Advice welcome

Greetings All. My son-in-law was given a 14' aluminum boat last summer by a friend. With some repairs and a couple of modifications we began pond fishing in our neighborhood. The boat has served us well, but we are looking to move up a little. Money prohibits buying a small bass boat, so we are thinking about building. I have been in woodworking all my life, but not boat building. I have been looking on the web for ideas and reading all I can. I have searched this forum and read many good articles. What Im asking for is any advice you could share pertaining to this project in any manner. A couple of ideas that might guide you. I have more time than money. And Im really short of time. We are hoping to build something that will enable us to both safely stand while fishing. (We have an excellent large pond we fish, producing large fish, that requires low entry casts.) We are hoping to have platforms front and back. We live near a river, so eventually we would like to be able to use a small outboard. (right now we are only using trolling motors) Any help would be appreciated. I know I could eventually find the necessary info I need, but I was hoping I could start the project a leg up with the help of those who have gone before me. Thanks!

 

So if I read this right, key points are:
- Calm, small waters
- Stable
- Small outboard (how small? what speed/power range?)
- Quick and cheap

Try http://instantboats.com or http://glenl.com/ to start, both have a lot of easy-to-build designs that might suit your desires. Since stability at rest is a major point, perhaps you might consider a catamaran? 15-foot cats are rare, but there are some out there and the wide beam is good for fishing stability. The large deck space would also be good for your needs.

Lack of time and money could make things difficult. In home-building, about 1/3 of the cost is up front for materials, then a long calm period, then a massive outflow of cash as you get all the fittings and gear you need. (I know this from experience, I built my boat myself a few years ago and she's still lapping at my bankbook.) If the designer says it takes a month to build, figure on a year if you're like most homebuilders who do it on weekends and evenings. (Of course, if you're not picky about details, you can work a LOT faster.) But it is fun, and it is worth it.

 

There are a number of fast build designs available including a few I have. I've seen 15' row boats built in a weekend. The more you want in the boat in terms of features the longer the construction will take.

A jon boat or punt style of craft will be very quick builds and provide the most platform for the buck without getting into multi hull configurations.

For the eventual river work, you'll want more then a flats boat, something capable of keeping you reasonably dry and safe when the weather goes south, because you were too busy fishing to notice a squall line roll in.

I have a few designs that require 15 sheets of plywood or less to complete the whole boat. Drop me an email if you're interested.

 

Tolly Point Skiff

You might consider a kit. No real increase in materials cost and little waste.
Much quicker build.

An example that might serve your needs would be the Tolly Point skiff (that's from memory, if the name is not exactly correct... but it's close.)

Contact CLC for info on this design.
www.clcboats.com

Robert

 

Thanks

Thanks for replies guys. Im checking out the sites you recommended. Since we do have a working boat, we are not going to rush this project. It might just become a winter project, after fall bass fishing runs its course. Im sure Ill have more questions as we go along. Once again, thanks for your input. Markil.

 

Here's Word .doc with building instructions for a 15.5 ft Jonboat

Steve

 

Received Plans

Thanks so much Steve. Are there any pics for this boat? I learn so much better if I have something to look at.

 

Sorry, no one has built one yet (to my knowledge). The thing of this is...what you build may not look like what anyone else builds. These building directions are less of a plan than a method of selfdesigning while building what you want within the confines of a specific type of boat. You pick the bottom beam, flair, shear height and interior layout and plug the numbers into the instructions. One little modification I would suggest is to make the rear transom rake 13-15 degrees instead of 10 degrees. This will let the motor 'tuck' in a little more and push the nose down, allowing you to get on plane a little sooner. Try doing up a model out of cardboard and adjusting from there.

Steve

 

Advice

That sounds like a good idea. My son is now getting into the act a little with us. He's scouting the web for good books. If anyone knows of a great book for jon boats, lemme know please. Most of the things I have built for myself through the years has been hurried. Gonna change that tune with this build. The cardboard mock up is a good idea. Thanks again. Markil