costly and toxic fiberglass on a simple wood boat. With care you make a simple wood boat hold up to 4 or 5 seasons of use without issues. Improper application of fiberglass can actually trap moisture and hasten the hull rotting away under the fiberglass.

describe to us how you want to use the boat, type of waters (rough, calm, fresh, seawater, etc), length of trip or amount of gear you plan to have and maybe someone will suggest some suitable plans.

As stated, buying used is usually less costly, but building the boat yourself is a very satifying activity in itself. Is can be a rewarding and creative act done for its own pleasure aside from getting a boat out of the deal.

 

mmm true true, well depends on prices ect, is it in the range of $400 or like $1k+?

looking at something like a small skiff or jon boat type thing.
itll only really be used on the murray river, no big waves ect lol..

thinking under 3.6m long ( $40 to register instead of $90 if its over 3.6m lol )
( 10 or 11ft )
only for 1 maybe 2 people to fish from or me and my camping gear,
swag, eski, rods ect.. pretty much fit into a canoe lol..
so isnt that much

but yeah petros what are some other ways of doing it?
paint would just scratch off and let water in?

this is my ... thing of a boat haha, 800mm wide x 300mm high x 2200mm long.
with my lil bro sis and me in it, haha uhh well about 50mm till the water comes in..
with me sits about half way
BUT! it was made from scaps ( eg, the sides are 19mm thick )
weighs in around 60 - 65 kg pretty sure lol..




^^ Little bro n sis in the creek/swap out the back lol

 

Dont let Petros worry you with his inadequacies.

Ply is the material of choice, and Epoxy ( and maybe fibreglass ) will make it an enjoyable and waterproof product.

Short is good to save rego - but do you have to register it without a motor ? Do you plan to motor, row or sail - all all three ?

once you have answered these questions, then you can look at easy to build, economical plans.

 

Me an' Petros.
Build the boat in wood. Prep it, Primer it. Paint it with Porch n' deck paint.

You are gonna outlive that boat's usefulness anyway.



You build the same way with a "Drift Boat" for rivers.
I've owned, operated, and built both.
If you have a lazy river build what's in my photo.
But if your going through some serious water, build the Drift Boat.

A serious white water boat will have an 'easily' replaced bottom. That's the only part that suffers in a white water ride.
Good Oars. Good Anchor drop/lift at the rear of the boat.
That's another kind of boat you'll use as long as you have a fishing buddy. When you both get married, that boat will become a Flowwer Bed!

 

yeah a drift boat would also work haha
would like to have it registed, have a small 5hp motor. or a small electric trolling motor

mainly rowing, easy to cruze around haha.

 

Glen-L has good plans.
Here's a drift boat built by a guy in NY.
http://boatbuilders.glen-l.com/driftboat-design/?album=215&gallery=13

 

what other small boat/canoe designs would be good..
mainly for well a slow drift down a river, fishing camping ect along the way
also going out every now and then for a fish (( if all goes well building it ))

a canoe would be nice haha, lighter then a drift boat and enough for one person ?

EDIT: or maybe like this small duckboat type thing ?
not sure about having 4meter small boat was looking for something around 2.5 - 3m * depending design ect *
^ is pretty much a canoe with sides? lol
though would proably go with a flat(er) bottom ?
http://spirainternational.com/hp_mars.php

 

here are some web sites below with free boat plans that are perfect for an entry level build. Also lots of info on boat building. the last one has free plans for a boat about what you are considering.

Keep it simple and use low cost materials and house paint, house caulk in the joints, galvanized deck screws...stuff you can buy in the local hardware store (not expensive marine supply stores). You will have fun and will soon out grow it, and want something larger/different later. so do not spend a lot of money on this one, it will be a learning experience. As your skills get better, and you have more time in the boat to learn what you like and do not like, you can build a much better one later. your younger siblings should be old enough by than to use the boat you build now, and they will be thrilled to have it.

http://www.dngoodchild.com/

http://www.svensons.com/boat/

http://www.boatbuilding-links.de/

http://www.polysail.com/oldboats.htm

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/

http://www.sandypointboatworks.com/willapa.html

 

thanks
and yeah haha they do like to come play
that ply, paint and glue sounds like it should be pretty good

now to find some cheap/free plans haha.. of something i like
saw a few decent ones on this Hannu's Boatyard site
http://koti.kapsi.fi/hvartial/dinghy3/ekstock.htm

should do for now?
but that "duckboat" canoe type thing looks like would be easyier to paddle / track
and hold more haha

 

You can take any open hull design you like and deck it over with light weight materals to provide some protected storage.

That Svensons link above has some very similar looking duck boat designs.

Best to keep it simple however.

 

thanks, and yeah i like that duck boat type thing because it looks like itll cruze along quite nicely
dont really mind open deck or not.
depends on the design though ect

would be nice to setup something that i can have a trolling motor and 2 batterys ( well option to anyway haha )
just need something that is on the smaller size but still stable. that is quite efficent at lower speeds
still looking around cheers

 

http://www.svensons.com/boat/?p=RowBoats/SneakBox <-- link
really liking this Sneakbox
12ft long and 3ft 10" wide ( or about 3.6m long and 1.1m wide )
which is pretty spot on haha
thoughts on this or something like this?

 

http://store.devlinboat.com/boats-under-20-feet.aspx

There are a half dozen Sneakbox type boats on this page.