stitch & glue vs. other methods for newbie

I've just been gripped by an irrational bug to build a small sailboat in my garage and sail it in nearby lakes and (perhaps) the Pacific. From internet research it appears that the stitch & glue method is most popular for simple kits and designs, but I am put off by the epoxy and taping required. It seems messy, possibly toxic and I fear as a newbie I will not get it right...potentially sinking at sea with all hands.

Any comments on other, epoxy-free methods of wood boat construction for a newbie? Beauty and ease-of-construction are priorities. I am trained as an engineer (electrical) and handy with mechanical tasks, but not much experienced as a wood worker.

Also, if other construction methods are proposed, can anyone suggest books and/or websites describing these methods in greater detail.

Many thanks in advance.

 

get a copy of Greg Roessel's book "Building Small Boats" and get connected with WoodenBoat Magazine and their summer seminars on boatbuilding...

good luck

 

Stitch and glue is where most "newby" builds start. Epoxy is very easy to work with. If you looked around the net, you will see just how many first time builders have been successful with this type of construction. The alternative is planking on frame - good luck as a first timer.

I am not at all trying to be a smart-azz here. If you are scared off by taping seems with epoxy/glass, honestly, you should not build anything.

 

Visit www.woodenboat.com and browse through the "Build & Repair" and Design" sections of their on-line forum. Lots of good advice and anecdotes from people who have "been there, done that". Several regular contributors are from your area, so may be available for personal consultation. Be wary of the "Misc. Non-Boat Related" section - there be monsters in there (political harangues, personal attacks, general on-line nastiness from adults who can't control their adolescent urges).

 

I highly recomend stitch and glue. I had never built a boat from scratch before, I've always done repair. Granted, That gave me fiberglass experience, but it was still intimidating at first. I just jumped in with both feet, and here are the results of my first attempt.

 

Dear correspondents,

first of all...thank you for your fast and throughtful replies. I have bookmarked the Roessel book as Glenn suggested. And after perusing the woodenboat forum, as mmd suggested, I have also bookmarked Oetright, Hill and Gardner as other popular books. The woodenboat forum does have lots of material, but its thousands of posts long without sub-threads, so its a bit of a challenge....I'm digging through it.

It seems from the book reviews on Amamzon for these books that, while popular, they often emphasize one type of wood boat construction. I am really looking for a first book (or even an online essay) that compares the various types of boat construction, pros/cons, with emphasis on considerations for the first time builder. Is plank/frame vs. stitch/glue the first order differentiation, with other methods as sub-types? What is cold molded?

JR-shine: you may not be -trying- to be a smart-***, but you certianly -sound- like you might be one No problem, I can take it. And I appreciate your feedback that plank/frame may be too ambitious for the newbie.

My concern about epoxy/tape is a) the safety warnings that come with this method (wearing gloves, ventialtion, etc.) and b) how forgving is this method if not done absolutley right the first time. Plank frame does seem to have more of a belt/suspenders look to it. Might plank/frame be harder to do, but more forgiving of small errors when actually put to sea? I just feel more comfortable with wood and mechanical fasteners, but what do I know!

Even plank/frame seems to require some epoxy on the seams or entire outside of hull. Is this the same epoxy material as stitch /glue? Or is it simpler and without the mess/safety issues associated with the kind of epoxy used in stitch/glue?

Corpus, you have a very fine looking boat, I aspire to build something of similar quality for my first. Could the same type of boat have been built with plank/frame technique? It appears to be a single sheet of plywood for each side, and another single sheet for the bottom. I have seen a design on the web for a simliar plank/frame boat using just a single frame/rib in the middle:
http://www.instantboats.com/teal.htm

Can anyone recommed this TEAL design or any other plank/frame built boat as a suitable first project?

Thanks once again for all the help and free advice from the web.

 

Ha Ha. I guess if it looks like smart azz and sounds like a smart azz, it must BE a smart azz

Kidding aside, the TEAL would a great first boat. H. Payson has a lot of great designs available. Its a very good looking classic craft that shouldn’t be too difficult and will give you the experience and confidence to tackle larger projects in the future.

By the way, can you guess how much epoxy you will need to build the teal?

Here is the answer:

http://www.boatbuildercentral.com/proddetail.php?prod=E_kit_IB_teal&Teal Kit

Good luck with the Teal

Joel

 

I just posted this answer for Wannebe (also a "Newbe").
With strip-planking you don't neccessarely need to glue with epoxy.
A 2-component glue will do also.

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/showpost.php?p=26422&postcount=10

Good luck with the first try, and keep me posted. I still have to start my first project.