Spira Carolina Garvey plans?

Hey all I've been looking around for info on building a small fishing boat. I saw that the Carolina Garvey from Jeff Spira looks like a pretty awesome boat. Does anyone know where I can get the plans for this boat? I know that unfortunately he passed away and his site is no longer available but does his family still sell copies? Is there some where I can get a copy of the plans?

If not that boat does anyone know of any plans for a good stable fishing boat that I can take me, my wife, and my six year old on? Preferably under a 2000lb tow weight. I'm in the midwest USA so this will be on freshwater lakes and rivers.

Also while I'm asking does anyone know of a good boat to build that I can put on tap of a car? I'm just curious about this one. Wood boats seem like they would be pretty heavy.

 

Welcome to the Forum DT.

I don't think it is possible to buy plans for Jeff Spira's designs, unless you can find somebody who has a copy, and is happy to pass it on to you.

There are a couple of plans for garveys here -
Power Boat Plans 17 to 20' - Boat Builder Central https://boatbuildercentral.com/product-category/boat-plans/power-boat-plans/power-boat-plans-17-to-20/

Have a look also here -
Popular Fishing Boat Plans - Boat Builder Central https://boatbuildercentral.com/popular-fishing-boat-plans/

For a cartoppable boat, you are looking at dinghies, perhaps up to 12' in length (or a canoe or kayak could be a bit longer).
Canoes, Kayaks, and Dinghies - Boat Builder Central https://boatbuildercentral.com/product-category/boat-plans/canoes-kayaks-and-dinghies/

It should be possible to build a plywood dinghy that is lighter than a 'standard' fibreglass dinghy of the same size.

Have a look also at the garveys on the Duckworks site -
Plans & Kits - Plans by type - Powerboats - Prams & Garveys - Page 1 - Duckworks Boat Builders Supply https://duckworks.com/powerboats/prams-garveys/?page=1

And lots of small cartoppable boats on the Duckworks site -
Plans & Kits - Plans by type - Rowboats - Small Rowboats - Page 1 - Duckworks Boat Builders Supply https://duckworks.com/plans/small-rowboats/

And there is also the Selway Fisher site - lots of small craft plans available here -
Selway Fisher Home Page https://www.selway-fisher.com/

 

Whoa! Thank you so much! This is great!

 

Ok I have another question.

Has anyone built one of these bevel hull jon type boats? 12ft James Boat Plans PDF https://duckworks.com/12ft-james-river-plans-pdf/ , 12ft Naselle River Plans PDF https://duckworks.com/12ft-nacelle-river-plans-pdf/ , 12ft Cedar River Drifter https://duckworks.com/12ft-cedar-river-drifter/ ?

I like the idea but the main concern is that the designer only has images of models. There is another boat on duckworks that is a normal jon boat which I'm thinking of getting but the "james boat" also looks promising but, again, only photos of models and some scale weight testing.

Any thoughts on the bevel hull?

 

The three links you have provided for the bevel hull boats should all be suitable really for fishing in calm waters - I had a look at the study plan for the James Boat, and you could build a boat from that alone, as it is fairly comprehensive.

Re your lakes, depending on how large they are, and how much wind fetch they encounter, will it ever be rougher than a flat calm?
If it will, then you would probably be better off with a garvey type of hull, rather than a Jon boat, as the garvey should be generally a bit more 'seaworthy' re the hull shape.

 

Would a garvey be as stable so I can stand up while fishing? I know jon boats aren't the best in rough water and that was something I was going to have to compromise. I found this GF12 and I see that there are multiple builds of this boat on this site. I might go with that boat ultimately. I get that small boat are going to be beat up in rough sees or even waves caused by other boats but I'm interested in a fishing boat that is stable enough that my family can sometimes go in the boat too. The GF12 seems like it would hold at least 3 by the pictures shown. How can I determine the load capacity of a boat? Is it the displacement number or is there some formula I can use to determine the load?

 

The answer here is 'it depends'..... there are so many variables to consider. Such as the boat size, boat width, does it have a flat bott0m or a vee bottom, your height and weight..... but generally, if you compare a Jon boat of dimensions L & B and a Garvey of the same L & B dimensions, the Jon boat will 'probably' have more waterplane area and hence should be a bit more stable.

Here is a link to the GF 12 for others to reference - Jon Boat 12. [GF12] A simple to build, versatile classic flat bottom garvey, jon boat, duck boat. 12' version https://boatplans.cc/bateau/jon-boat-12/
They mention a 'weight' of 52 kg - I presume that this is the hull only.
And a 'displacement' of 393 kg. This would (I presume) be the maximum recommended loaded displacement.
The difference is 341 kg.
If we estimate say 101 kg for the weight of all the outfit items including the engine, petrol tank and fuel, oars, anchor, fishing gear and the cooler of beer, then that leaves 240 kg for the crew.
The average weight of a person is around 80 kg, so you should be able to have 3 people on board along with your gear.

 

As for the total weight that the boat can support, I'm sure you are right but the stability and buoyancy conditions would probably not be suitable.

 

Yes, these three fishermen would have to be careful as to where they position themselves and their belongings - and their cooler of beer.....
And it would probably not be a good idea for all three to stand up at the same time to start casting fishing lines.....

 

It'll probably be mostly me at 300lbs. Sometimes there could another person no more than 250 plus a 40lb kid. I could stand to loose a few pounds so building a boat and loosing enough weight to use it could be my winter plans...

I'd go for a bigger boat but I don't have room for a trailer in my garage and I can only tow about 2000lbs with my escape. Per wife's rules I have to be able to keep a boat in the garage out of sight.

I've been looking at car top options and believe I can do it with this boat, plus a 6hp 2 stroke outboard in the cargo area of the suv and I should be able to get a good day out in the water.

 

There are some interesting car top loader options out there. I can't find the 1946 Dobler loader online anymore. Many of the more recent designs are variations on the same theme by people who probably never saw the Dobler. The old links to the Dobler are dead and I can't seem to get an image to load from my desktop today.

Easy to use maybe not easy on the wallet.
Can't see using the front receiver, the winch could go on the rack.

Light duty PVC, but similar to stronger designs. (nice idea, needs stronger material)
boat loader - Google Search https://www.google.com/search?tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=boat+loader&tbs=,bkt:m,bkms:1168684103302643961
Popular Mechanics https://books.google.com/books?id=FtQDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA156&dq=boat+loader&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjYhqiNu9eIAxUKk4kEHXTQC9oQ6AF6BAgJEAI
Getting a light boat down is exciting, a heavy one, no thanks.

 

I like the idea a ramp to top the boat. I was also thinking about this one. It's a old video but seems like a decent solution for a light boat.