Wooden boats

[JimC]

Anyone here into building wooden boats? I have been looking at pre-fab kits.

[raging]

Look at danger marine you tube channel. He's building one (fibreglass over wood etc)

[Berleyguts]

My first boat was a wooden dinghy that my grandfather built from a plan. The plan was for a 14ft boat but he adapted it to make a 10ft boa, using ply.. We just rowed it mostly but it had a mast step and a centreboard slot for sailing. The only time I sailed it was when the old Seagull motor ran out of fuel out in the middle of Botany Bay near the Captain Cook buoy. Rowing back to Sylvania ramp was a tough task, so we stuck an oar in the mast step, tied a sou’wester to it and used the other oar as a rudder. Made it back easy!

It was a good little boat, named Cygnet because it was a bit of an ugly duckling. My grandfather was once a prison chaplain and he showed a photo of it to a prisoner who had been a boat builder and he said, “Looks good but why’d you cover the join in the hull with that strip of timber on the outside instead of the inside?”! ?

It was a lot of work sanding back and painting that boat but very satisfying when I finished it. We ended up donating it to a scout group. There is something about timber boats that makes you feel good but I think I’ll stick to my s/c tinny... until I can afford a 6m+ walk around centre cabin anyway!?

Edited March 1, 2018 by Berleyguts

[frankS]

My class built a wooden boat, back in my high school days, can't remember the size but think about 14', took us the entire year and we were the only class involved in building it, it taught me a lot about woodwork and a bit about boats. In later years about 35-40 years ago I bought an old surf lifesaving boat and refurbished it them coated it with fibreglass, sure was heavy I put an old 40hp army Johnson outboard on it and putted up and down the Georges river for a few years. Old wooden boats have a character about them and a good one is worth it's weight, don't know about the kit boats I would imagine them to be a bit flimsy.

Frank

[Brainfish]

Wooden boats smell nice ?

[davebrewer]

I've built 3 ply-epoxy clinker boats and a few stitch and tape canoes.If I had the time and room I'd build a BMD Sea strike next,what kits are you looking at Jim?

[JimC]

No particular kit at the moment. Just a thought process

[Guest Guest123456789]

https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/tango-13/

check it out Jim I saw in the newsagency the other day. Definitely on my bucket list for when/if I retire 

[davebrewer]

There are lots of achievable designs around for homebuilders,Ross Lillistone,David Payne and Mark Bowdidge are 3 Aussie designers who produce great plans.

[Omally]

That's cool very interested in this topic.. Although I'd want to make an alloy one just for weight reasons 

Something around 2.5 m would be awesome was thinking about getting a 3 metre and modifying that 

[davebrewer]

You'd be surprised how light a ply epoxy composite can be,much lighter than an all glass-polyester layup although still heavier than aluminium of course,but much nicer riding.