Wooden canoe project underway!!

[ZeeBorn]

I just started working on a new fishing canoe for myself. It's made with marine plywood, fiberglass and epoxy using a technique called stitch and glue. I got the plans online from this website. Duckworks Boatbuilders Supply
So far I have drawn out the pattern on the plywood and have one part cut out.
I'll post pictures as the project progresses.
Has anyone else here made there own boat?
Cheers,
Nate

Running total of expenses: (as of 5/18/10)

Plans download.................................$35.00
Plans printed and bound......................$8.02
4x8x1/2 sheet of particle board for use
as a cutting surface.............................$8.00
Three sheets of marine plywood
4x8x3/8 at $31.99 each.....................$95.97

 

[the_intimidator03]

I would be intrested in seeing how this developes for you along with total cost involved etc, Btw this doesn't have anything to do with the project and small kokes i dont believe

 

[18406ej]

My Dad used to make his own sailboats and kayaks by hand. I would be interested in seeing how your progress goes. Good luck,

 

[ZeeBorn]

Btw this doesn't have anything to do with the project and small kokes i dont believe

If your referring to the project I'm going to do that involves the use of small kokanee, then no this has nothing to do with it. ... Although I could rub some fish on the hull when it's done for good luck!
I'll start a running total of all my expenses for this project and add it to the first post.

My Dad used to make his own sailboats and kayaks by hand. I would be interested in seeing how your progress goes. Good luck,

Thanks. What method did he use to make them? I think my next boat will be a drifter.

 

[18406ej]

He used to do some with marine plywood, screws and marine glue (making sailboats and driftboats). He did a kayak once using wooden strips laminated together using copper rivets. A very clever man, and all of his craft lasted for years.

 

[ZeeBorn]

I think a lot of the time wooden boats last longer than any other kind just because people get more attached to them and there for take better care of them. They just have more character than anything else. They aren't a cookie-cutter kind of thing, each one is unique. A well made and well taken care of wooden boat will last more than a life time.

 

[the_intimidator03]

ty zee, I have seen one or two wooden kayaks that just made my jaw drop... beautiful craft, If im going to run a wooden canoe or kayak it will be a lake/pond only deal cause i sure don't want to beat it up a lot lol

 

[ZeeBorn]

Well the hull gets sheathed in fiberglass so they cane take some abuse from rocks and what not. You just got to make sure that if you do get a deep gouge through the glass that you repair it soon. At some point I will make another canoe designed for running rapids.

 

[the_intimidator03]

Well i guess its more suiting to me in a lake or such, now a plastic kayak for rivers and ocean :-D

 

[ZeeBorn]

Today I worked on the canoe some. I got 12 of the 16 panels that make up the hull cut out. The way I'm doing it is, I first nail the 4x8 sheet of ply to the sheet of particle board then I trace out the pattern for that parts on to the ply. I then set the blade depth on my circular saw so it just barely cuts through the ply and slightly into the particle board. Then as I cut, I had my dad give me a hand by spreading the gap that I make with the cut. This allows the saw to more easily fallow the curve of he parts. Once I got the parts cut out I clamped them to the table and trued up the edges with a plane. All this took about six hours and a lot of cramping in my hands!
When I left my apartment to go to my dad's shop where I'm working on this I felt like I was forgetting something. It turned out to be my camera. Doe! Well I wont forget it next time. I will have pics up soon.

 

[igot_it]

I built a 15 foot jonboat out of some plans I got. I use it for duck hunting and river running. You don't have to use marine grade plywood if you don't want to. AB exterior uses marine grade glue and if you store the boat in a dry place they can last a really long time. I used thicker ply than the plans called for and put on thicker glass too. The boat is heavier than an aluminum sled but it really quiet. I have a twenty horse on the back and it flies up the river. It's really easy to customize since i can screw right into it with deck screws. It ain't pretty but I'm pretty proud of it.

 

[ZeeBorn]

Yea, I had heard that good quality exterior ply can be used but I wanted to leave the wood showing through the clear coat and I really like the look of marine ply. Plus, I'm using 3/8" ply so I wanted to get as much strength out of it as I could. I think if I were prototyping my own design I'd use exterior grade just to do it a little cheaper.

 

[ZeeBorn]

So today I got the last fore panels cut out. These are the panels that make up the bottom of the boat. To make these panels and all the others, I first map out points of reference using a t-square and the measurements given by the plans. When I have all my points mapped out I hammer in a nail at each one. Then I place a length of flexible wood molding along the nails and hold it in place with another set of nails. This gives me the curve of the part I'm making. Next, I cut out the part and true up the edges with my mini plane. Once this first panel is completely shaped to my liking I use it as a pattern for the other three parts of that shape. When I have those cut out I clamp them all together and true up the edges so they all match each other. Next the panels will have to be joined to there mate to create the full length panels. There are a few ways to do this, but the way I chose was to use an hourglass shaped piece of ply that is fitted into the panels and then epoxied and fiberglassed over. I still need to do this to the rest of the panels and glue and glass them all up. Once that is done I can actually start forming the hull shape.
I so wish I had a CNC router! :lol:ray:
-Nate

 

[igot_it]

when I did mine iused a router with a flush trim bit to do the duplicate panels. get the master panel done and screw thwm all together with decking screws. Then just zip it toshape with the flush trim bit.Don't forget to fill the holes.

 

[ZeeBorn]

Yea, I thought abut doing that but I don't even have a router. I'll probably get one for my next project, I just can't afford it right now.