building small wooden sailboats

WOODEN BOW TIES

How to build a wooden sailboat: a beginner's guide.

Are you interested in building your own sailboat? If so, building a wooden sailboat can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. Not only will you have a unique vessel to call your own, but you’ll also learn valuable woodworking skills along the way.

To get started, you’ll need to gather the necessary materials and tools. This may include oak plywood, epoxy resin and hardener, thickener, brad nails, masking tape, a pull-saw, and a table saw. Once you have everything you need, you can begin the process of building your sailboat. From creating a jig and frame assembly to making the mast, there are many steps involved in building a wooden sailboat. But with patience and attention to detail, you can create a beautiful and functional vessel that will bring you joy for years to come.

Understanding the Basics of a Wooden Sailboat

If you are interested in building a wooden sailboat, it’s important to understand the basics of how a sailboat is constructed. In this section, we’ll cover the parts of a wooden sailboat and the different types of wooden sailboats.

Parts of a Wooden Sailboat

A wooden sailboat is made up of several parts, each with its own unique function. Here are some of the most important parts:

Hull : The hull is the main body of the boat. It is the part of the boat that sits in the water and provides buoyancy.
Keel : The keel is a long, narrow fin that extends down from the bottom of the hull. It helps to keep the boat from capsizing by providing stability.
Rudder : The rudder is a flat piece of wood or metal that is attached to the back of the boat. It helps to steer the boat.
Mast : The mast is a tall, vertical pole that supports the sails.
Sails : The sails are large pieces of fabric that are attached to the mast and other parts of the boat. They catch the wind and propel the boat forward.
Boom : The boom is a horizontal pole that is attached to the bottom of the mast. It helps to control the shape of the sail.

Types of Wooden Sailboats

There are many different types of wooden sailboats, each with its own unique characteristics. Here are some of the most common types:

Dinghy : A dinghy is a small sailboat that is typically used for recreational sailing or racing.
Sloop : A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast and a fore-and-aft rig.
Ketch : A ketch is a sailboat with two masts, with the main mast taller than the mizzen mast.
Yawl : A yawl is a sailboat with two masts, with the mizzen mast located aft of the rudder post.

When choosing a type of wooden sailboat to build, it’s important to consider your needs and experience level. A dinghy is a good choice for beginners, while a ketch or yawl may be more suitable for experienced sailors.

By understanding the basics of a wooden sailboat and the different types available, you can make an informed decision about which type of boat to build.

Choosing the Right Materials

When building a wooden sailboat, choosing the right materials is crucial to ensure the boat’s durability and performance. In this section, we will discuss the two most important materials you’ll need to choose: wood and sails/rigging materials.

Selecting the Right Wood

Choosing the right type of wood for your sailboat is critical. You want a wood that is strong, lightweight, and resistant to rot and decay. Some of the most popular types of wood used in sailboat building include:

Cedar: Lightweight and easy to work with, cedar is an excellent choice for planking and decking.
Mahogany: Strong and durable, mahogany is often used for building frames and keels.
Oak: A dense and hard wood, oak is commonly used for building frames and planking.

When selecting your wood, make sure it is free of knots, cracks, and other defects that could weaken the boat’s structure. You should also consider the wood’s grain pattern, as this can affect the boat’s strength and appearance.

Choosing Sails and Rigging Materials

The type of sails and rigging materials you choose will depend on the type of sailboat you’re building and your sailing needs. Some of the most common materials used in sail and rigging construction include:

Dacron: A strong and durable synthetic material, dacron is commonly used for sailcloth.
Nylon: Lightweight and flexible, nylon is often used for spinnaker sails.
Stainless Steel: Strong and corrosion-resistant, stainless steel is commonly used for rigging hardware.

When selecting your sails and rigging materials, consider the conditions you’ll be sailing in and the type of sailing you’ll be doing. For example, if you’ll be racing, you may want to choose lightweight sails and rigging materials that will help you achieve maximum speed. On the other hand, if you’ll be cruising, you may want to choose more durable materials that can withstand rougher conditions.

By choosing the right materials for your wooden sailboat, you can ensure that your boat is strong, durable, and performs well on the water.

Designing Your Sailboat

Before you start building your wooden sailboat, you need to design it. This will involve creating a blueprint and determining the size and shape of your boat.

Creating a Blueprint

Creating a blueprint is an essential step in designing your sailboat. It will help you visualize your boat and ensure that you have all the necessary components in place. You can create a blueprint using software such as AutoCAD or SketchUp, or you can draw it by hand.

When creating your blueprint, consider the following:

The length, width, and height of your boat
The position of the mast and sails
The location of the rudder and keel
The number of cabins and their layout
The placement of any storage compartments or equipment

Determining the Size and Shape

The size and shape of your sailboat will depend on several factors, including your budget, the type of sailing you plan to do, and the number of people who will be on board.

Consider the following when determining the size and shape of your sailboat:

The type of sailing you plan to do (coastal cruising, racing, etc.)
The number of people who will be on board
The amount of storage space you will need
The amount of deck space you will need
Your budget

Once you have determined the size and shape of your sailboat, you can start gathering materials and building your boat.

Building the Hull

When building a wooden sailboat, the hull is the most important part of the boat. It is the main structure that holds everything together and keeps the boat afloat. Building the hull requires cutting and assembling the wooden frame.

Cutting the Wood

To begin building the hull, you will need to cut the wood into the appropriate sizes and shapes. The wood should be cut according to the plans or blueprints that you have created. You can use a saw or a jigsaw to make the cuts.

It is important to use high-quality wood that is free of knots or other defects. The wood should be strong enough to withstand the pressure and weight of the water. Common types of wood used for building a wooden sailboat include cedar, oak, and mahogany.

Assembling the Frame

Once you have cut the wood, you can begin assembling the frame of the hull. The frame is made up of vertical pieces of wood called frames, which hold the shape of the boat. The frames are attached to the keel, which is the main structure that runs down the center of the boat.

To assemble the frame, you will need to use a sawhorse or other support to hold the lumber in place. You can then use screws or bolts to attach the frames to the keel. It is important to ensure that the frames are level and straight.

After the frames are attached to the keel, you can add the planks to the hull. The planks are attached to the frames and keel using screws or nails. It is important to ensure that the planks are properly aligned and spaced.

Once the planks are attached, you can sand and finish the hull to give it a smooth and polished look. This will also help to protect the wood from the elements.

Building the hull of a wooden sailboat requires patience and attention to detail. With the right tools and materials, you can create a strong and beautiful hull that will last for years to come.

Installing the Deck and Cabin

Installing the deck and cabin of your wooden sailboat is a crucial step in the construction process. It not only adds to the aesthetics of your boat but also provides structural support. Here are some tips to help you through the process.

Deck Installation

The deck of your wooden sailboat should be installed after the hull has been completed and before the cabin is built. It is important to ensure that the deck is watertight to prevent any leaks. Here are the steps to follow when installing the deck:

Cut the deck to fit the hull and sand the edges to ensure a tight fit.
Apply a layer of epoxy to the hull and deck joint to seal it.
Secure the deck to the hull using screws or bolts.
Apply a layer of fiberglass cloth and epoxy to the deck to make it watertight.
Sand the surface of the deck to prepare it for painting or varnishing.

Cabin Installation

The cabin of your wooden sailboat provides shelter and storage space. It is important to ensure that it is properly installed to prevent any leaks. Here are the steps to follow when installing the cabin:

Build the cabin on a flat surface using marine-grade plywood.
Cut the cabin to fit the deck and hull and sand the edges to ensure a tight fit.
Apply a layer of epoxy to the cabin and deck joint to seal it.
Secure the cabin to the deck using screws or bolts.
Apply a layer of fiberglass cloth and epoxy to the cabin to make it watertight.
Install any windows, hatches, or doors in the cabin.
Sand the surface of the cabin to prepare it for painting or varnishing.

By following these steps, you can ensure that your wooden sailboat’s deck and cabin are properly installed and watertight. This will not only make your boat look great but also ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable sailing experience.

Setting Up the Mast and Sails

Now that you have built your wooden sailboat, it is time to set up the mast and sails. This process may seem daunting, but with a little patience and attention to detail, you can have your boat ready to sail in no time.

Step 1: Install the Mast

The first step is to install the mast. Depending on the design of your boat, the mast may be a single piece or assembled from multiple sections. Make sure the mast is secured properly and is straight. Use a level to ensure the mast is vertical in both directions.

Step 2: Prepare the Sails

Next, prepare the sails. Make sure the sails are clean and free of any debris or damage. Attach the sail to the mast using the halyard, which is a rope used to raise and lower the sail. Make sure the sail is hoisted all the way to the top of the mast.

Step 3: Attach the Boom

Attach the boom to the mast and secure it with a boom vang, which is a rope used to control the angle of the boom. The boom is the horizontal spar that holds the bottom edge of the sail.

Step 4: Set the Sail

Once the boom is attached, set the sail. Adjust the angle of the boom and the sail to catch the wind and start moving. You can use the main sheet to control the angle of the sail and the boat’s speed.

Step 5: Trim the Sail

Finally, trim the sail to optimize its performance. This involves adjusting the sail’s shape and position to maximize its power and minimize drag. Use the sail controls, such as the cunningham and outhaul, to adjust the sail’s shape. Use the main sheet to control the sail’s position relative to the wind.

Congratulations! You have successfully set up the mast and sails of your wooden sailboat. Now it’s time to hit the water and enjoy the thrill of sailing.

Applying Finishing Touches

When it comes to building a wooden sailboat, applying the finishing touches is a crucial step that can make all the difference in the final product. Here are some tips and tricks to help you get the perfect finish.

Sanding and Finishing

Before you can apply any finish, you need to make sure the surface is smooth and free of imperfections. This means sanding the wood with progressively finer grits of sandpaper until you achieve the desired smoothness. Once you’ve finished sanding, you can apply a wood conditioner to help the wood absorb the finish more evenly.

When it comes to choosing a finish, you have several options. Some popular choices include varnish, paint, and oil. Varnish is a popular choice for wooden boats because it provides a durable, glossy finish that can withstand the harsh marine environment. Paint is another option, but it requires more maintenance than varnish and may not provide as much protection against the elements. Oil is a good choice if you want a more natural look, but it may not provide as much protection as varnish or paint.

Painting and Varnishing

If you decide to go with paint or varnish, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, make sure you apply the finish in a well-ventilated area to avoid inhaling fumes. Second, make sure you apply thin, even coats and allow each coat to dry completely before applying the next. This will help prevent drips and ensure a smooth finish.

When it comes to varnishing, it’s important to use a high-quality brush and work quickly to avoid brush marks. You may also want to consider using a foam brush for hard-to-reach areas. Once you’ve applied the final coat of varnish, you can buff the surface with a soft cloth to achieve a high-gloss finish.

Painting requires a different approach. You’ll need to choose the right type of paint for your boat and make sure you apply it evenly. If you’re painting a large area, you may want to consider using a paint sprayer to achieve a smooth, even finish. Once the paint has dried, you can apply a clear coat to protect the paint and give it a glossy finish.

In conclusion, applying the finishing touches to your wooden sailboat is an important step that requires careful attention to detail. By following these tips and using the right tools and materials, you can achieve a beautiful, long-lasting finish that will protect your boat and make it stand out on the water.

Safety Measures

When building a wooden sailboat, safety should always be your top priority. Here are some safety measures you should take to ensure a safe and successful build.

Installing Safety Equipment

Before you start building, make sure you have all the necessary safety equipment installed in your workshop. This includes fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and first aid kits. You should also have a clear and unobstructed path to the exit in case of an emergency.

When working with power tools, always wear eye and ear protection, as well as a dust mask to protect your lungs. If you are using chemicals, make sure you are working in a well-ventilated area and wear gloves and a respirator if necessary.

Conducting a Safety Check

Before you start working on your sailboat, conduct a safety check to make sure everything is in order. Check that all tools and equipment are in good working order and that there are no loose or damaged parts. Make sure your work area is clean and free of clutter, and that all cords and cables are properly secured.

When working with wood, be aware of any knots or cracks in the wood that could weaken the structure of your sailboat. Use only high-quality marine-grade wood and be sure to follow the plans carefully to ensure a strong and safe boat.

By following these safety measures, you can ensure that your wooden sailboat build is a safe and enjoyable experience.

Maintaining Your Wooden Sailboat

Congratulations on building your own wooden sailboat! Now that you have a beautiful vessel, it’s important to keep it well-maintained to ensure its longevity and safety on the water.

Regular Maintenance

Regular maintenance is essential to keep your wooden sailboat in top condition. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

Clean your boat regularly with a mild soap and water to prevent dirt and grime buildup.
Check for any signs of damage, such as cracks, rot, or loose fittings, and address them promptly.
Apply a fresh coat of varnish or paint every few years to protect the wood from the elements.
Keep your boat covered when not in use to protect it from the sun and rain.

Seasonal Maintenance

In addition to regular maintenance, there are also some seasonal tasks that you should perform to keep your wooden sailboat in top condition:

At the beginning of the season, inspect the hull for any damage or wear and make any necessary repairs.
Check the rigging and sails to make sure they are in good condition and make any necessary repairs or replacements.
Before storing your boat for the winter, make sure to properly winterize it to protect it from the cold and moisture.

Additional Tips

Here are some additional tips to keep in mind when maintaining your wooden sailboat:

Use high-quality marine-grade products when cleaning and maintaining your boat.
Avoid using harsh chemicals or abrasive materials that can damage the wood.
Regularly check the bilge for any water buildup and pump it out as needed.
Keep your boat well-ventilated to prevent moisture buildup and mold growth.

By following these tips, you can keep your wooden sailboat in top condition and enjoy many years of safe and fun sailing.

Six Ways to Build a Wooden Boat

A guide to common construction methods

From Issue Small Boats Annual 2015

Common Boat-Building Methods

S mall boats are not small undertakings, not if we are contemplating their creation in our own garages from piles of wood. If we’re amateur builders, particularly first-timers, the prospect is daunting, maybe even frightening. We don’t know how to do this. We don’t know if we can do it. We’re about to commit epic blocks of time, money, and emotional capital to a project with no guarantees, except that—trust this formula!—it will cost twice the estimated budget and four times the projected hours to complete it. But if we stick it out, we will have not only refined our problem solving and tool skills, but also burnished our character. And we will have a boat to be proud of.

One way to gain an understanding of various methods of construction is to take a class. At WoodenBoat School in Brooklin, Maine, for example, students in a two-week Fundamentals of Boatbuilding class learn several styles of traditional hull construction. In the foreground, a students fits a floor timber to a carvel-built boat, while in the background students fit a lapstrake plank.

The question of how to build this boat is a basic one that has to be parsed at the outset, while we’re sorting through designs and deciding which to build. There are about six ways of building a wooden boat hull today, with variations on each. Our choices have proliferated just since 1950, thanks to the innovations of plywood, epoxy, and synthetic fabrics. No particular method can be proclaimed the best; each comes with its own suite of advantages and drawbacks. The type of boat and its intended use figure in. Even more does the level of skill and mindset of the prospective builder. A powerful determinant of whether we’ll end up with a real boat is perseverance, which is most sustainable when we find joy in the work. Some people will love the painstaking process of carvel planking, inserting themselves into a continuum of craft that has hardly changed in 500 years. Others will find this ancient discipline ludicrous, and will really groove on epoxy’s magic. For obvious reasons, it’s wise to contemplate all this before making the commitment.

There are serious passions and partisans afloat in these waters, so I expect challenges and complaints. I will try to stay objective and keep my own prejudices in the locker. I’ve built strip-planked and stitch-and-glue boats, and currently am engaged in a glued-lapstrake daysailer, so I’ve had experience with three of these six methods. I’ve also been hanging out at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding, observing several boats being built with other methods, and I’ve been pumping the instructors for information (see WoodenBoat magazine No. 241 ). They’ve been generous in sharing both knowledge and opinions.

If you are a serial boatbuilder, you’ll find that your craftsmanship and problem-solving skills rapidly improve from one boat to the next. This is particularly true if you stick with one method. It’s like visiting France again and again—you feel more secure navigating; you begin to understand the nuances of the culture. But there’s also a powerful argument for exploring the new and unfamiliar. As the Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki proclaimed: “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.” Who’d have predicted, back in the 1950s when the future of pleasure boats appeared to be a sea of white plastic, that the 21st century would offer so many new ways to begin a wooden boat?

Here are the six common ways to build a wooden boat:

Three men building a wooden boat by carvel planking.

Carvel-planked small boats are typically built upside-down over a building jig. First, the backbone is installed and frames bent into place, then the planking starts. At right, students use a “spiling batten” to determine the necessary curvature of the next plank.

1. Carvel Planking

This, one of the classic methods of wooden boat construction, is what made Columbus and Magellan possible. Since a carvel-planked boat derives most of its structural strength from its frames—the rib cage, in effect—its size is not limited by the length of the available timber. A shiplength strake can be made from several shorter, butt-joined planks. Hence the astonishing 262′ WILLIAM D. LAWRENCE, a carvel-planked square-rigger launched in Nova Scotia in 1874. The largest wooden ship ever built in the United States, just short of 330′ on deck, was the six-masted schooner WYOMING, launched at Bath, Maine, in 1909.

But for our purposes here, we’re talking about small boats. Until the mid-20th century, many rowboats and sailing dinghies of 10′ to 20′ long were also built with carvel planking. They were probably better suited to that time than today, because boat owners tended to leave their small boats in the water all season, which allowed the planks to swell with water, closing up the seams. A carvel-planked boat left in the driveway on the trailer will dry out in the summer sun; as the wood dried, the planks shrink, allowing its seams to open, and only a few days in the water will close them up again. That’s not an ideal scenario for impulsive trailer-sailing.

A student uses calipers to measure the width at a frame on a wooden boat.

Carvel planking requires close fits; here, a student working on the final plank, called the “shutter,” uses inside calipers to determine the exact width at a frame.

But carvel planking still has its adamant and loyal partisans. Jeff Hammond, who has taught traditional for 30 years, believes it’s still the best medium to teach craftsmanship. “It’s complicated,” he says. “Every step requires you to stop and think about what comes next. A lot of care has to go into each piece.”

And here’s the clincher, for Hammond: “It’s a relatively pleasant experience, as opposed to covering yourself in goop all day long.”

But the word “complicated” remains embedded in any discussion of carvel planking. It’s hard to describe the whole process in a digestible paragraph, but at terrible risk of oversimplifying, here goes: Set up a regiment of molds (cross-sections of the hull form at regular intervals, typically one foot apart) over which the boat will be built upside-down. Connect them with temporary stringers called ribbands. Steam or laminate the frames, which are the structural ribs, to precisely fit outside the ribbands. Sculpt the planking around the frames to form the skin of the hull, precisely beveling each plank edge to mate with its neighbor, leaving a slight gap on the outside as a caulking bevel. Screw or rivet the planks to the frames, bung the fastening holes, caulk the seams, and assiduously fair the outside surfaces to eliminate any unevenness.

Planks fit tightly together on the side of the hull but are given a deliberate bevel—a “caulking bevel”—so the seams can be caulked with cotton, followed by primer paint and then seam compound.

The most difficult part of the operation is likely to be the rolling bevels on the planks. The builder will cultivate the patience for many trial fittings and excursions back to the workbench—with each one of the 16 or 20 planks typical on a small boat. Sometimes planks have to be steam-bent. Sometimes they crack during the final fitting and you start all over. If one is meticulous about fitting and caulking, however, the leakiness that plagues some carvel-planked boats may be spectacularly absent: They can be built so tightly that they don’t ship a drop.

Pros and Cons to Carvel Planking

Teaches the builder to cultivate excellent craftsmanship
Many classic designs available
Damaged planks can be replaced with relative ease
Heaviest method of construction
Complex and difficult to master
Happiest living in the water, not on a trailer or in seasonal storage
Suitable materials may be difficult to find

Four boatbuilders fit wooden boat planks together.

Lapstrake construction sometimes involves building right-side up— and in the case of traditional Scandinavian practices, without any cross-sectional molds. Few frames are required, and along with floor timbers and other interior structure, they are fitted as the planking proceeds or after it is all finished.

2. Traditional Lapstrake

Lapstrake planking is cool for several reasons, but the most obvious is aesthetic: Small boats constructed of shapely overlapping planks are inherently attractive. The parallel flow of sweeping lines with their tiny shadows creates a rhythmic vitality and makes the hull form seem more like an organic creation. We are naturally attracted to repetition in lines and forms; it’s an aesthetic principle that seems rooted as deeply in boatbuilding as it is in art, architecture, music, and even the written word. Perhaps it makes complex things more understandable by breaking them into their component forms.

How complex are lapstrake boats? Lining off the individual planks, warns boatbuilding author Greg Rössel, is “more art than science.” Individual planks, off the boat and on the workbench, may assume unbelievable, bizarre shapes—some will be fingernail-clip crescents, others vague, squashed-snake S-curves. If these planks aren’t lined off with care and precision, the boat will take on a misshapen, bloated appearance. It will, however, still function as a boat: lapstrake forgives small imperfections more graciously than carvel. Some designers have begun making full-sized Mylar patterns available for cutting the planks, which greatly enhances the amateur builder’s chances for accuracy. After the planks are shaped, they must also be beveled or rabbeted on their edges so they mate tightly with their neighbors, and beveled again at the forward ends so the strakes become almost a flat, carvel-like surface as they flow into the stem. These can perplex like the very Devil’s bevels.

The tradition of lapstrake construction reaches even farther back in history than carvel. The Norse Nydam boat, excavated in present-day Denmark, has been dendrochronologically dated to A.D. 310–320. The modern builder echoes its manner of construction closely, even down to the rivets or clench nails used to fasten the planks to each other at the laps. Why not epoxy the plank overlaps together? Because the solid wood planks used in traditional lapstrake (today, typically cedar or sapele) will swell and shrink, so the fastenings need to allow for slight movement. The unyielding hold of epoxy, which can cause planks to crack, must be reserved for use with another contemporary material, which enables the lapstrake variant we’ll discuss next.

Wooden boat planks secured by copper rivets.

To secure one plank to another, copper rivets are driven from the outside through holes bored in the two planks and also through a washer-like “rove.” Once the fit is tight, the rivet is nipped off short and peened over the rove.

Enthusiasts like to point out the uniquely pleasant sound, a little sonatina of chuckling, that a lapstrake-built craft makes as it parts the water. The hull efficiency is a matter of debate. The ridges of a lapstrake hull present more resistance to the water than does a smooth hull. But its light weight may let it float higher in the water, reducing the wetted surface area. Even if it’s less efficient, for some of us the simple beauty and immersion in a millennia-old tradition well compensates for reaching the day’s destination a few minutes later.

Pros and Cons to Traditional Lapstrake

Grace and beauty, including the possibility of a bright-finished (varnished) hull
Comparatively light weight
Complex, exacting craftsmanship needed in lining off and beveling the planks
As with carvel construction, suitable materials may be difficult to find

Boatbuilders look over a boat with glued-lapstrake planks.

Using plywood, glued-lapstrake relies on epoxy instead of mechanical fastenings to secure the plank overlaps, making a very strong hull and an exceptionally clean interior, with widely spaced frames.

3. Glued Lapstrake

This is becoming an increasingly popular construction method for small sailing dinghies, rowing boats, and even canoes. In this modern variation of lapstrake construction, marine plywood is used for the planking, and epoxy is used to glue the pieces together and seal them against water intrusion. Many designers in North America and Europe these days are deploying an even newer technology, pre-cutting pieces using CNC (computer numerically controlled) routers to achieve machine-perfect tolerances and thus supply the amateur builder with a kit for the hull. For do-it-the-hard-way purists who may disdain the idea of a “kit,” be assured that there will still be plenty of fabrication to do, such as the interior fitout, various hardwood pieces, and spars if it’s a sailboat. And many, many bevels.

Because the rigidly glued overlaps essentially function as longitudinal stringers, these hulls need little in the way of interior framing; they are more or less monocoque structures where the stressed skin of the hull creates its own structural integrity. They are wonderfully light and stiff. There is a lot of epoxy work—goop—involved, however, and it demands careful attention. If any exposed edge grain of plywood—any—isn’t thoroughly sealed, it will wick in water, inviting delamination and rot.

Man uses power drill to screw a batten in place on a wooden boat.

With glue spread on the overlapping part of both planks, a batten is temporarily screwed in place to clamp the seam together until the glue sets.

Some small-boat builders take a further step into composite construction by sheathing the garboards (the planks adjacent to the keel) with fiberglass cloth set in epoxy for better abrasion resistance in places vulnerable to damage when a boat is dragged onto a beach. A deep scrape by a rock or barnacle could allow water intrusion into plywood. At the Northwest School, instructor Bruce Blatchley recently oversaw the construction of a 22′ “glued-lap” Drascombe Longboat in which each plank on the entire boat was individually sheathed this way, sidestepping the impossibility of making the cloth stairstep over the plank laps. Purists may howl, but the result was one extremely tough, rigid, and lightweight hull.

Pros and Cons to Glued Lapstrake

Light weight
The grace and beauty of lapstrake
Rigidity and excellent sealing against water and weather
Except for the smallest boats (under 10′ ), the plywood must be scarfed; bright finishing is impractical
Major repairs will be difficult

Strip-planking can be used for boats large or small, but it is especially practical for canoes and kayaks because of its very light weight. Woods of various colors can be used to accentuate the hull, often with great beauty.

4. Strip-Planking

Maybe you’ve seen a strip-planked kayak on a beach somewhere—kayaks and canoes are the most common products of strip-planked construction today—and after recovering from the shock of its sheer ravishing beauty, you worked up the nerve to ask what it cost. The answer, if a professional built it, will likely be in the range of $8,000 to $12,000.

If an amateur built it, however, it might consist of as little as $500 worth of materials, including wood, fiberglass cloth, and epoxy. The disparity, of course, represents the labor, of which there is a lot. Strip-planking is conceptually simple, but it takes a lot of time and care to execute it well.

You’ll first cut a series of molds from plywood or MDF that look like cross-sections of the boat, much as in traditional carvel construction. Mount them on a strongback (a stiff wooden rail) so the hull can be built upside-down, and line their edges with plastic to keep stray glue from adhering to them. Then you’ll prepare a flock of identical strips, which for a kayak could be as thin as 3⁄16″ and ¾” wide—and a little longer than the boat. Strips for larger boats could be significantly thicker and wider, but they should be able to bend to all the boat’s designed curves without steaming. The most elegant way to nest them on the hull is to cut a cove and bead into the opposite edges of each plank, which is easy if you have a table-mounted router.

Builders use a sharp hand tool to cut into wooden boat planks.

After the first half of the hull is completed, excess strip length is carefully cut away at the centerline. Staples hold the planks to the molds until all the planking is done and the glue sets.

The fun comes in bending, twisting, and nesting the strips into place around the molds, and the beamier the boat, the more interesting the problems. A wide beam will require some very odd shapes for fillers. This isn’t a terrible problem if the boat will be painted, but everyone begins a strip-planked boat with visions of a lovely varnished hull.

After the hull is glued up, you’ll remove the molds, spend several days cleaning up excess glue and fairing the surfaces, then sheathe it with fiberglass cloth set in epoxy.

Strip-planking isn’t limited to kayaks and canoes. A student at the Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis, England, used fir strip-planking for an adaptation of Joel White’s famed Haven 12 1⁄2 daysailer , originally designed for carvel planking. The Northwest School recently completed a 62′ strip-planked daysailer designed by Bob Perry— though with a beam of just 9’10”, the boat, named SLIVER, resembled a gigantic canoe, or a cedar moon rocket.

Pros and Cons to Strip-Planking

Relatively inexpensive woods (cedar, fir, sapele) can be used and will yield a beautiful bright-finished hull
Labor intensive

Men wrap a wooden boat hull in plastic sheeting.

Diagonal planks are shaped and stapled in place. Plastic prevents inadvertently gluing planks to the temporary building jig.

5. Cold-Molding

If this treatise were a series of car commercials for TV, this is the episode that might be f lagged “Professional Driver—Do Not Attempt.” It’s best suited, frankly, to professional shops and to producing multiple hulls from a single mold. Still, amateurs with the right mixture of patience, courage, and willingness to deal with large acreages of glue can successfully build in this way. Unlike driving a car sideways on a city street, cold-molding won’t kill anyone—but you must properly protect your skin and lungs from the toxic effects of epoxy.

When you build a cold-molded boat, in effect you’re fabricating a very large, exotically curvaceous sheet of plywood in the shape of a hull. First you create a form that consists either of a strip-planked inner hull or a mold with a great many stringers. Then you’ll bend diagonal strips of veneer, typically 1⁄16″ to 1⁄8″ thick, over this mold and laminate several thicknesses together with epoxy. It’s vital to apply even, consistent pressure to these skin layers to avoid air pockets between them. A professional shop will use a vacuum bag; home builders are likely to resort to staples—hundreds or thou-sands of them. After the epoxy cures and the staples are removed, the hull is faired and the exterior often sheathed in still more epoxy, this time with fiberglass cloth.

Wooden boat planking marked with measurements and lines.

The second layer of planking is spiled for the opposite diagonal. For even pressure, such hulls are often vacuum-bagged in a single gluing operation.

Pros and Cons to Cold-Molding

Strong, lightweight, watertight hull
Adaptable to nearly any hull form
Very labor-intensive and messy
Critics complain that the hulls look “too perfect,” like production fiberglass boats

Man uses epoxy to secure joints of a small wooden boat.

Stitch-and-glue is similar to glued lapstrake in that it relies on epoxy to secure joints; however, in this case planks are butted together at the seams and secured by epoxy fillets.

6. Stitch-and-Glue

This technique may have originated with the Mirror dinghy, concocted as a promotion by the London Daily Mirror in 1963. It was an extremely simple racing and recreational sailing dinghy that amateurs with little or no woodworking experience could build in around a hundred hours, and it was so successful that the Mirror now estimates that about 70,000 have been built around the world.

There is no simpler way to build a wooden hull. Cut five panels from plywood sheets—two sides, two bottom pieces, and a transom—drill pairs of holes a half inch inboard of the seams-to-be, and stitch the panels together with wire twists. The wires function as temporary clamps to hold the panels together. Then fill the gaps and fuse the joints with thickened epoxy, remove the stitches, and reinforce the seams with layers of fiberglass tape set in more epoxy. Most stitch-and-glue boats are then sheathed on the outside with fiberglass cloth set in epoxy, and the inside, too, is sealed with epoxy.

The medium is more versatile than the ubiquitous Mirror dinghies and kayak kits suggest. Sam Devlin, who designs and builds boats in Tumwater, Washington, has built stitch-and-glue motor cruisers up to 48′ and displacing 32,000 lbs. Since plywood thicker than 1⁄2″ is nearly impossible to bend into boat-like shapes, stitch-and-glue hulls longer than 25′ can be built up to the appropriate thickness by cold-molding additional plywood sheets onto the original hull form. This is possibly where stitch-and-glue construction’s easy-building appeal to the amateur begins to ebb, with the big boats best left to the pros.

Wooden boat planks stitched together with copper wire.

Short lengths of copper wire make good “stitches” because if necessary they can be cut flush, and since the bits of wire left in the joint won’t rust, they’ll do no harm.

How easy, honestly, is stitch-and-glue? The basic technique is extremely simple; even if you’re a jigsaw goofus you can cut the panels safely wide of the line, then trim with a block plane and sanding block. Stitch-and-glue’s particular devil, however, is in the sheathing. There is a learning curve with fiberglassing a hull, and first-time builders may be doing a lot of tedious sanding to achieve a smooth and fair hull form. And stitch-and-glue boats more complicated than a Mirror dinghy will require the same kinds of appendages and furniture that any boat does.

One of the appealing qualities of a stitch-and-glue boat is its remarkable rigidity. All the interior components such as bulkheads, berth flats, and even cockpit seats become part of an eggcrate-like structure within a monocoque skin, so you don’t hear any groaning or creaking from pieces flexing and moving against each other. This also means good trailering durability. If you appreciate groaning and creaking as part of the intrinsic romance of wooden watercraft, you probably didn’t get past the word “plywood” in the second paragraph, anyway.

Pros and Cons to Stitch-and-Glue

Relatively easy and rapid hull construction
Strong, lightweight, abrasion-resistant and (nearly) rot-proof hull
Some designs (certainly not all) look relatively clunky; hard chines are inevitable
Since the entire hull and interior structures are essentially fused into one unit, some repairs and modifications are difficult

We launched this discussion some pages back with the admonition that “small boats are not small undertakings,” and the shower of phrases such as “labor intensive” and “exacting craftsmanship” that followed surely underscores the point. Do not be discouraged. Thousands of amateurs have successfully built their own wooden boats, some to extremely high standards and prodigiously ambitious plans. (A man on the Puget Sound island adjacent to the one where I live built a 43′ schooner as his first boat. However, it took him 33 years.)

If you’re in love with a particular design but not its intended method of construction, there is often room to maneuver. Designs of traditional carvel-planked boats can almost always be adapted for strip-plank or cold-molded construction with no external change in their hull shapes. Traditional lapstrake boats, which employ solid wood planks, can usually be executed in glued-lapstrake construction using marine plywood.

Whichever building method you decide on, you will discover one constant: You’ll begin with a vision of perfect beauty in your head, and if you’re an ordinary mortal, limits of time, money, and skill will inevitably force compromises along the way. Rather than plunge into a funk, the smart builder will set priorities: There are certain things that must be done right, those involving structural integrity or seaworthiness, while certain other details relating to aesthetics and the builder’s ego can be let go. Creating this rational hierarchy of values helps you keep momentum through the long process, and helps you feel good about yourself, even at the high tide of imperfection.

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Comments (3)

Excellent summation. A pleasure to read as an amateur boat builder conversant with stitch-and-glue and glued-lapstrake construction.

Skin-on-frame might be worth a mention.

I just launched my Arch Davis Penobscot 17, following Arch’s variation on Glued Lapstrake design using permanent 3/4” stringers to guide the placement of each strake. This provides rigidity and strength with easy to work 1/4” plywood. Great fun in the shop, but 2X the budget and 4X the estimated time commitment is not far off.

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If you would like to own one of these lovely little boats, but don't have the time or ability to build one yourself, you can order a finished boat. The base price for a rowing version is $6,175.00, with a choice of sailing rigs available as optional extras. You can also order a bare hull to finish yourself. Give me a call at , or send me an e-mail at

I’m Arch Davis – I learned boatbuilding and design in New Zealand in the 1970s. I have been helping people to build beautiful wooden boats since 1988. You can see a few of them by clicking on Picture Gallery . My approach to design is to put into your hands the means to use modern materials – marine plywood and epoxy resin – to build a truly lovely boat with classic lines.

I believe that a boat should be beautiful, not just by virtue of her lines, but also in her construction. No material makes this possible like wood. My aim is to take advantage of wood’s unique strengths, in a structure that captivates the eye. I want you to feel that you are always doing good work in building one of these boats.

You’ll see that I have a small collection of designs. That is because I understand your need for clear, comprehensible, detailed plans and instructions. I put a lot of time into my drawings, building manuals and DVDs. I also spend a lot of time helping people through their projects, on the phone or by e-mail. I really am here to help!

If you see something that you like in my collection, please feel free to contact me with any questions. I am available on the phone at 207-930-9873, or email me at [email protected] .

Wooden Boat Plans and Boat Kits by Arch Davis

Grace's Tender - More than just a tender, this little dinghy is a fine vessel in her own right. She is a pleasure to row, and sprightly under her simple sailing rig - a great boat for youngsters to mess about in. Bay Pilot 18 - an 18 ft pilothouse cruiser for outboard power. Laughing Gull - 16 ft self-bailing sailing/rowing skiff. Ace 14 - 14 ft performance daysailer Penobscot 13 - 13 ft little sister to Penobscot 14. Penobscot 14 - 14 ft glued lapstrake sailing/rowing skiff. Penobscot 17 - big sister to the Penobscot 14 Sand Dollar - 11 ft sailing/rowing skiff. Jack Tar - 26 ft plywood lobster boat design Jiffy 9-7 - suitable for rowing or a small outboard motor Jiffy 22 - outboard powered cabin skiff Jiffv V-22 - vee-bottom sister of the Jiffy 22

About My Boat Kits

I also have epoxy kits and plywood packages for all my designs, plus sails, rigging, and numerous other items. Here's my daughter, Grace, setting up the frames for a Grace's Tender kit.

My two week class Building the Penobscot 13 at the WoodenBoat School in Brooklin, Maine, is one of the highlights of my summer, and has been very well reviewed by students. The school on beautiful Eggemoggin Reach is a great place to spend some time. You get the chance to see a variety of activities, there is a fleet of small wooden boats that are available to students in the evenings and on weekends, and the food is great!

If you would like to take my class, call me at or send an e-mail to

You can see what the school has to offer here:

Please call or write to me at: Arch Davis Design 37 Doak Road Belfast, Maine 04915 Tel:207-930-9873

If you would like to receive a newsletter from Arch Davis Design, send me an e-mail at [email protected]

DIY Boat Building Plans

Wooden Boat Plans & Blueprints

Download over 500 Boat Plans. Click on the link below.

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Table of Contents

Overview of Wooden Boat Plans & Blueprints

Wooden boats have a timeless charm and appeal that captivates many enthusiasts. These vessels, with their elegant lines and natural beauty, evoke a sense of nostalgia and adventure. At the heart of every successful wooden boat project lies a set of detailed plans and blueprints. These comprehensive guides are essential for the construction of a seaworthy and visually stunning craft. Wooden boat plans provide a roadmap for the entire building process, ensuring that the final product meets the desired specifications and maintains its structural integrity. Whether you’re a seasoned boat builder or a passionate hobbyist, understanding the importance of these plans is crucial for embarking on your nautical journey.

Key Takeaways

Wooden boat plans and blueprints are essential for building a boat from scratch.
Detailed boat plans are crucial for ensuring accuracy and avoiding mistakes.
Choosing the right wooden boat design is important for achieving your desired outcome.
High-quality wooden boat blueprints can be found through reputable sources.
Interpreting and utilizing boat plans effectively is key to a successful build.

The Importance of Detailed Boat Plans

Boat plans serve as a comprehensive guide for the construction process, outlining every step and component in meticulous detail. These detailed schematics ensure that the final vessel is not only aesthetically pleasing but also structurally sound and seaworthy. By following the precise measurements, materials , and techniques outlined in the plans, builders can have confidence in the stability and performance of their wooden boat. Accurate plans are essential for maintaining the structural integrity of the vessel. Wooden boats , with their complex curves and intricate joinery, require precise engineering to withstand the stresses of the marine environment. The plans provide the necessary information to ensure that the boat’s frame, hull , and other critical components are designed and constructed to handle the demands of the open water. This attention to detail not only enhances the boat’s safety but also contributes to its longevity, allowing it to be enjoyed for generations to come.

Choosing the Right Wooden Boat Design

When embarking on a wooden boat project, the first step is to select the right design that aligns with your preferences, skill level, and intended use. Factors such as the boat’s size, purpose, and the builder’s experience all play a crucial role in this decision. For those new to wooden boat building , it’s essential to choose a design that matches their skill level and available resources. Smaller, simpler designs may be more suitable for beginners , as they often require fewer specialized tools and materials. As the builder’s confidence and expertise grow, they can explore more complex and ambitious designs that cater to their evolving needs and preferences. The diverse range of wooden boat designs available caters to a wide variety of enthusiasts. From classic sailboats and sleek motorboats to sturdy workboats and elegant canoes , the options are endless. Researching and comparing different designs can help prospective builders find the perfect match for their nautical dreams, whether they envision a family-friendly cruiser or a high-performance racing yacht .

Understanding the Components of Boat Plans

Plan Name	Price	Difficulty Level	Number of Pages	Boat Type
Classic Wooden Boat Plans	29.99	Intermediate	50	Runabout
Wooden Plans	39.99	Advanced	75	Sailboat
Wooden Plans	19.99	Beginner	25	Canoe
Wooden Plans	24.99	Intermediate	40	Kayak

Delving into the intricate world of boat plans requires a thorough understanding of the various components that make up these comprehensive documents. From the hull and deck to the rigging and hardware, each element is meticulously detailed to guide the builder through the construction process. The hull, the foundation of the boat, is typically the most complex and crucial component of the plans. The detailed drawings and specifications outline the shape, dimensions, and structural elements of the hull, ensuring that it is designed to withstand the forces of the water. The deck plans, on the other hand, provide the necessary information for constructing the upper portion of the boat, including the layout, hatches, and other features. Interpreting the technical drawings and specifications within the boat plans is essential for a successful build. These detailed schematics, often accompanied by explanatory notes and measurements, allow builders to visualize the final product and translate the plans into a physical reality. By familiarizing themselves with the various components and their interconnections, builders can develop a comprehensive understanding of the boat’s design and construction, ultimately leading to a more rewarding and successful project.

Sourcing High-Quality Wooden Boat Blueprints

Obtaining reliable and accurate boat plans is a crucial step in the wooden boat building process. Identifying reputable sources for these essential documents is key to ensuring a successful and satisfying project. There are numerous avenues for sourcing high-quality wooden boat blueprints, from specialized boat plan publishers to online marketplaces and even direct from boat designers. When evaluating potential sources, it’s important to consider factors such as the level of detail, the reputation of the provider, and the availability of support and guidance throughout the construction process. Carefully examining the quality and completeness of the boat plans is essential. Detailed drawings, clear specifications, and comprehensive instructions are hallmarks of a well-designed set of blueprints. Builders should also look for plans that provide additional resources, such as material lists, tool recommendations, and step-by-step construction guidance, to further enhance the building experience. By investing in high-quality wooden boat blueprints from trusted sources, builders can have confidence in the accuracy and reliability of the plans, ultimately leading to a successful and rewarding boat-building journey.

Interpreting and Utilizing Boat Plans Effectively

Mastering the art of interpreting and utilizing boat plans is a crucial step in the wooden boat building process. These comprehensive documents serve as the roadmap for the entire construction, and a thorough understanding of their contents is essential for a successful project. Developing a deep familiarity with the boat plans, from the technical drawings to the accompanying instructions, is the foundation for a smooth and efficient build. Builders must carefully study the plans, familiarizing themselves with the various components, their dimensions, and the specific construction techniques required. This level of understanding allows them to visualize the final product and anticipate potential challenges or modifications that may arise during the building process. Effectively translating the boat plans into the physical construction of the vessel is where the true magic happens. By meticulously following the plans, builders can ensure that each step of the process, from the initial framing to the final finishing touches, aligns with the designer’s vision. This attention to detail not only enhances the structural integrity of the boat but also contributes to its overall aesthetic appeal and performance on the water.

Customizing Wooden Boat Designs to Suit Your Needs

The world of wooden boat building offers a unique opportunity for enthusiasts to explore the possibilities of customization and adaptation. While pre-existing boat designs provide a solid foundation, the ability to modify and tailor these plans to suit individual preferences and requirements can truly make a project a one-of-a-kind creation. Exploring the potential for customization opens up a world of possibilities for wooden boat builders. Whether it’s adjusting the dimensions to accommodate a specific space or incorporating personalized features and details, the flexibility of boat plans allows for a high degree of customization. Builders can draw inspiration from various design elements, blending traditional aesthetics with modern innovations to create a vessel that truly reflects their unique vision. However, customizing boat plans requires a careful and thoughtful approach. Builders must carefully consider the structural implications of any modifications, ensuring that the integrity and seaworthiness of the vessel are not compromised. By working closely with the plan’s designer or consulting with experienced boat builders, enthusiasts can navigate the process of customization with confidence, ultimately crafting a wooden boat that is a true reflection of their personal style and needs.

Building Your Dream Wooden Boat from Scratch

The culmination of the wooden boat building journey is the actual construction of the vessel, where the detailed plans and blueprints come to life. This hands-on process, while challenging, can be immensely rewarding for those who are willing to invest the time, effort, and dedication required. Gathering the necessary tools, materials, and resources is the first step in the construction process. Builders must ensure that they have access to high-quality wood, specialized hardware, and the appropriate power tools and equipment to tackle each stage of the build. Additionally, having a well-equipped workspace, whether it’s a dedicated workshop or a backyard shed, can greatly facilitate the construction process. With the plans in hand and the necessary materials and tools at the ready, the step-by-step guidance provided in the boat plans becomes the foundation for the actual construction. From the initial framing and hull shaping to the intricate joinery and final finishing touches, each stage of the build requires meticulous attention to detail and a deep understanding of the plans. By following the instructions and techniques outlined in the blueprints, builders can navigate the construction process with confidence, gradually transforming their vision into a tangible, seaworthy wooden boat.

Maintaining and Preserving Your Wooden Boat

The journey of wooden boat building doesn’t end with the completion of the construction process. Proper maintenance and preservation techniques are essential for ensuring the longevity and continued enjoyment of your handcrafted vessel. Maintaining the structural integrity and aesthetic appeal of a wooden boat requires a dedicated approach. Regular inspections, preventive maintenance, and timely repairs are crucial for keeping the boat in top condition. Builders must familiarize themselves with the specific care and upkeep requirements outlined in the boat plans, as well as any additional guidance from experienced boat owners and restoration experts. Preserving the natural beauty and functionality of a wooden boat is a labor of love. From regular cleaning and varnishing to protecting the wood from the elements, the preservation process requires a meticulous and ongoing effort. By investing in the proper care and maintenance techniques, wooden boat owners can ensure that their beloved craft continues to turn heads and navigate the waters with grace and elegance for years to come. Ultimately, the journey of wooden boat building is a testament to the enduring appeal of these timeless vessels. From the initial selection of the boat plans to the final launch and beyond, each step is a rewarding and fulfilling experience that connects enthusiasts to the rich maritime heritage and the joy of crafting something truly unique. By embracing the art of wooden boat building, enthusiasts can create a lasting legacy, passing on their passion and their handcrafted vessels to future generations of nautical adventurers.

Conclusion – Wooden Boat Plans & Blueprints

In conclusion, wooden boat plans and blueprints are the indispensable tools that unlock the world of boat building for enthusiasts and novices alike. These meticulously crafted guides provide the roadmap to transform your dream vessel into a tangible reality. By following their precise measurements, materials, and instructions, you not only ensure the accuracy and completeness of your project but also save valuable time and resources.

The benefits of using wooden boat plans and blueprints extend beyond just a successful build. You have the freedom to create a boat that aligns with your unique preferences, whether you seek simplicity or complexity, small or large, rowboat or sailboat. The customization possibilities are as boundless as the open water.

These plans are not confined to a single purpose – they can serve as a fulfilling hobby, an educational tool, a potential business venture, or even a heartfelt gift to surprise your loved ones. Embrace them as a challenge to hone your skills and improve your capabilities as a boat builder.

The various types of wooden boat plans and blueprints cater to a wide array of preferences, from flat-bottomed boats for shallow waters to round-bottomed boats for stability in deeper seas, V-bottomed boats for agile efficiency, and multi-hull boats for added buoyancy and comfort. The options are as diverse as the waterways you intend to explore.

In your journey to create your wooden boat, you can find these plans and blueprints in books, magazines, websites, and even software programs. With the right plan in hand, you can venture into the world of boat building with confidence.

FAQs – Wooden Boat Plans & Blueprints

What are wooden boat plans and blueprints.

Wooden boat plans and blueprints are detailed instructions and diagrams that guide boat builders in constructing wooden boats . They include information on the materials needed, measurements, and step-by-step instructions for building the boat.

What types of wooden boats can be built using plans and blueprints?

There are various types of wooden boats that can be built using plans and blueprints, including canoes, kayaks , rowboats, sailboats, and powerboats. The plans and blueprints are usually specific to the type of boat being built.

Where can I find wooden boat plans and blueprints?

Wooden boat plans and blueprints can be found online, in books, and from boat building supply companies. Some plans and blueprints are free, while others require payment.

What materials are needed to build a wooden boat?

The materials needed to build a wooden boat depend on the type and size of the boat being built. Generally, wooden boats require marine-grade plywood , lumber, epoxy, fiberglass , and hardware such as screws, bolts, and nails.

Do I need to have experience in boat building to use wooden boat plans and blueprints?

While experience in boat building can be helpful, it is not always necessary to use wooden boat plans and blueprints. Many plans and blueprints are designed for beginners and include detailed instructions and diagrams to guide the builder through the process.

Can I modify wooden boat plans and blueprints?

Yes, wooden boat plans and blueprints can be modified to suit the builder’s needs or preferences. However, it is important to ensure that any modifications do not compromise the safety or structural integrity of the boat.

Written by DIY Boat Building Plans

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Idea 21 sportboat

The development of the family of small offshore capable sailboat plans : chined hull for the highest stability, vertical lifting keel, trailerable, suitable for club racing or cruising (two interior versions) , plywood and epoxy hull with the radius chine system, sparkling performances while sailing and reasonable interiors for coastal cruising.

		DOWNLOADS
6,30 m	27,5 m2
2,50 m (trailerable)	45-26 m2
1,75 m – 0,50 m	outboard 2.3-5 HP on transom bracket
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1200 kg
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300 kg

First boat launched : read the first impressions here

Idea 21 small sailboat plan is the latest development of my family of small plywood & epoxy sailboats plans for homebuilders : it was quite a time since i was thinking of an evolution of her smaller 19 footer sister, so i finally take the decision to publish this new plan. the goals of this plan is simple: add interior volume, simplify the work for homebuilders switching to a complete plywood & epoxy radius chine hull, enhance slightly the sparkling performances of idea 19, keeping the sailboat very balanced and suited for sailors ranging from enthusiast beginners to experienced seamen., first boat launched and several other boats in building stage make idea21 the most sparkling project on our catalogue, hull: chined hull on a small light sailboat has a simple reason to exist: it gives more stability to the sailboat when heeled, much more than a round hull similar sailboat. i managed to keep a very low wetted area of the unheeled hull, in order to achieve a good pace in light air and avoid excessive drag. stern sections are quite flat to gain speed downwind (idea 19 has been clocked with speed steadily in excess of 15 knots)., bow sections: experiences on racers showed that “knife-blade” bows may give you less resistance, but the price to pay is high in terms of buried bow sailing downwind, so i decide to provide this plan a large u-shaped section on the bow ; sails provide the sailboat plenty of power to defeat the small amount of added drag., sailplan: i have a very good starting point with idea 19, so we’re doing small adjustments and no revolutions: square top mainsail, 7/8 fractional rig , very wide single swept spreaders, no backstay, deck stepped mast with sturdy section, 110 % j jib, code zero, jennaker hoisted on swinging retractable bowsprit, and a good amount of sail area., keel and ballast: idea21 have a solid hard wood cored & unidirectional glass epoxy laminated lifting keel, with a naca optimised profile and a low resistance hydrodynamical shaped 280 kg lead bulb bolted on the keel tip; it can be made by a homebuilder, no need for professional welder; the fin area is on the low side, speed will help generating the required lift without adding too much drag. keel case is in 20 mm thickness plywood and epoxy laminated glass reinforcements, and it’s perfectly waterproof while sailing., full lifting keel version : after a request from a builder, idea 21 cruise is available in a version featuring an integral watertight keel case running form hull bottom to cabin top panels, this feature called flk (full lifting keel) will allow the boat to sail with keel partially raised or to motor with keel totally up, a good option if you sail in shallow waters frequently., cockpit: was one of the strongest point in idea19, we simply keep the same arrangement and dimensions, so we have a really huge area for the crew and a simple and sturdy building in plywood panels epoxy glued on a structure of bulkheads and stringers., interiors: here i focussed on several upgrades; i decided to split the project in two versions (so two different sets of plans, you have to specify on order), “sport cruise” or “racing” ; both versions have 4 berths, a classic v berth on bow and two quarter berth after; in the cruising version cabin is 55 cm longer, giving wider interiors, enough room for a separate toilette and more comfortable after berths ; in the racing version we have a marine toilet (there’s room for a jabsco compact one) under the bow v-berth; cabin height is 1.65 m in both versions. interiors plywood panels are detailed on plans., taking advantage form the first season of sailing, i can now say that i strongly advice the cruise version as long as you are not going to run a sailing school, thus needing extra space in the cockpit., wooden rig: starting form summer 2019 we deliver two extra drawings with the plans, both for race and cruise version, describing how to build a wooden rig suited for this boat. keep your budget low at the price of a small extra weight , how to build the boat: we chose the plywood & epoxy resin “radius chine” system, as for petrel 28 and hirundo 750, so the hull planking is in okume marine grade plywood ; planking the hull is quite fast , and the internal structure of the boat is made by plywood bulkheads, floors and solid wood longitudinal stringers, all glued with epoxy and strengthened with epoxy laminated glass tape, assembled on a cheap wood scaffold, keeping the hull light, sturdy and quite easy to build for homebuilders ; the goal is to keep the total weight of the 19 footer, raising the ballast fraction of the sailboat at the same time. here are a couple of pictures of the first planked hull perfectly showing the radius chine planking system.

a HUGE Thanks to Nils Theurer ([email protected]) for the awesome pictures taken during the first sea trials

Plans availability: Plans are available in italian and english. Plans are available in imperial units upon request (send me a mail before purchase).

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Sailboat Plans

Free Sailboat Plans

A selection of some of the Free Sailboat Plans (pdf) that were published in magazines such as “Popular Mechanics”, "Popular Science" and the "Boat Builder Handbook".

If you need help with lofting out the plans click here for an article here which should help.

Open Dayboats/Dinghys
Rowing Boats

Open/Dayboat, Free Sailboat Plans

Everyone who digs boating has heard of the Hobie Cat, the sleek little catamaran that burst on the scene and captured the attention of all the fast-action sailors.

Marked by asymmetrical hulls and special trampoline supports, the Hobie can reach speeds above 20 mph and perform with a rare agility.

But it has one drawback.

It costs mucho dinero.

Thus, we introduce the Hobby Kat, sailboat plans, a build-it-yourself version of the “Hobie” that should cost from half to a third of the commercial version. If you have the moola, of course, go for a Hobie and have the time of your life on the water.

If not, try our Hobby

The homebuilt is not quite the same.

But she sails sweetly and fast—qualities which have made the “Hobie” popular

Even in a light air she’ll slip through the water at a fast clip.

She has no centreboards, leeboards or keel, and needs none.

The inside of each hull has built-in lift, like an airplane wing, so that as the boat heels and one hull digs in the boat is pulled back to windward.

Click Here for the Plans

She can run in very shallow water and the rudders kick up for beaching.

You can carry her on a trailer or even disassemble her.

Many a “stink pot” addict will take a second look at Tern because she planes in modest breezes, is easy to handle, and her streamlined prow arid pod-shaped, “inland scow” type hull offer slight water resistance. Then too, there’s a charm about the tiller of a sailer that’s not matched by the wheel of a motor-powered boat. Part of it is the challenge of making the most of nature’s free-wheeling breezes. Even with her 72sq.ft of sail, this Free Sailboat Plan is remarkably stable, and packs as many as four persons aboard

For thousands of inland lakes, Tern is the answer to sailing water sport, she is rugged and easy to launch

And she’s remarkably easy to build.

Falcon is a small, speedy, sporty sailboat which handles well. Tests on the original Falcon showed that she could easily out-distance boats of comparable size such as the one design class Snipe and Comet sailers.

And she will pace neck and neck with 18 footers with considerably greater sail spread.

This strong, beamy, eight-foot pram may be sailed either cat-rigged or sloop-rigged.

The dagger-board may be adjusted forward to balance the helm when sailing with the addition of a jib sail.

Oars or a small outboard motor may also be used to power this versatile Free Sailboat Plans.

Dart” is a small two or three person sailing craft, designed for use on protected waters such as bays. lakes, rivers or wherever sheltered waters are found. Its construction will repay the builder handsomely and provide a fast sailing craft, light in weight, easily transportable and cheap to construct with all difficult joinery eliminated

It provides thrilling and economical sport.

The 'Crescent', designed by C. T. Allen, is the ideal sailboat for day sailing on a small lake, river, or protected waters of a bay.

Centreboard design (Fig. 2) reduces Crescent's draft, so Shallow is not a problem.

Its broad beam of over 5½ft. makes it an ideal family boat because there is room for a cockpit large enough to accommodate four adults or two adults and three kids, and side and forward decks big enough to stretch out on when sun bathing.

"Jewel" is a 16' Crescent Sailboat being built by Mike Allen from the free sailboat plans by C.T .Allen in the 1958 "Boat Builders Handbook". And what a superb job Mike is doing check out his photos here .

Click Here for the Free version of the Plans

Sailing enthusiasts and backyard boat builders are not likely to find free boat plans for a sailing pram that can be built faster, lighter, stronger, or less expensively than Graefin-10. Two men can begin work on a Friday evening and have a smart, lively 10-ft. 85-pound sailboat in the water by Sunday evening (it’s been done).

Zephyr Is a refinement of a type of boat developed by the English for use in the rough open waters of the English Channel. Not only is it fast under sail, but it can stand up under punishment. And it’s light enough to be easily loaded atop an auto or light trailer.

Breeze-Baby

Skimming off a brisk wind or with the wind abeam, Breeze-Baby actually planes with one person aboard. Despite her rowboat lines that make her easy to build, she handles easily under her simple sail, an ideal first boat. Simple lines are adapted to plywood construction that’s strong, light and that keeps Breeze-Baby’s bilges dry

You can take her with you atop your car or on a lightweight trailer for summer fun wherever you vacation or get in a week-end’s sailing.

Cat’s Paw is easy to build because of the straight-sided hulls. The sheer line is flat and that simplifies building the form. Bow and stern are straight, so there’s no cockeyed bevel to fit and fuss with

She Is an Ideal boat to learn or practice sailing in because she will forgive so many mistakes.

Cabin Cruiser, Free Sailboat Plans

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Affordable Sailboats You Can Build at Home

Last Updated by

Daniel Wade

September 13, 2023

‍ Key Takeaways

There are many sailboats that anyone can build from home depending on tastes
Budget will be the biggest deciding factor on a majority of the process
Consider kits that come with most of what you need or choose ones that are all-inclusive
Design complexities and new materials may make the building time process longer
Plan the best you can ahead of time to save money and your working hours

‍ Buying a sailboat can be expensive, but building your own can save you money. So what are sailboats you can build from home?

Sailboats that you can build from home will likely be a small boat under 20 feet. These could be from many different boat suppliers such as B&B Yachts, Brooks Boat Designs, and Chase Small Craft. Boat plans will vary based on your budget and how much time you have on your hands.

Based on my previous experience, building your own boat will take much longer than if a professional were to do it. You also have to be able to study plans, consider various sailboat designs, and have tons of supplies such as fiberglass tape or fiberglass cloth. On top of that, you will also have to be good with your hands.

Table of contents

‍ Top 10 Affordable Sailboats Anyone Can Build at Home

Building your own pocket cruiser or other styles from boat plans is an impressive feat, as this will need dedicated time and money to assure your boat sails safely. Boat building takes a lot of patience as well, especially since this will not be completed in a fast manner.

Finding boat plans and materials that fit your budget will be key to being able to complete the project. The time it takes to complete these projects will vary on your overall experience and needs. Below are 10 of the most affordable sailboats that you can build in the comfort of your home.

B&B Yachts

B&B Yachts have 14 different boat plans you can choose from to find the boat of your desires. Their shop is located along the Bay River in North Carolina where they construct all of the kits and have a 100 foot dock to show off your project once you complete it.

One popular model to check out is their Core Sound 15, as it is the perfect size for those wanting to build a modest size boat for a handful of people on board. Their website features some videos of completed projects and the plans or kits for purchase.

14 different models to choose from plus some dinghies
Various monohull and multihull options
Friendly customer service with attractive prices
Might be too many options for some that are indecisive
Not ideal for those wanting to have a motor sailer

Brooks Boat Designs

Brooks Boat Designs has a handful of options to consider for your next sailboat building project. They are located in Brookline, Maine and give the option to buy the kits or have them build one from scratch for you. They have plenty of knowledge, so do not be shy to ask about modifications or custom features you are looking for.

Depending on your specifics, they can attempt to accommodate some of their plans to help fit your desired outcome. By checking out their site, you can see many examples of their construction in progress and what the boats will look like when completed.

Offers a variety of kits
Plans vary around $50 and up, while materials will obviously add more costs
Some plans can be rowing boats that can convert to sailboats
Might take a while to hear back from them, as their contact section is a little outdated
Their plans may not accommodate a ton of extras for your taste

Chase Small Craft

Chase Small Craft offers a simple process for building boats. Their kits are equipped with everything you need and will help save you time than just buying the materials outright and other parts you could need. This is arguably one of the best bang for buck instances if you want to save time and money searching for pieces to your boat.

They are located in Saco, Maine and will ship everything to your home from there. All the necessary materials are included and all you need are the proper tools and working space.

All-inclusive kits with what you need
Tons of knowledge on their site for boat building
Easy process to order and customize
Complete kits can range over $20,000 for larger boats
Kits may take up to eight weeks to ship out

Chesapeake Light Craft

You can expect high-quality boat kits from Chesapeake Light Craft . They feature 18 different sailboat kits that vary from eight to 20 feet in length. This should be more than enough to find one for you if you are newer to boat building.

They also have a wide variety of other kits in addition to the sailboat, in the event that you wanted to order a small kayak or paddleboard in addition to your sailboat. The prices vary considerably when considering a small or larger boat, so check the complete list of options to in order to potentially fit your needs.

Plenty of sailboat offerings to choose from
Different beautiful hull form options to consider
Easy to build and perfect for sailing
Only has basic materials needed for kit, so you may need to purchase other items
Has epoxy shipping fee no matter if you pick up item

Dudley Dix Yacht Design

Dudley Dix Yacht Design has an extensive list of plywood and single skin sailing boat options. They have plenty of sail plans and kits to consider depending on your goals. These follow a classic look for sailboats, which are aesthetically pleasing.

If you are wanting one to accommodate a small family, they have more than plenty to look through. The cost is not as bad compared to others, but keep in mind that you may need to throw in your own supplies or specific tools to get the job done.

Plans start at $30 and range up to $7,500 or more for kits
More than enough of options to consider
Affordable variety of sailboat offerings
Might be too many options for those new to sailing
Most are wood without the use of aluminum or steel

Farrier Marine

If you are in search of a multihull to build, then Farrier Marine is what you need. They offer a unique folding catamaran that is trailerable and give you the option to build it yourself. This not only makes it an appealing option, but anyone can take this multihull boat wherever they want with ease.

It features a thorough construction guide once you receive all of the materials. These also come with stainless steel fasteners and an aluminum mast for high-quality materials. Pricing will vary since you must request which model type you are considering.

Ability to build a unique catamaran
In-depth construction guide to help
Easily handled and trailerable
Price may be too high
Limited offerings since only a few multihull options

Glen-L Marine Designs

Building a boat from Glen-L Marine Designs can save you time and money. They feature an easy system to order and receive the kits, as well as an in-depth guide to building them. This is an appealing option compared to most boat kit sellers.

The beauty about Glen-L is that anyone can build these from scratch, so you do not have to be the best boat builder in the world to get it done. They offer guides and helpful insights from their team to point you in the right direction. Plans vary around $15, while kits can range well over $1,000 depending on boat size.

Nearly 50 designs to choose from
Complete guide to help anyone build it
Plenty of price points depending on size
Might be overwhelming with the amount of options
Could take a while to get parts since they are popular

John Welsford Boat Designs

John Welsford Boat Designs invites new and veteran boat builders that want a taste of quality small wooden boats. The boat plans are designed to meet your specifications and are catered to your desires.

There are seven sailboat designs to choose from so you do not feel overwhelmed in the process. However, they do not sell kits all the time, so you would need to have the materials or be on the lookout for the best prices when they are available.

Seven sailboat plans with different sizes
Quality boat builder and supporting community
In-depth knowledge provided to you when you order
Might be too small of boat size
Kits are not always available

Iain Oughtred

There are plenty of options on the wooden boat store, but you should narrow down your search for Iain Oughtred’s line of sailboat kits and plans. There are 25 different plans to choose from, which should accommodate most everyone looking to build their own boat.

While they do offer some kits, they do not routinely offer sailboat kits. You would need to purchase all of the materials if you are considering one of their sail plans. Keep this in mind if you are considering, as you would need to hunt down the parts yourself.

25 different sailboat plans to look through
Various sizes to contemplate for you sailing needs
Prices will vary but are not bad compared to market
No sailboat kits, only plans
Newer boat builders might find too many options unappealing

Paul Gartside Boat Builder and Designer

Gartside Boats is a boat builder company based in Long Island, New York that showcases a variety of boats from traditional and newer methods of boat building. Within that variety, they have boat plans meant for six to 50 feet in length.

With an abundance of options, you will need to contact them regarding prices and any customizable options. Kits may vary as well, as they typically design in-house and build for you.

Experienced boat designer that can accommodate with custom plans
Many options are trailerable
Can have plans for up to a 50 foot boat
You will need to contact them for prices
Customized options may make process more complicated for new boat builders

How Much Does it Cost to Build a Sailboat at Home?

As you have likely already done so, the math between building your own boat and buying one may be a huge difference. Likewise, you may even enjoy the challenge of taking an older boat that is gutted and restoring with parts from a kit to build one new again.

But how much does it cost exactly to build a boat from the comfort of your own garage or workshop? The prices are going to vary dramatically depending on your situation and material needed to get the job done. In addition, the time that it takes to complete this will also vary.

Sail plans are rather inexpensive if you are aiming to build a small boat. These plans allow you to see the workings of the boat design and what you need to build the boat.

Without these plans, you will not know the exact details of the design and it can cause major issues with the boat’s hull or other areas of the boat. Think of these as the backbone or instructions of the boat’s infancy before being built.

Price Per Square Foot

You should assume to pay anywhere between $300 to $600 per square foot if you are interested in building a boat. Buying a kit outright can be a good way to save time, but oftentimes these do not come with everything you need.

Instead, you should try to source as much of the materials at the best price as possible. Thinking ahead is part of the process and you might be able to score a deal at a lumber yard or hardware store for parts.

Boat Designs Matter

The design of the boat will be much different from one boat to the next, regardless if they are the same size in length. If you are pondering boats that range anywhere between 16 and 20 feet, you should factor in the shape of the hull, any rigging, and various appendages.

Prices tend to increase when there are more complexities within the designs. If you are considering a kit with more details than others, you will also have to pay more for the designs on that as well.

Kits Can Differ

It is important to understand that all kits are not going to be the same. As you gander at sailboat kits online to stitch together, you need to thoroughly look over to see if you have everything you need before buying.

It would also be at your advantage to ask the seller if any additional parts or supplies are needed. This may change your dynamic on the kit buying process and you may pass up one for another if it has everything you need. An all-inclusive kit may cost several hundred, if not thousands, of dollars more to have the convenience of everything in the bundle.

Construction Approaches

Some boat plans may require you to have certain tools to get the job done. This means special saws or planers, which the average person simply does not have.

Purchasing specialty tools might be expensive upfront and hard to find depending on what it is. Your best bet would be to check locally for others trying to sell their tools or consider a boat plan that does not require extensive tools to finish the job.

How Long Does it Take to Build a Sailboat?

An easy to build sailboat could take a while to build from scratch. Many different variances come into play that are difficult to pinpoint for everyone. But how long is that exactly and how will your experience play into this?

A fun project to sail in the wind could take you several months to well over a year depending on the boat plan and how big your boat is going to be. In addition, the materials all need to be accounted for prior to starting in the event a hardware store does not have them in stock.

Time Varies

The time that passes for simple boat designs on small sailing vessels can be done in a few weeks. This is assuming you have everything you need and work non-stop around the clock.

Certain complex situations may make the process long, such as the difficulty of working with some materials. If you are a skilled laborer, it may take you half the time compared to a novice. The amount of time it can take will vary on your availability and skill level.

Planning ahead will undoubtedly offer the most time-saving features. It also helps if you can tackle parts of the project at your own pace.

Complexity of Design

The design of the boat may make the construction process longer. For example, it may take you longer to build a catamaran compared to a similar lengthed monohull.

More complex designs might require more materials, therefore making the process a bit longer to complete. Furthermore, you will also need more experience working with difficult designs and that will affect you more as a newbie.

Be sure to manage your expectations well and do not allow yourself to become too stressed over this fun project. If you can, seek expert boat building advice from a local builder or the company you purchased sail plans through.

Quality Materials

The quality of the materials will matter significantly when building a boat and will greatly affect the time it takes to construct it. Handling fiberglass or carbon fiber might require specialty tools, while wood also demands a certain level of craftsmanship.

If you are not skilled at working with the material at hand, it might affect the quality of the build and you may have to go back to fix mistakes. This will definitely add more time to your project, because mistakes are bound to happen with your first project.

To save time, consider adding the tools and materials throughout the year or as often as your budget allows. You may want to try testing your skills on fiberglass or other materials to get a feel for how to work with it.

I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing.

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How to Build a Wood Sailboat

Introduction: How to Build a Wood Sailboat

I've been wanting to combine my two favorite hobbies - woodworking and sailing for a long time, so I thought I'd build a boat. It's got classic lines and looks so dazzling in the sunshine that people constantly stop me at the boat ramp to ask me about it. There's something unbelievably rewarding about building something like this from scratch. This is definitely a boat that is much better built than bought . Here's how I did it.

The boat takes about 100 hours to build. I did it over 3 months, working a little bit just about every day and full days when my schedule permitted.

It will take about $1,000 in total to build if you buy everything at full retail cost (not including tools you might need to buy), but you can spread that across the length of the project. For example, you only need to buy one $30 sheet of plywood at a time, take it home, draw out the parts (loft) that fit on just that sheet and cut them out. That will take a couple of hours right there. Some boating supply stores (chandleries) might let you setup an account which might give you a discount if you tell them you're building a boat.

All of the skills needed to build a sailboat can be learned slowly, one step at a time. For example, if you've never fiber-glassed plywood before, just practice on a small piece first to get your confidence up. This was my first boat build, so I did a lot of learn as you go . Not only am I going to show you the right way to successfully build your own sailboat, but I'm going to share with you the mistakes I made along the way to hopefully save you from repeating them.

The end result will be a very attractive little 8 foot long pram, that is easily made out of 4x8 sheets of plywood that is light enough to put in the back of a small pickup truck or roll down to the local lake on the optional dolly. Anything longer would require you to either make a scarf joint (which is a bit tricky) or buy longer sheets of plywood (which is considerably more expensive).

What you will need:

Boat building plans

8 panels of 1/4" oak plywood 4'x8'

Pencil, Sharpie, ruler, tape measure, yard stick, etc.

Long flexible straight edge

Box of 1" brad nails

2 gallons of epoxy resin

1 gallon of epoxy hardener - SLOW

1 quart silica thickener

5 quarts wood flour thickener

1" masking tape

Japanese pull-saw

Table saw (helps, but optional)

Round-over router bit

Flush trim router bit

Palm/random orbital sander

220 sanding discs

Combination square

Drill bit set

Drill bit extension

Basic hand tools

Small diameter wire or zip ties

Wire cutter

12 C-clamps - 3"

Mixing cups, mixing sticks, rubber/nitrile gloves

16' x 60" of 6oz fiberglass cloth

2" plastic spreader

Gallon of waterproof glue

Glue roller

Silicone bronze screws

Stainless steel fasteners

Small blocks

Gudgeon & pintle - dinghy size

Patience - large

Elbow grease - large

For more detailed explanations on each step and more specific info/reviews on the materials and parts used, check out my boat build blog: www.Midnight-Maker.com

Step 1: Cutting Out the Parts...

First, you'll need boat building plans. I purchased some very nice ones from a popular boat building website because I had a specific style in mind to build, a "pram". It's a Norwegian design with lots of buoyancy in the bow and building a pointy boat is a little more difficult. There are a bunch of free boat building plans (search "dinghy") online. Also, I wanted my boat parts to fit in a standard (read cheap) 4'x8' sheet of plywood. It also had to be light enough for me to load/unload/move myself. This boat weighs in at about 70 pounds. When on the custom dolly I built, it's very easy to move from the parking lot to the lake.

Next, you'll need to draw out the parts of the boat full-sized onto the plywood (lofting). I actually did this step on hardboard/masonite because I wanted to make templates of all the parts in case I ever wanted to build another one.

This step requires you to be very meticulous. Carefully transfer the measurements (offsets). They may or may not look correct because it's very non-intuitive to look at curved boat parts that are laying flat. Some parts actually bend the opposite way you think they should. To make the curves, I nailed a bunch of 1" brads into the panel and used a long, flexible straight edge (yard stick, etc.) bent to follow the curve, then I traced the curve with pencil/Sharpie. Once I removed the brads, I had perfectly smooth curves. Keep in mind that with the side panels that are symmetrical to both sides of the boat, only draw out one version and cut two stacked sheets at a time. This ensures the boat will not be lop-sided. Make sure to immobilize the two sheets together with screws outside of the boat parts or use double-sided tape/clamps, etc. to keep the parts registered properly.

Using a Japanese pull-saw allows you to control the cuts very carefully and it can follow the graceful curves. They cut on the pull stroke which means they're very easy to control. Make sure you leave a bit of your cut line, meaning cut just outside the line. This allows you a bit of a safety margin and you can always sand to the line to sweeten it up. This is where the elbow grease really kicks in. It takes hours to cut out the hull panels by hand, but it's worth it. I tried cutting the first part out with the jigsaw and it wandered all over the place and quickly cut inside the line before I knew it. Also, a jig saw blade can lean to one side which could mean two panels might not be the exact same shape. Using hand tools is a classic way to do woodworking and is a very gratifying process. With hand tools, things happen slow enough for you to be in total control, whereas power tools can quickly do unexpected damage. With the understanding that you're building a classic boat, using hand tools wherever possible is part of the philosophy.

The plans I bought were in metric and called for 6mm (1/4") and 9mm (3/8") plywood, but I wanted to make everything out of 1/4" plywood so the thicker parts in the plans were glued together with two layers of 1/4" (so at 1/2" they were a bit thicker than designed). I actually liked this because it made the boat feel sturdier and of course it was cheaper that way. The trade-off was that the boat would be a bit heavier.

For any of the parts that need to be doubled-up/laminated (e.g. the transoms), now is a good time to do that. Make sure you use "waterproof" glue instead of "weatherproof" glue like I did...

Spread a thin layer of glue over one of the "bad" sides (plywood usually has a good side and a bad side, glue bad sides together so good sides show on both outside faces), making sure it's completely covered (I used a special glue roller), then carefully place the other half on top. Align all of the edges together, then clamp them in place. Now put heavy things carefully on top to press the parts together. The glue should be dry in about 6 hours.

NOTE: It's considerably easier and safer to do any woodworking processes to the parts before you assemble the boat. This way, you can safely clamp pieces to the work bench and cut out handle holes, etc. Since my boat is a "lapstrake" design, I had to route a rabbet (groove located on the edge) carefully on the bottom edge of each side panel. This creates a shoulder for the parts to sit on, positively locating them while you're stitching the panels together. Likewise, the grab handles in the transoms are much easier to cut out before putting the boat together.

Also keep in mind that any mistake will be considerably more painful the further you are along in the build. For example, if I biff cutting out the grab handle holes while they're just loose pieces rather than when they're a permanent part of the boat, it's much easier to recover - just make another transom. If you had to patch a hole in the boat, it would be difficult and possibly never look perfect. No pressure...

Step 2: Assembling the Hull...

Once you have the bottom and sides cut out, you can start to "stitch and glue" the hull together. This is a technique used usually for smaller boats to be able to pull the hull form together without the need to build a frame or mold (which can take almost as long and as much wood as the boat itself).

I built a gauge stick to make sure my holes were perfectly spaced at 4" at 1/2" in from the plywood edge. It was 1" wide so either edge was the required 1/2" from the centerline. I worked my way down one side of each of each mated seam and drilled all those holes at once while the panels could lay flat on the bench. Make sure to use a backer block to prevent tear out on the back side, even with such a small drill bit.

With one mating panel drilled with a 1/16" drill bit, hold the mating panel in it's relative position. I used some spare twine to wrangle my panels into the proper orientation as I was marking them. Make a pencil mark where the mating hole should be, remove the pre-drilled panel and drill the second set of holes 1/2" in from the edge. This makes sure there's enough strength to hold the boat together.

The first pass on the stitches is just to get the hull together structurally. You can always go back and make the stitches fancier/tighter and tweak the position of the panels.

The stitches go from the inside out. Cut 6" lengths of wire and bend them into long, narrow U's that are the width of the distance between the holes. Stick the ends through the holes and carefully twist the tails together on the outside of the hull, making sure not to damage the plywood. If you're using zip ties, then the holes you drill will need to be bigger and you'll have to start on the outside, go in, turn around, then back out, then "zip".

Make sure your panels' rabbet shoulders are resting securely on the mating panel and carefully tighten all the stitches. For my boat, once I had two panels stitched to the bottom panel on each side, it was time to attach the transoms (ends). Once all of the exterior parts are stitched together, you should have something that looks like a boat. It will be a little rickety at this stage, but that's okay.

NOTE: In the photos I took of my build, you'll notice that the transom doublers (reinforcers) aren't in place. That was because I was following the instruction manual, but I think that was a mistake, so I highly recommend laminating (gluing) the doublers to the transoms before you stitch the boat together.

Step 3: Reinforcing the Hull Joints...

Now that the hull is stitched together, flip it over upside down. You'll be surprised at how stiff it is, considering how difficult it was to wrangle all those panels into position. Be careful, there's lots of poky wire ends sticking out all over the place.

I used a technique called "tabbing", meaning I made small, structural tabs from thickened epoxy that fit between the stitches, then I removed the stitches and made one long, larger fillet to connect the hull panels together.

Make sure your panels are perfectly aligned and tightened. I used a nipper to lop off most of the tails so they wouldn't get in the way, but that left very sharp spikes.

Make sure your boat is square. Take diagonal measurements from corner to corner, make sure the boat parts are parallel to each other, etc. because if there's a twist in your boat, the next step will make it permanent, which will affect the boat's performance.

Now mix up a batch of epoxy and silica thickener according to the manufacturer's directions (meaning each type of epoxy has a different resin to hardener ratio) until it's between the consistency of thick ketchup, but runnier than peanut butter (make sure to mix the 2 parts of epoxy together first very well before adding a thickener). Too thick and it won't fill the void, too thin and it'll run down inside the boat. Both are bad. I used a small syringe to inject the mix into the V intersection between the panels and checked underneath/inside to see if there were any runs.

Once the epoxy has partially set, use a glove wet with denatured alcohol to smooth out the "tabs" so they fit inside the V groove and don't extend above the intersection between the panels. This will give you good practice for the seams that will show on the finished boat. Be careful of the wire spikes.

Repeat this process for every seam on the hull. Let it cure overnight.

Once the tabs have cured, carefully remove the stitches. If the wire seems to be epoxied permanently to the hull, heat the wire with a lighter. That will soften the epoxy enough to pull the wire out. Be careful not to scorch the boat (you don't want a Viking funeral). Now repeat the thickened epoxy process for each overlap, except this time each seam will need to be one long, smooth joint. Let it cure overnight. This goes a long way in making the boat hull structural.

Step 4: Fiberglassing the Hull...

Now that you've got a permanent hull shape, it's time to make it waterproof and rugged. Fiberglass and resin over plywood is a tried and true Do It Yourself boat building technique which makes it strong and light.

Mask off the bottom panel and roll out your fiberglass cloth. Smooth the cloth out very carefully so as not to snag or tweak the fibers' orientation. Mix up an unthickened batch of epoxy (it will be the consistency of syrup). Starting at the stern, pour a small puddle of epoxy and spread it out nice and thin. You should be able to squeeze most of the epoxy out of the cloth, leaving only saturated cloth with no dry spots (which will appear white) but the weave should still be showing (meaning no extra epoxy is pooling). You should easily be able to see the wood grain through the cloth now.

Let the epoxy partially cure and using a razor, slice the dry fiberglass cloth away on the taped seam. Then remove the masking tape. Let the epoxy cure overnight.

Flip the hull over and mix up a batch of epoxy that is the consistency of peanut butter. I masked off the joint, but this step is optional, but keep in mind that it will be visible if you plan on finishing the interior bright (varnished wood). It's not as critical if you're painting the interior. With a plastic spreader, carefully make a large radius transition (fillet) between the bottom panel and the first side panel (garboard). Remove the masking tape when the epoxy mixture is partially cured and carefully scrape/wipe any unwanted mixture. It's much easier to remove now than having to sand it all off later. At this point, it's also a good time to fillet the transoms to the sides using 3/4" radius tabs between stitches and 1" finished fillets after you've removed the stitches. Let the fillets cure overnight.

Now, repeat the entire fiberglassing process on the inside. Except instead of just doing the bottom panel, make sure both the bottom and the garboard are fiberglassed. This is basically the waterline of the boat. The fillet should allow the fiberglass cloth to smoothly make the bend between boards. Remove the excess cloth when partially cured and let sit overnight. Some people fiberglass up onto the transom at this stage which will make the boat stronger, but that means you have to have already filleted the transoms to the bottom.

Step 5: Installing Interior Parts...

The bulkheads get stitched in place just like the panels. They will make the already stiff (and much heavier boat) completely structurally sound and push/pull the sides into their final shape. Then make 3/4" "tab" fillets between the stitches to lock them in place, remove the stitches and make long, smooth 1" fillets. The smaller fillets will get covered by the larger fillets. I used two different modified plastic spreaders to do this step. Each spreader was cut with a box knife and filed/sanded into its final shape.

While you're doing the previous steps, if you're in a time crunch, go ahead and build the daggerboard trunk. It's made of numerous parts that are pre-coated with a couple layers of unthickened epoxy, then glued together with silica-thickened epoxy. This makes it strong and waterproof as it will be below the waterline so must be completely waterproof.

The daggerboard trunk is the most important part of the boat, especially if you're making a sailboat version (this boat can easily just be used as a rowboat). Not only does it support the center seat (thwart), but it has to transfer all of the force from the sail to the water and if you run the boat aground, it takes all the shock loading from the daggerboard.

The daggerboard gets filleted into place like everything else. Make sure it's perfectly on the centerline of the boat as that will affect its sailing characteristics.

Next, let's make the daggerboard slot in the center thwart. I set up a straight edge with a spiral upcutting router bit. Make sure to enlarge the slots at the end of the center thwart so that it can fit around the fillets of the center bulkhead. Now is the time to ease the edges of the center thwart because you'll be sitting on it a lot, so it needs to be comfortable. Because it's so thin, I only routed the top edge of the center thwart that shows and just hand sanded the edge underneath (it's very problematic to use a round-over bit on the second side of a thin board). Paint all of the thwarts with three coats of unthickened epoxy, especially the undersides. Once the woodworking is done, the thwart can be epoxied into place with peanut butter (or you can jump to cutting the daggerboard slot in the bottom of the hull). Make sure the thwart fits snugly in place. Drop dollops of peanut butter on the top edges of the center bulkhead and daggerboard case and spread it out evenly (make sure none gets inside the slot to interfere with the daggerboard). Firmly seat the thwart (pun intended) into the goop and weight it down. Let it cure overnight.

While you've making sawdust, cut out the mast hole (partner) in the forward thwart by drilling holes in the four corners (for the square mast we're going to make), then cut out the sides, file it smooth, then round over the top edge with the router.

Any time after the bulkhead thwart fillets have cured, you can seal the airtank chambers. Paint the bottom, sides, inside of the bulkhead and transom up to the level where the thwart will be.

Step 6: Rail & Sailboat Parts...

There are several processes in this boat building instructable that can be done concurrently. While you're waiting for the epoxy on one part to cure, you can be doing woodworking or epoxying another part. This step illustrates that point. While you're waiting for the epoxy on the rub rail (outwale) to cure, you can be fabricating the sailboat accessories (e.g. daggerboard, rudder, tiller, spars, etc.).

In order for the outwale to be thick/strong enough to be effective, you'll need to laminate it in two strips on each side. You can't bend a single piece that thick around the curvature of the hull without either breaking the wood or softening it by steaming it which is a complicated process.

Take a strip that's half the final thickness and a little longer than the boat edge (I made mine a bit beefier), mix up some peanut butter with the colloidal silica and carefully spread it on the inside of the strip. Starting at the stern, clamp it in place, perfectly align it with the top edge of the plywood. Now you have a long, springy lever to bend the wood strip along the compound curve. It dips both vertically (shear), and bows out at the widest part of the boat (beam), then back in toward the bow. At least every foot, clamp it as you go, moving forward. More is better. Toward the bow, the strip will get stiffer as it gets shorter. Once clamped in place, scrape/wipe off all the squeeze-out. It's much easier to remove now than after it hardens. Let it sit overnight. You'll have to repeat this three more times, meaning this step takes four days (if you're using "slow" epoxy hardener).

During those four days that you're dealing with the outwale, you can make major progress on the sailboat parts. They're completely separate from the hull. If you're just making a rowboat, then you can skip making these parts.

The daggerboard and rudder are cut out and laminated. Then a bevel is ground onto the leading and trailing edges to make it slice through the water more efficiently. Then they're covered in layers of epoxy. The mast step is assembled. This has to be very strong because all of the force of the sail is transmitted to the boat through the mast step and the mast is a very long lever arm. The rudder cheek plates and tiller also have to be assembled similarly to the daggerboard case.

NOTE: Whenever there's a hole to be drilled into any part of the boat, you must take additional steps to make sure the water doesn't penetrate and damage the wood. The correct procedure is to drill an over-sized hole, completely fill that hole with epoxy (I usually put a piece of masking tape on the back side to act as a dam), then once the epoxy cures, re-drill in the center of the epoxy plug the correct hole size. That makes each hole in the boat possibly a 2 day process, so plan accordingly. You can also use 5 minute epoxy to knock out a bunch of holes quickly, but be careful, they're not kidding. This stuff gets rock hard very quickly and will permanently glue anything touching. This is exactly how you drill the hole for the pivot point for the rudder/cheek plate assembly. If the pin is 1/4", then drill 1/2" hole and fill that with epoxy. Now the 1/4" hole will fit nicely in the center and be completely waterproof.

Since all the parts need several coats of unthickened epoxy and they just about all have holes in them, I hung them up with some twine and painted them on all sides, one layer at a time, for several days. Make sure the rudder doesn't get too thick to fit inside the cheek plates.

Step 7: Making the Spars...

More sailboat parts you can make while waiting for other parts to cure are the spars, the structural parts that support the sail. The mast is another glue up. I used 3 - 1x3's of hemlock. A relatively soft wood, but with a nice tight grain with no knots. A mast would break at a knot, regardless of how strong the wood is. Using the waterproof glue, align the pieces as perfectly as you can then clamp up the assembly and let dry overnight. Then run it through a table saw to get the final dimensions. Use a router and a round-over bit to ease the edges. Cut to length and sand the sharp corners. It should fit easily, but snugly into the forward thwart.

The boom (bottom of sail) is a little more complicated. Cut out the gooseneck (boom pivot point) by using a hole saw first, making sure to clamp it securely to the workbench, then cut out the profile. This gets attached to another piece of 1x3 hemlock, after it's been cut to length and the edges have been rounded over.

The yard (top of sail) is easy. Just cut to length and round over the edges. Drill and fill any holes in the spars at this time. You'll need at least one hole on each end to lash the sail grommets to.

This time, everything gets covered with several coats of varnish, epoxy is not necessary. The varnish protects the wood from water and UV damage.

The reason we had to make at least the mast at this point is because we'll need it in the next step to establish the location of the mast step.

Step 8: Finishing Up the Interior & Exterior...

Once the outwales are successfully attached, trim them flush with the face of the transom(s). While you're at it, use a flush cut saw (with no sawtooth offset to mar the wood) to trim the sides flush with the transom. This will show you how well your injected silica mix worked earlier. Now you're ready to install the mast step.

The mast step must be precisely located on the floor (sole) of the boat to give the mast the proper angle (rake). This is very important because it directly affects the boat's ability to sail upwind. Using your mast, insert it into the forward thwart (partner) and into the mast step. With the mast at a 3° angle (mostly vertical but with a small, yet noticeable and graceful tilt toward the stern of the boat), trace the location of the mast step. Use a combination square to make sure it's perfectly aligned side to side (athwartship). You can now set the mast aside. Drill and fill holes in the bottom of the boat so that you can securely screw the mast step from the outside of the hull. The mast base must also be epoxied to the sole with peanut butter. After it's screwed into place but before the epoxy cures, make sure to test fit the mast again and verify the rake angle is correct. It would be a little messy at this point if you had to tweak it, but at least you wouldn't have to cut it off.

Now comes the most unpleasant part of the whole build. On your hands and knees, make a 1" radius fillet on the underside of every part in the boat. I didn't worry about making these pretty, just structural and water tight (these create the flotation tanks that keep the boat from sinking if you capsize). Let that cure overnight.

Next is the scariest part of the build, making the slot in the hull for the daggerboard. Using a drill bit extension, from the inside of the boat, reach down through the daggerboard case and drill a hole at each end of the slot through the bottom of the boat (make sure to use a backer board). Drill a couple holes in between, then take a jigsaw and connect the dots. This weakens the hull enough so that the router won't tear out any extra wood. Note, this step can easily be done prior to affixing the center thwart. Using a flush trim/laminate router bit, let the bearing run around the inside of the daggerboard case. This will make the hole in the hull perfectly match the slot. This is important because you don't want a shoulder on the inside for the daggerboard to hit and you don't want to damage the waterproof lining of the case. Last, ease the sharp edge of the daggerboard slot with the router and a small radius round-over bit.

The skeg must be cut to fit the curve of the hull (rocker), then using silicone bronze screws, attach it to the hull using the same drill and fill/peanut butter techniques. Make sure to snap a chalk line on the centerline of the boat for reference. Then make a 1" fillet where it meets the hull which will support the skeg and make it strong. The skeg keeps the boat tracking straight in the water. I optionally used some fiberglass cloth to cover the skeg and overlap onto the bottom to make the entire assembly stronger and more waterproof. The skeg will take the brunt of the abuse when launching, beaching, loading and unloading, etc. I also installed a stainless steel rubstrake on the aft end of the skeg with this in mind. In wooden boat building, silicone bronze screws are often used because they won't corrode when encapsulated like stainless steel screws can.

Install the skids parallel to the skeg. These are solid pieces of hardwood because they will also take a lot of abuse when the boat is sitting on shore, protecting the thin hull from rocks, etc. They get installed the same way as the skeg, although it's a little tough to bend the wood along the rocker. Scrape off the excess peanut butter once they're screwed in place.

I also installed the optional outboard motor pad at this point because I plan to use an electric trolling motor on the back to quietly putter around the lake in the evenings to relax with the family after work.

That should be the last parts that go into making the boat!

Step 9: Finishing the Hull...

Now comes the last dash to the finish line. One of the more tedious steps is that you now have to sand the entire boat. I actually built the entire boat inside, but for the sanding stage, I took her outside. Several hours of sanding all of the fillets nice and smooth. Everything will show in the finished product whether you paint the boat or leave it "bright" (unpainted). If you've been careful about cleaning up the peanut butter as you go, you should be able to sand the boat with mostly 220 grit. Be careful not to sand through the thin veneer of the plywood. After the sanding is done (make sure to use a dust mask), vacuum the entire boat and then wipe it down with a tack cloth to remove any dust. I also reversed the hose on the shop vac and used it to blow the sawdust off since I was outside.

Next, you must coat the entire interior and exterior with 3-4 coats of unthickened epoxy. This makes the entire boat waterproof. It will also give you an idea of how beautiful the wood will look when varnished. This is why a lot of boat builders decide to leave their boats bright so the beauty of the wood shows through.

Mix up 1 cup batches of unthickened epoxy and pour out large puddles onto the surface. Taking a foam roller, distribute the epoxy in a smooth coat. Now take a wide foam brush and gently smooth (tip) the rolled out surface. This should remove any lap marks or bubbles. Move along to the next area, making sure to not touch the wet parts. Also, make sure no dust or bugs get on your finish or it'll mean even more sanding later.

Start with the exterior first. It'll be much easier to get good by practicing on the convex surfaces. The interior is more tricky because you want to prevent sags and pooling by only applying very thin coats.

Make sure to check with the manufacturer's directions during this step in case you have to deal with "blushing", a thin layer that can sometimes form on the surface of epoxy when it cures. This could cause your layers to not stick to each other. If your epoxy does blush, it's easy to just wipe the entire boat down with a rag soaked in acetone after each coat has cured. Some people sand between coats of epoxy. This is how you would make an extremely smooth/shiny finish, so if you want your boat to be museum quality, invest the effort. I'm planning on banging my boat around so opted out of an extreme, fancy, mirror finish.

I was originally going to paint the exterior of the hull, which would require priming and painting, but I'm leaving it bright for the time being. The good news is that you can always paint later if you change your mind, but if you paint it and change your mind, it's tough to go back. There aren't a lot of pics of this step, which took a couple of days because there wasn't much visible progress after that first coat went on. At this point, any surface that's not painted should be varnished using the same "roll and tip" method as the epoxy, with the optional sanding between coats. Note that epoxy has no UV resistance, so to keep your boat from getting sunburned, you must either paint or varnish every surface. Giving a boat a "museum quality" paint and/or varnish finish can literally take as long as building the boat.

Step 10: Making the Sail...

Another step you can do while other parts are curing is make the sail. This particular design uses a "lug" sail, a classic looking sail for small boats with wood masts. It increases the sail area (therefore the force generated by the wind) without it having to be as tall as a modern sailboat mast made of aluminum. There is a kit from an online sailmaking company that you can get for a reasonable price. The Dacron cloth panels are all cut out by a CNC machine, so they fit perfectly together. I used a regular, domestic sewing machine, not an industrial one. The only time I had trouble was when sewing through all 7 layers at the reinforcement patches. When I got to those parts, I had to manually push down on the foot of the sewing machine with a flat-bladed screwdriver (minus) to help push the needle through the Dacron. We jokingly call Philips head screwdrivers "plus".

The panels/parts all come labeled. The directions were a bit confusing because they suggest you make sub-assemblies after the fact to make wrangling the large sail easier but they mention it after you've already sewn the large panels together. It's important to understand what parts go together while the panels are still small and more manageable. For example, the batten pockets are tricky enough to build on a single panel, much less the finished sail. Building the sail was about as difficult for me as building the boat, but it was worth it.

The lug sail gets reinforcement patches on all four corners where you attach it to the spars (bend), and there's also a reefing point for when the wind starts to pick up (freshen). Modern sails have three corners (Marconi rig).

I opted for the less expensive white Dacron sail kit, but there's also a classic red (tanbark) colored kit that's $100 more expensive. Before I sewed a single stitch, I carefully traced every part of the sail kit onto painter's tarp poly film so I can always use the templates to build another sail, all I need to do is buy the tanbark cloth.

Step 11: Rigging Your Sailboat...

This seems to be the trickiest part for most people, probably because there are numerous ways it can be successfully rigged, depending on your experience, preferences or criteria. It's confusing because you have to know what the finished setup will look like in your mind while you're staring at a pile of ropes. I chose a setup that allows the most room in the cockpit for a full-sized adult, so the mainsheet is led forward of the skipper's position. This keeps the skipper's attention forward so they're looking where they're going. I have another boat where the mainsheet is behind the skipper and it takes some practice getting used to.

The lines I made up (rope becomes a line when you give it a job description) were the halyard (hauls the sail up), the mainsheet (adjusts the angle of the sail to the wind = trim) and a traveler bridle (where the mainsheet attaches to the boat). I got fancy and spliced all my ends, but you can just as well use a bowline knot.

I installed a cheek block at the top of the mast instead of the large diameter hole in the directions. I wanted the halyard to run as smoothly as possible when setting the sail. Then I installed a pair of cleats at the base of the mast, one for the halyard and one for the downhaul (cunningham). With both of these lines pulling in opposite directions, it locks the sail in place, flat, so it effectivley acts like a wing. The main halyard attaches to the gaff with a snap onto a padeye. This allows easy on/easy off when rigging at the boat ramp. I also used a small loop (parrel) around the mast and through the eye to keep the gaff located close to the mast. I looped the downhaul over the boom and down to the cleat to try to keep the gooseneck from twisting. Note, except for the blocks, just about all of the hardware used on rigging a boat this size can come in stainless steel or brass/bronze, depending on the look you're going for. If you plan on installing oarlocks to row the boat, this decision becomes even more important to the final look of the boat.

For the mainsheet, I made a short bridle between the handles on the transom with a small eye tied in the center. This allows a place for the snap on the end of the mainsheet to attach to. I could've just as easily allowed the snap to slide, which would give the bridle the function of a traveler, but would affect its pointing ability (sail upwind). The mainsheet is then run to a block on the end of the boom, then to another block in the middle of the boom. This leaves the main cockpit area unobstructed with running rigging. Make sure your mainsheet is long enough for your boom to swing forward of 90° to the boat, with enough to still come back to the cockpit for the skipper to control. A stop knot at the end of the mainsheet will keep the mainsheet from getting away from you and give you something to grip.

The rudder pivot hardware (gudgeons and pintles) must be installed perfectly vertical and on the exact centerline of the boat so that she will sail well. Drill and fill the necessary holes for this hardware. Be careful with the spacing. It's designed to be easily installed and uninstalled while underway.

With this particular rigging layout, when under sail, the skipper must constantly keep the mainsheet in hand, which is a good idea anyway for safety reasons (if you get hit by a gust of wind = puff, you won't get blown over = capsize). The tension on the mainsheet is easily manageable for any size skipper. On larger boats, the mainsheet is held by a fiddle block with a cam cleat, which is not necessary for a boat this size. With that being said, a possible future upgrade would be to install a block and a camcleat somewhere on the centerline of the boat so that more advanced sailors wouldn't need to constantly have to oppose the tension on the mainsheet. Of course the trade-off would be the hardware would probably be somewhere you might want to sit.

Another upgrade I figured out after actually taking her sailing would be to rig up a bungee/shock cord system that will hold the daggerboard both in an up and down position. With the current setup, the centerboard is held down by gravity and must be pulled out of the slot when beaching.

Step 12: Go SAILING!

Because I wanted to be able to go sailing by myself if needed, I made a dolly out of 2x4's and large pneumatic tires (which makes the dolly float). The dolly fits securely between the center and aft thwarts when driving out to the lake. The sides on the dolly lock against the skids on the bottom of the boat so it can't twist. Roll the sail up with the spars and wrap it with the main halyard. At the designed length, the mast doesn't fit inside the boat, but it seems a bit long, so some people have cut the mast down enough so that it fits inside the boat.

Out at the lake, unload the boat, slide the dolly underneath and you're ready to roll down to the ramp. At the launch, roll the boat out into the water until it floats off the dolly, toss the dolly off to the side out of everybody else's way. Drop the daggerboard into the slot and install the rudder assembly. Facing into the wind (important), stick the mast into the receiver hole (partner), tie off the downhaul (cunningham) and hoist the sail until the downhaul is tight, then cleat off the main halyard. Reave the mainsheet (run the line through the blocks) and you're ready to go sailing.

I've found that this boat sails very well. The lug sail makes it very easy to sail upwind (weather helm), it's a little more tender for a large adult, more so than a boat with a hard chine, like an El Toro/Optimist but it's a lot more graceful looking. The payload is very reasonable for a boat this size. My wife and son can easily (and safely) go sailing with me and I don't even need anyone's help to get it rigged and launched. All in all, this is one of the best projects I've every built. I hope you too can discover the joy of building your own boat and then take her sailing. Remember, in sailing, the wind is free, but nothing else is...

This is my very first Instructable after many years of referencing this excellent site to build numerous cool projects (you should see my next post). Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and please feel free to ask any questions you may have and I'll do my best to answer them. I'm planning on building a larger boat in the near future so stay tuned...

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Plans & Kits

If you’re in the market for a boat to build, this directory of Boat Plans & Kits is a fine place to start. And if your company sells plans or kits, we invite you to list your offerings here. There is no charge for listing, but the featured boats must be built of wood. To refine your search of this directory, use quotation marks. If you search Nutshell Pram Kit, you’ll receive all the listings that include the words Nutshell, Pram, and Kit. To refine your search, enter “Nutshell Pram Kit”; you’ll then see only the results for Nutshell Pram kits.

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Trawler Yacht Workboat 36

NEW - COASTER Trawler Yachts & Work boats Here are the first of a new range of Coastal Trawlers that can customized to suit your desires and particular requirements. All will be excellent sea boat

Sailboats - Daysailers

Strike 18 sailing trimaran.

The 18ft STRIKE is a sailing trimaran design that uses a 16ft beach cat as the outriggers/amas and rig. The main hull is plywood and has a dory shape that is extremely easy to build.

Sailboats - Racing

We chose the 9.1 mt LOA not to overcomplicate its construction, but to facilitate the availability of a place to build this boat, and at the same time to have internal volume that allows a comfortable cruise.

Oar / Paddle

“Breeze” is a 10′ (3m) double paddle canoe. Two sheets of plywood needed. Stitch and glue construction using 3″(75mm) fiberglass tape in epoxy for all seams inside and out. The deciding factors when designing the boat were mostly the same as with all my designs - seaworthiness and lightweight.

Motorboats - Outboard

21' runabout.

When I first saw WoodenBoat Magazine’s boat design competition to design a modern wooden runabout, I was very excited. I’m sure most of the other competitors in this competition feel the same way.

Sailboats - Cruising

Lion 550 adrenaline.

Lion 550 Adrenaline, light boat, trailer envelope can significantly expand the geography of travel and take the owners a lot of positive emotions and adrenaline.

25' Sea Bird Yawl

A simple and seaworthy V-bottomed centerboard cruiser with accommodations for two.

Construction: Plywood planking over sawn frames

Lofting is required

Plans include 10 sheets.

20' Spalding Utility Launch

Rugged little launch with generous beam.

Construction features a traditional backbone of bolted-up oak, steam-bent frames and strip-planking. Four different arrangements are shown.

Construction: Strip-planked over steam-bent frames.

28' Bermuda Runabout

The longest runabout we offer, this 28' high-speed, triple cockpit runabout will also require highly skilled builders, but oh, the rewards...

Construction: Battened-seam planking over sawn frames.

Lofting is required.

Plans include 3 sheets.

Harbor Woodworks offers custom kits and boats, tailored to your specifications and desired level of completion. We ship to the U.S.

Share your boatbuilding plans or kits today.

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Handmade wooden canoe

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Good Vintage Boat - Hull Number 66 - Completed In 1989.

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18 Homemade Wood Boat Plans You Can DIY Easily

While the blissful and fun feeling a wooden boat offers while cruising in the calm waters is unparalleled, it is sometimes a luxury we cannot afford. Yes, quality wooden boats can cost a fortune!

How’d you like it if we say you can DIY a fantastic wooden boat from scratch all by yourself and for much cheaper?

It is an unmentioned fact that you’ll need a couple of pairs of helping hands and at least a basic woodworking skill, but the trouble you go through is so worth it in the end. We cannot wait any longer! Read on to find out 18 brilliant DIY wood boat ideas.

Table of Contents

1. Build a Boat Out Of Pine Wood

2. how to build a wooden boat, 3. 10 minute boat build || boat build start to finish, 4. how to build a wooden boat, 5. building a cedar strip canoe (full montage), 6. the ultimate 5-day diy plywood boat build, 7. wooden boat build (part 1), 8. how to build a wooden boat step by step, 9. fastest wooden big boat modern technology, 10. diy balloon-powered wooden toy boat, 11. wooden boat build – 17ft flat bottom skiff, 12. build a wooden boat, 13. to build a wooden boat: chapter one, 14. building a wooden boat, 15. amazing modern technology skill wooden boat building process, 16. how to build a boat, 17. building a wooden boat in my garage, 18. building a wooden deep v skiff.

Woodworking Tools in this video demonstrates a fast-forwarded tutorial on building a small wooden boat using pine wood.

On the downside, if you’re a beginner, you might find this tutorial hard to follow, as no specific instructions or step-by-step elaboration is given in this tutorial. Nevertheless, if you’re a fantastic observant, the DIY process is quite clearly demonstrated.

Are you a DIY noob when it comes to boatbuilding? If yes, we’d highly recommend this guide by Deep Sailing . A major decision one has to make while DIYing a wooden boat is to select the type of wood you want to work with.

Luckily, you’ll not only find step-by-step DIY instructions in this post but will also be provided with details on types of wood and different DIY boatbuilding methods . This post is a gem!

With proper tools and mediocre handyman skills, one can easily replicate what the Youtuber from Bourbon Moth Woodworking has accomplished in this video.

The end product is fantastic. So are the comments in this video. What’s more, this channel features plenty of other fascinating DIYs. Do check them out!

So, you’ve decided to build a wooden boat from scratch but don’t know where to start? Well, we’d say right here!

Gather supplies as per the list at the beginning of the post, buy a plan or design one yourself if you’re capable, and follow these seven well-organized steps to build a fantastic wooden boat for yourself. If you do, do share your experience with us!

What are your thoughts on building a cedar strip canoe? If your response is positive, here’s a fantastic DIY cedar strip canoe build video by A Guy Doing Stuff .

What we liked the most about this channel is that the Youtuber has further linked a few other topic-related resources in the description box from where his viewers can benefit. If this build has fascinated you, here are the 18 videos of this DIY series.

The-Ultimate-5-Day-DIY-Plywood-Boat-Build

This short blog by Totalboat provides its readers with a brief insight on how Jason Hibbs from Bobon Moth Woodworking and Michael Alm from Alm Fabrications DIYed a wooden boat in a span of 5 days.

What’s amusing is that they didn’t even have a plan to start with. Watch the videos attached at the end of this post if you want to see how his DIY process went.

The Youtuber from Teys Cocset has presented a sequence of DIY images from his plywood boat build. He has used the stitch and glue method for this project. If this design is what you’d like to replicate, here is the second part of the boat build.

Here’s another step-by-step tutorial on how to build a wooden boat from Ride the Ducks of Seattle . The post features tools and a supply list, followed by 15 organized steps on the DIY process.

What’s more, there are a few solid tips the blogger would like to share with you regarding the project such that it becomes a major success in the first go. Don’t miss out on them!

The Youtuber from DIY Wooden Boat demonstrates to his viewers how to build a plywood boat. Unfortunately, the explanation in the video is not in English. Nevertheless, all the steps are clearly shown, and you can definitely take this video as an inspiration.

The blogger from Adventure in a Box shares with his readers how his family is crazy about ships and boats. Sounds relatable?

If yes, you’ll definitely love this brilliant ballon-powered DIY wood boat idea . If you have children, bring a smile to their faces with this project, and if you don’t, you always have your inner child who’s desperate for fun, playful times. This project looks so fun that we cannot wait to to DIY one for ourselves!

Here’s a video tutorial on building a 17 ft flat-bottom skiff by World boat skiff !

This tutorial video features a step-by-step explanation of the process accompanied by documented images from throughout the process. The attention to detail is excellent, and you’ll definitely be able to replicate this design.

Now, if you don’t have a plan and are in the dark regarding the supplies and dimensions you need to build a wooden boat, look no further! We’ve got a perfect tutorial for you.

Will Shelton from Mother Earth News decided to clone a skiff his father built and has shared with his readers all the plans, designs, and dimensions for the project.

This is definitely one of the most detailed written tutorials for both DIY noobs and experts to follow. We hope Mr. Shelton’s tutorial will be a great help to you.

The description of the video says – This is not a ‘How-to’ series but a ‘Why you should’ series. To all the boating and boat DIY fanatics, you shouldn’t sleep on this content put out by Matt Dean Films .

This is just ‘Chapter one’ of the series, and the further chapters are expected to be published throughout 2022. Stay tuned!

For his fellow boat DIY enthusiasts, Msil3070 has shared all his plans and his entire DIY process in detail in this post on Instructables .

You can find all the materials, their dimensions , and tools required for the DIY at the beginning of the tutorial. The project took 4 months for Msil3070 to complete. Let us know how long it took for you!

The Youtubers from DIY Wooden Boat have built a professional-looking sleek wooden boat in this video. This DIY features a cold-molded hull.

While this is not a serious tutorial per se, you can definitely take ideas and inspiration from this video. What’s more, this channel features plenty of wooden boat DIYs and other boat-related videos. Boat fanatics will surely find them fascinating.

When it comes to ‘How-tos’, Wikihow never fails to deliver. If you’re a beginner in woodworking DIYs, this 12 ft by 30 inch and 11-inch deep canoe build tutorial using the stitch and glue method is perfect for your first boatbuilding project.

As always, every step of the process is elaborated in detail with clear illustrations. Also, don’t forget to check the tips and warning section at the end of the blog.

Clint Hauger, in this video, DIYs a 19ft Albion Skiff designed by Jeff Spira. The tutorial is in a slideshow format accompanied by a brief explanation of each step.

Everyone in the comment section is raving about how great the build is. This video is short yet extremely informative!

Learn how to build a 14’6’’ wooden V skiff by watching this video tutorial by Robin Hodgkinson. The original plan of this build was ‘Little Moby’ by Charles Wittholz to which many changes were made.

The Youtuber elaborates on steps involved, tips, tricks, successes, failures, and warnings in this video. He also shares the plans and designs at the beginning of the video. Overall, this video is surely worth the watch!

So, which among these 18 wood boat DIY ideas did you find most easy to replicate?

While it is important to be honest to yourself regarding your handyman skills while attempting DIYs like these, you can always start small to gain skill and confidence. Also, you can always request a pair of helping hands for the project.

Have you ever DIYed a boat? If yes, what was your experience? What are the Dos and Don’ts? Help fellow DIY enthusiasts out!

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Boats are expensive, so it’s worth the effort of making sure yours is properly protected when you’re not using it, but unfortunately, even the covers themselves don’t come cheap. However, there is a solution that will save you some money, and that’s to make your own. For anyone who wants to have a go, we’ve…

16 Homemade Boat Swim Platform You Can DIY Easily

If you’d ask us, a swim platform is a must for a boat! Just think about the good times you’ll have while dangling your feet in the mild water during the summer. The good news is that building a platform is not a difficult DIY project, especially if you’re experienced in woodworking or metalworking. Do…

17 Homemade Fishing Rod Holder For Boat Plans

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17 Homemade RC Boat Plans You Can DIY Easily

DIYing an RC boat can seem a bit scary at first, especially if you’re a DIY noob. But if you have a proper plan, tutorial, and a basic grasp on electronics, building an RC boat is a great DIY fun project for weekends. Be it for making your kids happy or pleasing your inner boat-fanatic…

16 Homemade Boat Blinds Plans You Can DIY Easily

If you’re getting your boat ready for the waterfowl hunting season, a boat blind is a must! The good news is that these blinds are complete DIY-friendly. All you have to do is build a frame and camouflage it. Sounds too simple, right? It’s because it really is! In this post, we’ve collected 17 best…

17 Homemade Boat Seats Plans You Can DIY Easily

Put your heart and soul into maintaining your boat and preventing its accessories from water and weather; the damage is inevitable. Sooner or later, you’ll notice your seats old, dirty, and ragged, and it is only human to want to replace them. The bad news is that boat seat costs you hundreds of dollars! But…

How To Build A Wooden Boat [Step By Step]

Building a wooden boat requires the right tools, materials, patience and information.

To build a wooden boat:

Collect all the materials and tools needed
Plan the boat layout and design
Create the center rib & transom
Create the boat frame
Add the seat rails & keel strip
Add the wood planks & seats
Add epoxy, sand & paint the boat

Building a wooden boat will take approximately 1 month when building a smaller wooden boat under 20 ft. and it will take 2 to 3 months when building a larger wooden boat over 20 ft.

The cost to build a wooden boat will range from $2,500 for a smaller wooden boat to over $3,500 to $5,000 for larger wooden boats. This cost includes all materials and tools needed for the build.

The largest cost when building a wooden boat is the cost of wood. The cheapest cost when building a wooden boat is the boat plans and designs.

The types of wooden boats that can be built include cabin cruisers, sailboats, canoes/kayaks, runabout outboard boats, paddle wheel & runabout inboard boats, novelty boats, houseboats, hydroplanes and race boats.

We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission.

1. Collect All The Materials & Tools Needed

The first step in building a wooden boat is the collect all the materials and tools need to complete the boat build.

The tools and materials needed to build a wooden boat are:

Wood : Boat builders will need to get all the wood needed for the build. Popular woods used to build a wooden boat are teak wood, oak and marine plywood for the boat's exterior and pine wood for the boat's interior. Pine is best used for the boat's interior since it has a nice color, finishes well and is light, thereby reducing the overall weight of the boat. The price of marine plywood ranges from $50 to $250 per sheet depending on the thickness and dimensions of the sheet
Screws : Boat builders will need many batches of screws to screw sections of the boat and wood together. A 100-screw pack will typically cost $10
Safety gloves & goggles : Boat builders will need safety gloves and goggles when operating tools. This will prevent sawdust and other materials from getting in the eyes. Safety gloves and goggles will cost approximately $25
Drills & saws : Boat builders will need drills and saws to cut wood and attach it to other wood pieces. Drills and saws will cost approximately $200 to $300
Wood sanding machine : Boat builders will need a wood sanding machine for sanding wood. A sanding machine will cost approximately $300 to $500
Epoxy resin : Boat builders can use epoxy resin on the wood material to protect the wood and help keep it waterproof. Epoxy resin costs approximately $70
Wooden boat paint : Boat builders will need marine wooden paint to paint the wooden boat and protect the wood from the elements. Marine paint will cost approximately $200
Boat designs & plans : Building a boat will require the boat builder to work from a boat plan. Boat builders can pick up over 500 boat plans for approximately $50
Varnish : Varnish will add protection and shine to the boat's interior wooden surfaces. Varnish will cost approximately $60

2. Plan The Boat Layout & Design

The second step in building a wooden boat is to plan the boat layout and design.

A boat builder will need boat designs, dimensions, and plans to build the exact wooden boat they want.

Boat builders can access 518 boat plans with 40 boat construction videos. This will provide the exact dimensions to build the majority of recreational wooden boats.

Finding the right boat plans and designs should take 20 minutes to do.

3. Create The Center Rib & Transom

The third step in building a wooden boat is to create the center rib and transom.

To create the center rib & transom:

Glue the hardwood floorboards together to create the transom
Sandwich the transom in between two flat pieces of wood or metal and then clamp it tight to make sure that the transom is flat. Use some kitchen wrap to make sure that the two pieces of wood do not get glued to the transom
Sand the pieces of wood that will be used for the center rib, glues them and clamp them before you glue them together.
Once the glue is dry, cut out the keel and chines

Creating the rib and transom will take a boat builder 2 to 3 hours. However, this timeframe will vary massively based on the size of the boat and the boat design.

4. Create The Boat Frame

The fourth step in building a wooden boat is to create the boat frame.

To create the boat frame:

Follow the boat design : Determine the size, shape, and style of your boat. This will dictate the number and spacing of frames required
Make a full-size drawing : A full-size drawing will help you to lay out the frames accurately. This can be done using paper, plywood or a computer program.
Cut the keel and stem : The keel and stem are the backbone of the boat. Cut them to the appropriate size and shape
Determine the frame spacing : Calculate the distance between each frame based on the size and shape of your boat. This will vary depending on the design chosen
Cut the frames : Use the full-size drawing to create a template for each frame. Trace the template onto the wood and cut out each frame
Install the frames : Place each frame in its designated location and secure it to the keel and stem using clamps or screws
Check the alignment : Ensure that each frame is aligned properly with the keel and stem. Adjust as necessary
Install the stringers : The stringers are the horizontal members that connect the frames. Install them in the appropriate location and secure them to the frames
Install the planking : The planking is the outer layer of the boat. Install it over the frames and stringers, securing it with screws or nails

Creating a frame for the boat will take approximately 3 to 5 hours to complete. However, this timeframe can vary based on the size of the vessel being built.

5. Add The Seat Rails & Keel Strip

The fifth step is to add the seat rails and keel strip. Then sand and patch the area.

To create the seat rails:

Determine the location and size of the seat rails : This will depend on the design of your boat and the type of seat you plan to install
Measure and cut the seat rails : Use a saw to cut the rails to the appropriate length. Ensure that they fit snugly into the boat
Sand the edges of the seat rails : Use sandpaper to smooth the edges of the seat rails
Install the seat rails : Secure the rails in place using screws or bolts making sure they are level and well-supported

To create the keel strip:

Determine the length of the keel strip : Measure the length of the keel and cut the keel strip to match
Sand the surface of the keel : Use sandpaper to roughen the surface of the keel. This will help the adhesive to bond more effectively
Apply the adhesive : Apply a marine-grade adhesive to the keel strip making sure to spread it evenly
Install the keel strip : Press the keel strip firmly onto the keel ensuring that it is centered and well-aligned

Creating the keel strip and seat rails will take approximately 1 to 2 days to complete. This will vary based on experience and the size and design of the boat being built.

6. Add The Wood Planks & Seats

The sixth step in building a wooden boat is to add wooden planks and seats.

To add wooden planks:

Prepare the planks : Cut the planks to the appropriate size and shape for your boat. If necessary, steam or soak the planks to make them more pliable and easier to work with
Apply glue to the frames and keel : Apply a marine-grade adhesive to the frames and keel where the planks will be installed
Install the planks : Begin at the bottom of the boat and work your way up. Place each plank onto the adhesive and secure it to the frames using clamps or screws
Repeat the process : Continue adding planks until the entire boat is covered. Be sure to sand each plank before installing the next one to ensure a smooth and even surface
Finish the planks : Once all of the planks are installed, sand the entire surface of the boat to smooth out any rough spots. Finish the planks with paint, varnish, or another protective coating.

To add the seats to the wooden boat:

Determine the location of the seats : Decide where you want to install the seats and mark the locations on the boat
Cut the seat supports : Cut pieces of wood to the appropriate size to serve as the supports for the seats
Install the seat supports : Secure the supports to the frames using screws or bolts. Ensure that they are level and well-supported
Cut the seat planks : Cut the seat planks to the appropriate size and shape. Sand the edges to ensure a smooth surface
Install the seat planks : Place the seat planks onto the supports and secure them using screws or bolts. Be sure to leave enough space for cushions or other seat padding
Finish the seats : Sand the surface of the seats to smooth out any rough spots. Finish the seats with paint, varnish or another protective coating

Adding wooden planks and seats to the boat will take 2 to 3 days to complete. This timeframe will vary based on the size and design of the wooden vessel.

7. Add Epoxy, Sand & Paint The Boat

The seventh step of building a wooden boat is the add epoxy, sand and paint the boat.

After the wooden boat has been constructed, adding epoxy, sanding, and painting it are important steps to protect the wood and provide a finished look.

Here are the general steps for adding epoxy, sanding, and painting a wooden boat:

Prepare the boat : Before adding epoxy, ensure that the boat is completely dry and free of any dust or debris. Cover any areas that you don't want to be coated with epoxy
Mix the epoxy : Follow the manufacturer's instructions to mix the epoxy resin and hardener. Use the recommended ratio of resin to hardener for the best results
Apply the epoxy : Using a brush, apply the epoxy to the boat's surface. Work in small sections, and apply enough epoxy to cover the surface without it running or dripping.
Sand the epoxy : After the epoxy has dried, use sandpaper to sand the surface smooth. Start with coarse grit sandpaper and work your way up to a finer grit sandpaper. Be sure to wear a mask and safety glasses to protect yourself from the dust
Clean the boat : After sanding, wipe down the boat with a clean, damp cloth to remove any dust
Paint the boat : Apply a marine-grade paint to the boat using a brush or spray gun. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for the best results. Allow the paint to dry completely before applying a second coat
Sand the painted surface : After the paint has dried, use a fine grit sandpaper to sand the surface of the boat. This will help the next coat of paint to adhere better
Apply additional coats of paint : Apply additional coats of paint as necessary, sanding between each coat. This will help to build up a smooth, even finish
Finish the boat : Once the final coat of paint has dried, inspect the boat for any rough spots or imperfections. Sand any areas that need attention, and touch up the paint as needed

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are the most commonly asked questions about building a wooden boat.

What Types Of Wood Are Used To Build A Wooden Boat?

The types of wood used to build a wooden boat are:

Natural Wood : Natural wood like teak, cedar, oak and tuatara are commonly used to build a wooden boat. They are hard and have natural chemicals that prevent marine animals from interfering with the boat's structure. Oak is the most popular hardwood used to build the wooden boat's exterior like the hull and keel area which are always exposed to the seawater
Plywood : Most amateur boat builders like to use marine plywood since it is easy to bend into the shapes that they want. It is also considerably cheaper than natural woods ‍
New Woods : Azobe, Iroko, Mahogany, Okoume Keruing and Merbau are popular new woods used in building wooden boats

The ideal wood is one that will is resistant to rot and will not allow marine wildlife to get inside and destroy the structure. The wood used to build a wooden boat should be Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.

The buoyancy of wood means that it will ride higher in the water.

The abrasion resistance of the wood will vary according to how dense and hard the wood is so typically hardwoods are used to make the exterior of the boat while softwoods are used for the boat's interior.

What Are The Best Types Of Wood To Build A Wooden Boat?

The best types of wood to build a wooden boat are teak wood and marine plywood as it is dense, hard, can handle stress and abuse from seawater, it can naturally bend and it contains natural chemicals that prevent rotting.

What Is The Worst Type Of Wood To Build A Wooden Boat?

The worst type of wood to build a wooden boat is pine wood on the exterior as pine wood will rot very fast. While pine wood is fine to use on a boat's interior, using it for constructing the exterior should be avoided.

What Are The Construction Methods Used To Build A Wooden Boat?

There are 5 main construction methods used to build a wooden boat which are:

Stitch & Tape : This is the simplest and fastest technique when it comes to building a boat. This construction method employs the use of plywood which is then “stitched” together using epoxy resin or glue and some other complex cuts to form the hull of the boat. You do not need specialized tools when using this method. Duct tape, copper wire and cable ties are popularly used to stitch the plywood together. If the boat is being built for marine waters, then copper wires are the best since they do not corrode easily. Once the boat has been stitched together, a thick layer of epoxy or fiberglass is used to keep water away from the “stitched” areas
Ply On Frame : This is another popular construction method that begins with the creation of a wooden frame commonly known as “ribs”. The next step is to build frame members which are joined to the ribs through slots. The individual frame members are the keelson which is a frame that runs down the center of the boat, the sheer clams which run at the top of each side of the boat and the chine log which are two frames that run along the bottom of the boat and curve up to join the sides of the hull. The joint is called a chine
Strip Planking (Carvel) : Strip Planking is a quick method of building a wooden boat since there is not much joining to be done. Narrow strips of wood and placed on forms and due to their narrow nature, they can easily be bent to form the shape of the boat. Once the shape of the boat is attained, the strips are then fastened together using strong epoxy adhesives(no fasters are needed in this technique). This is a method suitable for experienced boat builders and not amateurs. This is because there are several methods of strip planking and it should therefore be left to those who know how to go about it. The method is popularly used to create small vessels such as canoes
Clinker : This is a technique that uses planks of wood that overlap across the edges. This overlapping joint is called a “land”. Clinker, also called lapstreak, creates a boat that is generally lighter and easy to sail. There is less water being displaced along the sides of the hull, which increases the efficiency when the boat is moving. The use of this technique is also for the experts and not amateurs
Cold Molding : This is a method that uses two or more layers of wood to create the hull. This is a composite method and the wood is known as veneers. The veneers have different orientations, resulting in a powerful hull similar to one made of fiberglass but are much lighter in weight. The orientation is 45 degrees from the center line of the veneer and is also referred to as the double-diagonal method. Cold molding may simply use the layers of veneers or has basic strip planking layers, followed by the veneers. Cold molding is used to create all types of boats, from small boats to large wooden superyachts. To build a boat, the builder uses different woods to put more density in areas of high stress and makes the low-stress areas such as the bow and stern out of lighter veneers

The most popular construction method used to build a wooden boat is the stick & tape method, also known as the "tack and tape method".

How Do You Waterproof A Wooden Boat When Building It?

To waterproof a wooden boat:

Prepare the wood for applying waterproof materials : Make sure that there are no loose layers of wood shavings or others finishes by properly sanding the wood on the boat. Start off with a rough sandpaper to remove the loose parts and then use a fine one to give the wood a fine smooth finish
Apply the sealing compound : Using a brush, apply a marine-grade epoxy sealant. Make sure the coats dry completely before applying a second or third coat of the sealant to the wood
Let the wood cure : A marine-grade epoxy sealant can take up to 7 days to fully cure. Read the instructions on your specific epoxy sealant for exact timeframes but allow for up to 7 days

Although the wooden boat is now waterproofed, it's important that you periodically remove the boat from the water, typically every 2 months, and inspect the wood to make sure that there are no moisture-laden surfaces.

This way, the wooden boat is not exposed to water and moisture for a long time.

What Are The Benefits Of Building A Wooden Boat?

The benefits of building a wooden boat are:

It costs less money : Building a wooden boat is 30% to 40% cheaper than buying a wooden boat
Better customizability : Wooden boats can be designed and built to suit individual preferences and needs allowing for a high degree of customization. This can be especially important for those who plan to use the boat for specific purposes such as fishing or leisure activities
Aesthetic appeal : Wooden boats are known for their classic and timeless beauty. The natural grain and texture of the wood can give the boat a warm and inviting appearance
Sense of personal fulfillment : Building a wooden boat can be a challenging and rewarding experience that allows individuals to learn new skills and develop a sense of personal fulfillment
Ease of repair : Wooden boats can be easier to repair than boats made of other materials. If a section of the boat is damaged, it can often be replaced or repaired without having to replace the entire boat

What Are The Disadvantages Of Building A Wooden Boat?

The disadvantages of building a wooden boat are:

Vulnerability to water damage : Wood is prone to water damage which can cause rotting and cracking. If not properly maintained, this can lead to boat structural problems and ultimately compromise the safety of the vessel
Higher maintenance costs : Wooden boats require more maintenance than boats made of other materials. They need to be regularly inspected, sanded, painted, and varnished to prevent water damage and maintain their appearance
Fire hazard : Wood is a combustible material making wooden boats more susceptible to fires. This can be a safety hazard and increase insurance costs
Susceptibility to pests : Wooden boats are more susceptible to pests like termites and woodworms which can weaken the structure of the boat and require costly repairs

What Should Be Avoided When Building A Wooden Boat?

When building a wooden boat, avoid:

Building a boat without a plan : Boat builders should avoid building a wooden boat without following a plan with design drawings and dimensions
Using poor quality materials : When building a wooden boat, avoid using low-quality materials to construct the boat as this will become problematic when the boat is out on the water
Not adding a protective coating : When building a wooden boat, avoid not adding a protective coating to the wood and this will leave it exposed to the harsh marine environment
Rushing the building process : Building a wooden boat takes time and patience. Rushing the process can lead to mistakes, poor craftsmanship, and other problems that can affect the boat's quality and safety

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Home » LIST of WOODEN BOAT PLANS – By Michael Storer » 15 1/2 ft Rowboat Easy Build in Plywood

15 1/2 ft Rowboat Easy Build in Plywood

The Storer Rowboat is a pretty and fairly fast plywood rowboat plan that is easy to build. The shape is derived from the famous Goat Island Skiff sailboat plan which rows fast without much effort. This rowboat will be fast and responsive under oars.

Buy Rowboat Plans Here $75

Basic Dimensions of MSD Plywood Rowboat Plan

Length 15 ft 6 inches x 4ft beam Estimated weight 90lbs Plans $75 including detailed instructions

Payload – one person – second person or a couple of children and picnic things are OK too.
A swift rowing boat for one person – with the capability of carrying an extra person (or two if they are not toooo heavy) for fishing or picnics.
Easy construction – but an easily driven shape that is rewarding to row.
Large enclosed buoyancy for safety – 8ft oars no outriggers

PDF Plans by email – $75. See list of agents top left on this page or click here .

There is a report about one being built here on the OZ woodwork forums.. And now another one And another one

General Comments about the Storer Rowboat.

This design has had a very long gestation – over two years. My normal well-documented plans were around half way finished and I just couldn’t continue with this boat for oars – a sure sign there was something I wasn’t quite happy with. I scrapped the whole thing and started again a few weeks ago.

Generally I don’t design boats to order. In this case two emails from old boatbuilding friends prompted the development of this boat for oars. Initially I headed in the direction of something much more racey. But then realised that Peter and Richard wanted speed but with more flexibility.

The racey version was finally rejected when Peter asked me about where he was going to cut the bait!

So it evolved in a more sensible direction.

The front and back seats take up a lot of the boat length for a safety factor. But also to push the passengers toward the middle of the boat so the stern and bow do not drag. The middle seat is very wide so there can be two sets of rowlock sockets – front one for when there is a passenger in the back. It can be used for storage or batteries if using a electric trolling outboard.

The Never Ending Dory

For some time I had thought of using the Goat Island Skiff (GIS) design as the basis for a plywood rowboat – more slender, lighter, lower. Thus catching the wind less.

Here were the models of the GIS with the Rowboat plan prototype. Not to same scale. they are the same length.

Stability under oars

It also is a response to the number of lightweight plywood dory designs that are around these days. Old dories weighed hundreds of pounds and were around 20ft long overall and are reputed to need a good load of fish to make them into stable platforms under oars. Consequently shrink them and lighten them and the stability drops off very rapidly. This plywood Rowboat has ample.

Tom really wanted to show this to me under oars when I met him north of Newcastle for the photos.

Why we didn’t use a dory as a base for the Rowboat plan.

First of all … there are too many dory designs. Many of them nondescript.

Of the modern, shorter, lightweight dorys, the better ones of the modern kind paddle very easily but are tender until you have a load aboard and their speed under oars is limited by the short waterline. The worse ones are so twitchy as to be almost useless.

Some try to fudge a dory shape by having curved clinker sides. But then you lose the simplicity. This rowboat is not really suited to wavey oceans, though one who uses his off the coast of Maine enjoys it. Most will be used in estuaries are rivers where there is a chop.

Tom under oars.

Talking with the Row Boat Designer: The Emails from Peter

Peter wrote:

On thinking about the rowing boat brief…. n o, dash it all NO passengers, if she wants to come we’ll go in Gruff (ie the Goat Island Skiff) or the canoe! Sooo… two sheets of ply long, needs to be a bit more utilitarian than a shell, so that one can cast a line or pick up a crab pot. But really it’s a boat for the sheer pleasure of going for a row. I don’t know too much about rowing properly, but a sliding seat option may be ok?? Has to be pretty, which is why I’m keen for you to look at it! The Goat Island Skiff with a foot out of the beam??

My response: Was to say, yes, yes, yes – but Richard had slightly different criteria as far as payload.

And from Richard, the other client.

Richard wrote:

For efficient rowing on the river (Murray) – so against current, some chop, wake from power boats, but not open ocean or rough water. Come to think of it, the wake thrown up by your average yahoo driven ski boat probably qualifies for ‘rough water’. Especially as I’ll often have my little daughter in the ‘boss’s seat’. Will be used for fishing (I sit when I fish in a boat) and exploring. Cheap to build without sacrificing usability. Light – although this boat will be carried on a trailer, it will be launched and recovered from river banks, not boat ramps. Light enough to car top or for one person to carry would be nice but not essential. I’m after a tough, light, utility boat, not an ultra-light weapon. Enough floatation for safety if swamped – I’m not some panic merchant who expects it to float on its water line when full of water – just high enough to get back into.

My Response: Again – Yes. A move toward general use as Richard describes willl also make the plans more interesting to more people.

She will float a little deep with three aboard. But keeping the base of the transom narrow and shallow any bad effects will be minimal. I think she will prefer to carry three lighter individuals or a heavier adult a lighter adult and a child. Truthfully she will be at her best one up.

A Quick Model to give us an idea of the actual shape the rowboat plan was converging on

I drew up shape on the computer and emailed some panel outlines so models could be made by both interested parties – they are both experienced boatbuilders.

The photos of the plywood rowboat plan model arrived the next morning! Peter whipped it up overnight and photographed it with the red timber glowing in the morning light. The white boat is the model of the Goat Island Skiff that Peter built years ago. Scale is approximately similar.

The version that has been developed since has more side panel flare to give a larger beam for more stability and to carry 8ft oars without outriggers.

Boat Aesthetics

Both Peter and Richard were quite happy with the appearance from the model – as was I.

On double checking the dimensions and found that the bow had crept up too high – almost 500mm above the waterline – it would have caught the wind very badly – so it has been reduced but with a fraction more sheer in the stern. The wireframe drawing reflects the current shape.

Technical thinking about the Plywood Rowboat

It is interesting to compare the shape of the rowboat with the Goat Island Skiff (GIS – below) which was based around an excellent sailing performance.

You can easily see the difference in volume and height from the water.

. Both are simple hullshapes, but rowboats have much less power available.

Wetted Surface

Reduced in the plywood rowboat by narrowing the width of the bottom throughout relative to the GIS particularly in the stern. It was tempting to go toward a canoe stern, but it would sink heavily when a passenger was in the back seat. And stability would be reduced for other uses.

Bottom width

Reduced but the width at the gunwale retained to provide a good base for oars. Oar length is approximately twice the beam so if the beam becomes too small then the oars have to shrink too – for less efficiency.

Prismatic co-efficient (C P )

A measure of how much volume is in the ends of the boat. Light sailing boats like the sail powered GIS can easily average 6 to 8 knots so need extra volume in the stern and bow at speed. The plywood rowboat will only ever get up to around 3.5 to 4 knots so the C P needs to be lower. It was hard to achieve the exact numbers required because of the transom width so we have gone as far as possible. Getting rid of the passenger and having a canoe stern would make it easier to get the right numbers.

It ends up looking quite a delicate little thing.

Naming Rights

The MSD Rowing Skiff is a rowing boat derived from the Goat Island Skiff with less beam and less windage making it nicer as a wooden rowboat.

I haven’t come up with the right name for this boat yet so it remains the MSD Rowing Skiff. It actually fits nicely within my range – some people build the Goat Island Skiff to serve as a rowboat where it is more than adequate when fitted with a skeg. But where less capacity, more speed for the same effort and the ability to cartop (narrower and lighter) is more important the Rowing Skiff will be more suitable. Plans are $75 and the boat will use up 4 sheets of 6mm ply. Agents listed top left of every page.

10 thoughts on “15 1/2 ft Rowboat Easy Build in Plywood”

Hi Michael!

Sailing is my passion. I love the design of the GIS, but I need something lighter. I would want to use a balanced lug rig. Any suggestions you might have, I would certainly appreciate!

Fair winds!

The GIS is probably the lightest boat in its class and is significantly lighter than most boats with the same capacity. Often half or a third of the weight of similar boats. Not many 130lb 16ft boats that will take four adults and still sail really well.

To get less weight you will have to go smaller and with less capacity. That is part of the reason I’ve been drawn to design sailing canoes. People do want lighter and more portable boats. So to cut the width and capacity makes a huge weight savings.

Of my range there is the Viola canoe for one person sailing. And the Kombi Canoe for two.

Best Regards Michael

Hello, I’m interested in this rowboat – I fly fish on a small lake, seated in a rowboat, so I prefer low side panels like this one. A few questions: 1) is it a stitch and glue construction? 2) how is it kept water tight? Fiberglassed seams? 3) can it be built with standard plywood? I’d like to keep costs down. Thanks, Michael Hamilton, Kanata, ON, CA

Hi Michael.

If you decide to go ahead with a stitch and glue version please contact me for a revised bottom panel. The current panel for the framed construction is drawn a little oversized and is trimmed after. With stitch and glue, it needs to be accurate.

To make the seams with stitch and glue the outside gets glassed with 2″/50mm wide glass tape.

On the inside, there are several options. Epoxy fillets. Glass tape. Or tiny fillets and glass tape which allows the glass on the inside to take a better radius.

The side arms on the bulkheads should not be omitted.

Yes… you can build with standard ply but the weight of the boat will be about 25% more than the gaboon/okoume plywood version. That is OK. The main thing is to make sure the standard ply is reasonable quality. Don’t use Douglas Fir ply as it checks badly – gets surface cracks in the paint after building.

Can this row boat be easily converted to a sail boat?

It could be. I would recommend a centrecase and centreboard. I can help provide information to make it into an excellent sailboat. Please email me to talk about what you want to do and if it is feasible.

Best Regards Michael Storer [email protected]

Twist my arm a little on the two people in the boat aspect. Let’s assume that folks aren’t overweight, a 165 pound rower and 120 pound guest aft. OK? Any pictures with two people aboard? I’m told I’m to mention that I’m a member of the Coots-

There are some assumptions in the design. Certainly the wide stern compared to many rowing boats will make it somewhat better in terms of the trim not becoming crazy with a passenger in a narrower stern.

My assumption was, that when there was a passenger the idea would be to relax, chat, sightsee etc. So the compensation mechanism is that very wide rowing thwart. Solo … sit conventionally.

Cruising – move as far forward as possible on the wide mid seat (alternate rowlock position) to compensate for the person in the stern.

If wanting to get to places with two aboard then a 10 litre water jug in the bow would pull the bow down … and could only be shipped, filled and emptied when actually needed.

If building a version, like many rowboats, without buoyancy tanks the seat could move to different locations. Would still need the mid frame, but it could be moved further forward to be out of the way of all the mid seat locations.

INTERESTED, PLANS FOR 15-1/2 ROW BOAT WHAT THICKNESS IS PLYWOOD ? AND CAN I USE HEAVER ?

THANK YOU GIL HART

Plan is for 6mm (1/4″) plywood. Preferably Gaboon to keep the weight down.

There has been one built with 4mm sides and other components and the 6mm bottom.

10 Reasons to Visit Yekaterinburg

The city pond on the river Iset, Yekaterinburg

Known as Sverdlovsk during the Soviet era, Yekaterinburg is located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. Russia’s third city might be a little more subdued than Moscow but is has plenty of culture and urban romanticism to offer. Here are 10 reasons you should buy your ticket to Yekaterinburg right now.

Unique architectural environment, glorious music scene, industrial heritage.

Russia’s best city for business and investment, Yekaterinburg is often referred to as the unofficial capital of the Urals – the region, where Russia’s largest metallurgical enterprises are concentrated. Metal produced by Yekaterinburg plants was used to build some of the world’s most illustrious landmarks: New York’s Statue of Liberty , the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Houses of Parliament in London. You can learn about the city’s industrial past (and present as well) on one of many city tours and hear about Yekaterinburg’s first metallurgical plant, built in 1704, and see the legendary Uralmash with your own eyes.

Exceptional museums

Memorial, Museum, Theater

Vibrant art scene

Become a Culture Tripper!

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Dramatic past

Great outdoors, world’s shortest metro.

First opened in 1991, Yekaterinburg Metro was considered the shortest in the world and even got a mention in the Guinness Book of Records . Now it has several stations and the ride from the first to the last will take you only 19 minutes, but be sure to stop and take a closer look at each of them – they are all unique and exceptionally beautiful.

Gemstones and jewellery

Once rich in gemstones and minerals, the Ural Mountains, and Yekaterinburg as the region’s main city, have become a center for jewelry trade, known for brilliant craftsmen, carving masterpieces out of gemstones. You can still hear some beautiful legends, the Mistress of Copper Mountain being the most popular and visit many very real shops, selling locally made jewellery.

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Places - European, Western and Northern Russia

YEKATERINBURG: FACTORIES, URAL SIGHTS, YELTSIN AND THE WHERE NICHOLAS II WAS KILLED

Sverdlovsk oblast.

Sverdlovsk Oblast is the largest region in the Urals; it lies in the foothills of mountains and contains a monument indicating the border between Europe and Asia. The region covers 194,800 square kilometers (75,200 square miles), is home to about 4.3 million people and has a population density of 22 people per square kilometer. About 83 percent of the population live in urban areas. Yekaterinburg is the capital and largest city, with 1.5 million people. For Russians, the Ural Mountains are closely associated with Pavel Bazhov's tales and known for folk crafts such as Kasli iron sculpture, Tagil painting, and copper embossing. Yekaterinburg is the birthplace of Russia’s iron and steel industry, taking advantage of the large iron deposits in the Ural mountains. The popular Silver Ring of the Urals tourist route starts here.

In the summer you can follow in the tracks of Yermak, climb relatively low Ural mountain peaks and look for boulders seemingly with human faces on them. You can head to the Gemstone Belt of the Ural mountains, which used to house emerald, amethyst and topaz mines. In the winter you can go ice fishing, ski and cross-country ski.

Sverdlovsk Oblast and Yekaterinburg are located near the center of Russia, at the crossroads between Europe and Asia and also the southern and northern parts of Russia. Winters are longer and colder than in western section of European Russia. Snowfalls can be heavy. Winter temperatures occasionally drop as low as - 40 degrees C (-40 degrees F) and the first snow usually falls in October. A heavy winter coat, long underwear and good boots are essential. Snow and ice make the sidewalks very slippery, so footwear with a good grip is important. Since the climate is very dry during the winter months, skin moisturizer plus lip balm are recommended. Be alert for mud on street surfaces when snow cover is melting (April-May). Patches of mud create slippery road conditions.

Yekaterinburg

Yekaterinburg (kilometer 1818 on the Trans-Siberian Railway) is the fourth largest city in Russia, with of 1.5 million and growth rate of about 12 percent, high for Russia. Located in the southern Ural mountains, it was founded by Peter the Great and named after his wife Catherine, it was used by the tsars as a summer retreat and is where tsar Nicholas II and his family were executed and President Boris Yeltsin lived most of his life and began his political career. The city is near the border between Europe and Asia.

Yekaterinburg (also spelled Ekaterinburg) is located on the eastern slope of the Ural Mountains in the headwaters of the Iset and Pyshma Rivers. The Iset runs through the city center. Three ponds — Verkh-Isetsky, Gorodskoy and Nizhne-Isetsky — were created on it. Yekaterinburg has traditionally been a city of mining and was once the center of the mining industry of the Urals and Siberia. Yekaterinburg remains a major center of the Russian armaments industry and is sometimes called the "Pittsburgh of Russia.". A few ornate, pastel mansions and wide boulevards are reminders of the tsarist era. The city is large enough that it has its own Metro system but is characterized mostly by blocky Soviet-era apartment buildings. The city has advanced under President Vladimir Putin and is now one of the fastest growing places in Russia, a country otherwise characterized by population declines

Yekaterinburg is technically an Asian city as it lies 32 kilometers east of the continental divide between Europe and Asia. The unofficial capital of the Urals, a key region in the Russian heartland, it is second only to Moscow in terms of industrial production and capital of Sverdlovsk oblast. Among the important industries are ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, machine building and metalworking, chemical and petrochemicals, construction materials and medical, light and food industries. On top of being home of numerous heavy industries and mining concerns, Yekaterinburg is also a major center for industrial research and development and power engineering as well as home to numerous institutes of higher education, technical training, and scientific research. In addition, Yekaterinburg is the largest railway junction in Russia: the Trans-Siberian Railway passes through it, the southern, northern, western and eastern routes merge in the city.

Accommodation: There are two good and affordable hotels — the 3-star Emerald and Parus hotels — located close to the city's most popular landmarks and main transport interchanges in the center of Yekaterinburg. Room prices start at RUB 1,800 per night.

History of Yekaterinburg

Yekaterinburg was founded in 1723 by Peter the Great and named after his wife Catherine I. It was used by the tsars as a summer retreat but was mainly developed as metalworking and manufacturing center to take advantage of the large deposits of iron and other minerals in the Ural mountains. It is best known to Americans as the place where the last Tsar and his family were murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918 and near where American U-2 spy plane, piloted by Gary Powers, was shot down in 1960.

Peter the Great recognized the importance of the iron and copper-rich Urals region for Imperial Russia's industrial and military development. In November 1723, he ordered the construction of a fortress factory and an ironworks in the Iset River Valley, which required a dam for its operation. In its early years Yekaterinburg grew rich from gold and other minerals and later coal. The Yekaterinburg gold rush of 1745 created such a huge amount of wealth that one rich baron of that time hosted a wedding party that lasted a year. By the mid-18th century, metallurgical plants had sprung up across the Urals to cast cannons, swords, guns and other weapons to arm Russia’s expansionist ambitions. The Yekaterinburg mint produced most of Russia's coins. Explorations of the Trans-Baikal and Altai regions began here in the 18th century.

Iron, cast iron and copper were the main products. Even though Iron from the region went into the Eiffel Tower, the main plant in Yekaterinburg itself was shut down in 1808. The city still kept going through a mountain factory control system of the Urals. The first railway in the Urals was built here: in 1878, the Yekaterinburg-Perm railway branch connected the province's capital with the factories of the Middle Urals.

In the Soviet era the city was called Sverdlovsk (named after Yakov Sverdlov, the man who organized Nicholas II's execution). During the first five-year plans the city became industrial — old plants were reconstructed, new ones were built. The center of Yekaterinburg was formed to conform to the historical general plan of 1829 but was the layout was adjusted around plants and factories. In the Stalin era the city was a major gulag transhipment center. In World War II, many defense-related industries were moved here. It and the surrounding area were a center of the Soviet Union's military industrial complex. Soviet tanks, missiles and aircraft engines were made in the Urals. During the Cold War era, Yekaterinburg was a center of weapons-grade uranium enrichment and processing, warhead assembly and dismantlement. In 1979, 64 people died when anthrax leaked from a biological weapons facility. Yekaterinburg was a “Closed City” for 40 years during the Cold Soviet era and was not open to foreigners until 1991

In the early post-Soviet era, much like Pittsburgh in the 1970s, Yekaterinburg had a hard struggle d to cope with dramatic economic changes that have made its heavy industries uncompetitive on the world market. Huge defense plants struggled to survive and the city was notorious as an organized crime center in the 1990s, when its hometown boy Boris Yeltsin was President of Russia. By the 2000s, Yekaterinburg’s retail and service was taking off, the defense industry was reviving and it was attracting tech industries and investments related to the Urals’ natural resources. By the 2010s it was vying to host a world exhibition in 2020 (it lost, Dubai won) and it had McDonald’s, Subway, sushi restaurants, and Gucci, Chanel and Armani. There were Bentley and Ferrari dealerships but they closed down

Transportation in Yekaterinburg

Getting There: By Plane: Yekaterinburg is a three-hour flight from Moscow with prices starting at RUB 8,000, or a 3-hour flight from Saint Petersburg starting from RUB 9,422 (direct round-trip flight tickets for one adult passenger). There are also flights from Frankfurt, Istanbul, China and major cities in the former Soviet Union.

By Train: Yekaterinburg is a major stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Daily train service is available to Moscow and many other Russian cities.Yekaterinburg is a 32-hour train ride from Moscow (tickets RUB 8,380 and above) or a 36-hour train ride from Saint Petersburg (RUB 10,300 and above). The ticket prices are round trip for a berth in a sleeper compartment for one adult passenger). By Car: a car trip from Moscow to Yekateringburg is 1,787 kilometers long and takes about 18 hours. The road from Saint Petersburg is 2,294 kilometers and takes about 28 hours.

Regional Transport: The region's public transport includes buses and suburban electric trains. Regional trains provide transport to larger cities in the Ural region. Buses depart from Yekaterinburg’s two bus stations: the Southern Bus Station and the Northern Bus Station.

Regional Transport: According the to Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT): “Public transportation is well developed. Overcrowding is common. Fares are low. Service is efficient. Buses are the main form of public transport. Tram network is extensive. Fares are reasonable; service is regular. Trams are heavily used by residents, overcrowding is common. Purchase ticket after boarding. Metro runs from city center to Uralmash, an industrial area south of the city. Metro ends near the main railway station. Fares are inexpensive.

“Traffic is congested in city center. Getting around by car can be difficult. Route taxis (minivans) provide the fastest transport. They generally run on specific routes, but do not have specific stops. Drivers stop where passengers request. Route taxis can be hailed. Travel by bus or trolleybuses may be slow in rush hour. Trams are less affected by traffic jams. Trolley buses (electric buses) cannot run when temperatures drop below freezing.”

Entertainment, Sports and Recreation in Yekaterinburg

The performing arts in Yekaterinburg are first rate. The city has an excellent symphony orchestra, opera and ballet theater, and many other performing arts venues. Tickets are inexpensive. The Yekaterinburg Opera and Ballet Theater is lavishly designed and richly decorated building in the city center of Yekaterinburg. The theater was established in 1912 and building was designed by architect Vladimir Semyonov and inspired by the Vienna Opera House and the Theater of Opera and Ballet in Odessa.

Vaynera Street is a pedestrian only shopping street in city center with restaurants, cafes and some bars. But otherwise Yekaterinburg's nightlife options are limited. There are a handful of expensive Western-style restaurants and bars, none of them that great. Nightclubs serve the city's nouveau riche clientele. Its casinos have closed down. Some of them had links with organized crime. New dance clubs have sprung up that are popular with Yekaterinburg's more affluent youth.

Yekaterinburg's most popular spectator sports are hockey, basketball, and soccer. There are stadiums and arenas that host all three that have fairly cheap tickets. There is an indoor water park and lots of parks and green spaces. The Urals have many lakes, forests and mountains are great for hiking, boating, berry and mushroom hunting, swimming and fishing. Winter sports include cross-country skiing and ice skating. Winter lasts about six months and there’s usually plenty of snow. The nearby Ural Mountains however are not very high and the downhill skiing opportunities are limited..

Sights in Yekaterinburg

Sights in Yekaterinburg include the Museum of City Architecture and Ural Industry, with an old water tower and mineral collection with emeralds. malachite, tourmaline, jasper and other precious stone; Geological Alley, a small park with labeled samples of minerals found in the Urals region; the Ural Geology Museum, which houses an extensive collection of stones, gold and gems from the Urals; a monument marking the border between Europe and Asia; a memorial for gulag victims; and a graveyard with outlandish memorials for slain mafia members.

The Military History Museum houses the remains of the U-2 spy plane shot down in 1960 and locally made tanks and rocket launchers. The fine arts museum contains paintings by some of Russia's 19th-century masters. Also worth a look are the History an Local Studies Museum; the Political History and Youth Museum; and the University and Arboretum. Old wooden houses can be seen around Zatoutstovsya ulitsa and ulitsa Belinskogo. Around the city are wooded parks, lakes and quarries used to harvest a variety of minerals. Weiner Street is the main street of Yekaterinburg. Along it are lovely sculptures and 19th century architecture. Take a walk around the unique Literary Quarter

Plotinka is a local meeting spot, where you will often find street musicians performing. Plotinka can be described as the center of the city's center. This is where Yekaterinburg holds its biggest events: festivals, seasonal fairs, regional holiday celebrations, carnivals and musical fountain shows. There are many museums and open-air exhibitions on Plotinka. Plotinka is named after an actual dam of the city pond located nearby (“plotinka” means “a small dam” in Russian).In November 1723, Peter the Great ordered the construction of an ironworks in the Iset River Valley, which required a dam for its operation. “Iset” can be translated from Finnish as “abundant with fish”. This name was given to the river by the Mansi — the Finno-Ugric people dwelling on the eastern slope of the Northern Urals.

Vysotsky and Iset are skyscrapers that are 188.3 meters and 209 meters high, respectively. Fifty-story-high Iset has been described by locals as the world’s northernmost skyscraper. Before the construction of Iset, Vysotsky was the tallest building of Yekaterinburg and Russia (excluding Moscow). A popular vote has decided to name the skyscraper after the famous Soviet songwriter, singer and actor Vladimir Vysotsky. and the building was opened on November 25, 2011. There is a lookout at the top of the building, and the Vysotsky museum on its second floor. The annual “Vysotsky climb” (1137 steps) is held there, with a prize of RUB 100,000. While Vysotsky serves as an office building, Iset, owned by the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company, houses 225 premium residential apartments ranging from 80 to 490 square meters in size.

Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center

The Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center (in the city center: ul. Yeltsina, 3) is a non-governmental organization named after the first president of the Russian Federation. The Museum of the First President of Russia as well as his archives are located in the Center. There is also a library, educational and children's centers, and exposition halls. Yeltsin lived most of his life and began his political career in Yekaterinburg. He was born in Butka about 200 kilometers east of Yekaterinburg.

The core of the Center is the Museum. Modern multimedia technologies help animate the documents, photos from the archives, and artifacts. The Yeltsin Museum holds collections of: propaganda posters, leaflets, and photos of the first years of the Soviet regime; portraits and portrait sculptures of members of Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of various years; U.S.S.R. government bonds and other items of the Soviet era; a copy of “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, published in the “Novy Mir” magazine (#11, 1962); perestroika-era editions of books by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Vasily Grossman, and other authors; theater, concert, and cinema posters, programs, and tickets — in short, all of the artifacts of the perestroika era.

The Yeltsin Center opened in 2012. Inside you will also find an art gallery, a bookstore, a gift shop, a food court, concert stages and a theater. There are regular screenings of unique films that you will not find anywhere else. Also operating inside the center, is a scientific exploritorium for children. The center was designed by Boris Bernaskoni. Almost from the its very opening, the Yeltsin Center has been accused by members of different political entities of various ideological crimes. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00am to 9:00pm.

Where Nicholas II was Executed

On July, 17, 1918, during this reign of terror of the Russian Civil War, former-tsar Nicholas II, his wife, five children (the 13-year-old Alexis, 22-year-old Olga, 19-year-old Maria and 17-year-old Anastasia)the family physician, the cook, maid, and valet were shot to death by a Red Army firing squad in the cellar of the house they were staying at in Yekaterinburg.

Ipatiev House (near Church on the Blood, Ulitsa Libknekhta) was a merchant's house where Nicholas II and his family were executed. The house was demolished in 1977, on the orders of an up and coming communist politician named Boris Yeltsin. Yeltsin later said that the destruction of the house was an "act of barbarism" and he had no choice because he had been ordered to do it by the Politburo,

The site is marked with s cross with the photos of the family members and cross bearing their names. A small wooden church was built at the site. It contains paintings of the family. For a while there were seven traditional wooden churches. Mass is given ay noon everyday in an open-air museum. The Church on the Blood — constructed to honor Nicholas II and his family — was built on the part of the site in 1991 and is now a major place of pilgrimage.

Nicholas and his family where killed during the Russian civil war. It is thought the Bolsheviks figured that Nicholas and his family gave the Whites figureheads to rally around and they were better of dead. Even though the death orders were signed Yakov Sverdlov, the assassination was personally ordered by Lenin, who wanted to get them out of sight and out of mind. Trotsky suggested a trial. Lenin nixed the idea, deciding something had to be done about the Romanovs before White troops approached Yekaterinburg. Trotsky later wrote: "The decision was not only expedient but necessary. The severity of he punishment showed everyone that we would continue to fight on mercilessly, stopping at nothing."

Ian Frazier wrote in The New Yorker: “Having read a lot about the end of Tsar Nicholas II and his family and servants, I wanted to see the place in Yekaterinburg where that event occurred. The gloomy quality of this quest depressed Sergei’s spirits, but he drove all over Yekaterinburg searching for the site nonetheless. Whenever he stopped and asked a pedestrian how to get to the house where Nicholas II was murdered, the reaction was a wince. Several people simply walked away. But eventually, after a lot of asking, Sergei found the location. It was on a low ridge near the edge of town, above railroad tracks and the Iset River. The house, known as the Ipatiev House, was no longer standing, and the basement where the actual killings happened had been filled in. I found the blankness of the place sinister and dizzying. It reminded me of an erasure done so determinedly that it had worn a hole through the page. [Source: Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, August 3, 2009, Frazier is author of “Travels in Siberia” (2010)]

“The street next to the site is called Karl Liebknecht Street. A building near where the house used to be had a large green advertisement that said, in English, “LG—Digitally Yours.” On an adjoining lot, a small chapel kept the memory of the Tsar and his family; beneath a pedestal holding an Orthodox cross, peonies and pansies grew. The inscription on the pedestal read, “We go down on our knees, Russia, at the foot of the tsarist cross.”

Books: The Romanovs: The Final Chapter by Robert K. Massie (Random House, 1995); The Fall of the Romanovs by Mark D. Steinberg and Vladimir Khrustalëv (Yale, 1995);

See Separate Article END OF NICHOLAS II factsanddetails.com

Execution of Nicholas II

According to Robert Massie K. Massie, author of Nicholas and Alexandra, Nicholas II and his family were awakened from their bedrooms around midnight and taken to the basement. They were told they were to going to take some photographs of them and were told to stand behind a row of chairs.

Suddenly, a group of 11 Russians and Latvians, each with a revolver, burst into the room with orders to kill a specific person. Yakob Yurovsky, a member of the Soviet executive committee, reportedly shouted "your relatives are continuing to attack the Soviet Union.” After firing, bullets bouncing off gemstones hidden in the corsets of Alexandra and her daughters ricocheted around the room like "a shower of hail," the soldiers said. Those that were still breathing were killed with point black shots to the head.

The three sisters and the maid survived the first round thanks to their gems. They were pressed up against a wall and killed with a second round of bullets. The maid was the only one that survived. She was pursued by the executioners who stabbed her more than 30 times with their bayonets. The still writhing body of Alexis was made still by a kick to the head and two bullets in the ear delivered by Yurovsky himself.

Yurovsky wrote: "When the party entered I told the Romanovs that in view of the fact their relatives continued their offensive against Soviet Russia, the Executive Committee of the Urals Soviet had decided to shoot them. Nicholas turned his back to the detachment and faced his family. Then, as if collecting himself, he turned around, asking, 'What? What?'"

"[I] ordered the detachment to prepare. Its members had been previously instructed whom to shoot and to am directly at the heart to avoid much blood and to end more quickly. Nicholas said no more. he turned again to his family. The others shouted some incoherent exclamations. All this lasted a few seconds. Then commenced the shooting, which went on for two or three minutes. [I] killed Nicholas on the spot."

Nicholas II’s Initial Burial Site in Yekaterinburg

Ganina Yama Monastery (near the village of Koptyaki, 15 kilometers northwest of Yekaterinburg) stands near the three-meter-deep pit where some the remains of Nicholas II and his family were initially buried. The second burial site — where most of the remains were — is in a field known as Porosyonkov (56.9113628°N 60.4954326°E), seven kilometers from Ganina Yama.

On visiting Ganina Yama Monastery, one person posted in Trip Advisor: “We visited this set of churches in a pretty park with Konstantin from Ekaterinburg Guide Centre. He really brought it to life with his extensive knowledge of the history of the events surrounding their terrible end. The story is so moving so unless you speak Russian, it is best to come here with a guide or else you will have no idea of what is what.”

In 1991, the acid-burned remains of Nicholas II and his family were exhumed from a shallow roadside mass grave in a swampy area 12 miles northwest of Yekaterinburg. The remains had been found in 1979 by geologist and amateur archeologist Alexander Avdonin, who kept the location secret out of fear that they would be destroyed by Soviet authorities. The location was disclosed to a magazine by one his fellow discovers.

The original plan was to throw the Romanovs down a mine shaft and disposes of their remains with acid. They were thrown in a mine with some grenades but the mine didn't collapse. They were then carried by horse cart. The vats of acid fell off and broke. When the carriage carrying the bodies broke down it was decided the bury the bodies then and there. The remaining acid was poured on the bones, but most of it was soaked up the ground and the bones largely survived.

After this their pulses were then checked, their faces were crushed to make them unrecognizable and the bodies were wrapped in bed sheets loaded onto a truck. The "whole procedure," Yurovsky said took 20 minutes. One soldiers later bragged than he could "die in peace because he had squeezed the Empress's -------."

The bodies were taken to a forest and stripped, burned with acid and gasoline, and thrown into abandoned mine shafts and buried under railroad ties near a country road near the village of Koptyaki. "The bodies were put in the hole," Yurovsky wrote, "and the faces and all the bodies, generally doused with sulfuric acid, both so they couldn't be recognized and prevent a stink from them rotting...We scattered it with branches and lime, put boards on top and drove over it several times—no traces of the hole remained.

Shortly afterwards, the government in Moscow announced that Nicholas II had been shot because of "a counterrevolutionary conspiracy." There was no immediate word on the other members of the family which gave rise to rumors that other members of the family had escaped. Yekaterinburg was renamed Sverdlov in honor of the man who signed the death orders.

For seven years the remains of Nicholas II, Alexandra, three of their daughters and four servants were stored in polyethylene bags on shelves in the old criminal morgue in Yekaterunburg. On July 17, 1998, Nicholas II and his family and servants who were murdered with him were buried Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg along with the other Romanov tsars, who have been buried there starting with Peter the Great. Nicholas II had a side chapel built for himself at the fortress in 1913 but was buried in a new crypt.

Near Yekaterinburg

Factory-Museum of Iron and Steel Metallurgy (in Niznhy Tagil 80 kilometers north of Yekaterinburg) a museum with old mining equipment made at the site of huge abandoned iron and steel factory. Officially known as the Factory-Museum of the History of the Development of Iron and Steel Metallurgy, it covers an area of 30 hectares and contains a factory founded by the Demidov family in 1725 that specialized mainly in the production of high-quality cast iron and steel. Later, the foundry was renamed after Valerian Kuybyshev, a prominent figure of the Communist Party.

The first Russian factory museum, the unusual museum demonstrates all stages of metallurgy and metal working. There is even a blast furnace and an open-hearth furnace. The display of factory equipment includes bridge crane from 1892) and rolling stock equipment from the 19th-20th centuries. In Niznhy Tagil contains some huge blocks of malachite and

Nizhnyaya Sinyachikha (180 kilometers east-northeast of Yekaterinburg) has an open air architecture museum with log buildings, a stone church and other pre-revolutionary architecture. The village is the creation of Ivan Samoilov, a local activist who loved his village so much he dedicated 40 years of his life to recreating it as the open-air museum of wooden architecture.

The stone Savior Church, a good example of Siberian baroque architecture. The interior and exterior of the church are exhibition spaces of design. The houses are very colorful. In tsarist times, rich villagers hired serfs to paint the walls of their wooden izbas (houses) bright colors. Old neglected buildings from the 17th to 19th centuries have been brought to Nizhnyaya Sinyachikha from all over the Urals. You will see the interior design of the houses and hear stories about traditions and customs of the Ural farmers.

Verkhoturye (330 kilometers road from Yekaterinburg) is the home a 400-year-old monastery that served as 16th century capital of the Urals. Verkhoturye is a small town on the Tura River knows as the Jerusalem of the Urals for its many holy places, churches and monasteries. The town's main landmark is its Kremlin — the smallest in Russia. Pilgrims visit the St. Nicholas Monastery to see the remains of St. Simeon of Verkhoturye, the patron saint of fishermen.

Ural Mountains

Ural Mountains are the traditional dividing line between Europe and Asia and have been a crossroads of Russian history. Stretching from Kazakhstan to the fringes of the Arctic Kara Sea, the Urals lie almost exactly along the 60 degree meridian of longitude and extend for about 2,000 kilometers (1,300 miles) from north to south and varies in width from about 50 kilometers (30 miles) in the north and 160 kilometers (100 miles) the south. At kilometers 1777 on the Trans-Siberian Railway there is white obelisk with "Europe" carved in Russian on one side and "Asia" carved on the other.

The eastern side of the Urals contains a lot of granite and igneous rock. The western side is primarily sandstone and limestones. A number of precious stones can be found in the southern part of the Urals, including emeralds. malachite, tourmaline, jasper and aquamarines. The highest peaks are in the north. Mount Narodnaya is the highest of all but is only 1884 meters (6,184 feet) high. The northern Urals are covered in thick forests and home to relatively few people.

Like the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States, the Urals are very old mountains — with rocks and sediments that are hundreds of millions years old — that were one much taller than they are now and have been steadily eroded down over millions of years by weather and other natural processes to their current size. According to Encyclopedia Britannica: “The rock composition helps shape the topography: the high ranges and low, broad-topped ridges consist of quartzites, schists, and gabbro, all weather-resistant. Buttes are frequent, and there are north–south troughs of limestone, nearly all containing river valleys. Karst topography is highly developed on the western slopes of the Urals, with many caves, basins, and underground streams. The eastern slopes, on the other hand, have fewer karst formations; instead, rocky outliers rise above the flattened surfaces. Broad foothills, reduced to peneplain, adjoin the Central and Southern Urals on the east.

“The Urals date from the structural upheavals of the Hercynian orogeny (about 250 million years ago). About 280 million years ago there arose a high mountainous region, which was eroded to a peneplain. Alpine folding resulted in new mountains, the most marked upheaval being that of the Nether-Polar Urals...The western slope of the Urals is composed of middle Paleozoic sedimentary rocks (sandstones and limestones) that are about 350 million years old. In many places it descends in terraces to the Cis-Ural depression (west of the Urals), to which much of the eroded matter was carried during the late Paleozoic (about 300 million years ago). Found there are widespread karst (a starkly eroded limestone region) and gypsum, with large caverns and subterranean streams. On the eastern slope, volcanic layers alternate with sedimentary strata, all dating from middle Paleozoic times.”

Southern Urals

The southern Urals are characterized by grassy slopes and fertile valleys. The middle Urals are a rolling platform that barely rises above 300 meters (1,000 feet). This region is rich in minerals and has been heavily industrialized. This is where you can find Yekaterinburg (formally Sverdlovsk), the largest city in the Urals.

Most of the Southern Urals are is covered with forests, with 50 percent of that pine-woods, 44 percent birch woods, and the rest are deciduous aspen and alder forests. In the north, typical taiga forests are the norm. There are patches of herbal-poaceous steppes, northem sphagnous marshes and bushy steppes, light birch forests and shady riparian forests, tall-grass mountainous meadows, lowland ling marshes and stony placers with lichen stains. In some places there are no large areas of homogeneous forests, rather they are forests with numerous glades and meadows of different size.

In the Ilmensky Mountains Reserve in the Southern Urals, scientists counted 927 vascular plants (50 relicts, 23 endemic species), about 140 moss species, 483 algae species and 566 mushroom species. Among the species included into the Red Book of Russia are feather grass, downy-leaved feather grass, Zalessky feather grass, moccasin flower, ladies'-slipper, neottianthe cucullata, Baltic orchis, fen orchis, helmeted orchis, dark-winged orchis, Gelma sandwart, Krasheninnikov sandwart, Clare astragalus.

The fauna of the vertebrate animals in the Reserve includes 19 fish, 5 amphibian and 5 reptile. Among the 48 mammal species are elks, roe deer, boars, foxes, wolves, lynxes, badgers, common weasels, least weasels, forest ferrets, Siberian striped weasel, common marten, American mink. Squirrels, beavers, muskrats, hares, dibblers, moles, hedgehogs, voles are quite common, as well as chiropterans: pond bat, water bat, Brandt's bat, whiskered bat, northern bat, long-eared bat, parti-coloured bat, Nathusius' pipistrelle. The 174 bird bird species include white-tailed eagles, honey hawks, boreal owls, gnome owls, hawk owls, tawny owls, common scoters, cuckoos, wookcocks, common grouses, wood grouses, hazel grouses, common partridges, shrikes, goldenmountain thrushes, black- throated loons and others.

Activities and Places in the Ural Mountains

The Urals possess beautiful natural scenery that can be accessed from Yekaterinburg with a rent-a-car, hired taxi and tour. Travel agencies arrange rafting, kayaking and hiking trips. Hikes are available in the taiga forest and the Urals. Trips often include walks through the taiga to small lakes and hikes into the mountains and excursions to collect mushrooms and berries and climb in underground caves. Mellow rafting is offered in a relatively calm six kilometer section of the River Serga. In the winter visitor can enjoy cross-mountains skiing, downhill skiing, ice fishing, dog sledding, snow-shoeing and winter hiking through the forest to a cave covered with ice crystals.

Lake Shartash (10 kilometers from Yekaterinburg) is where the first Ural gold was found, setting in motion the Yekaterinburg gold rush of 1745, which created so much wealth one rich baron of that time hosted a wedding party that lasted a year. The area around Shartash Lake is a favorite picnic and barbecue spot of the locals. Getting There: by bus route No. 50, 054 or 54, with a transfer to suburban commuter bus route No. 112, 120 or 121 (the whole trip takes about an hour), or by car (10 kilometers drive from the city center, 40 minutes).

Revun Rapids (90 kilometers road from Yekaterinburg near Beklenishcheva village) is a popular white water rafting places On the nearby cliffs you can see the remains of a mysterious petroglyph from the Paleolithic period. Along the steep banks, you may notice the dark entrance of Smolinskaya Cave. There are legends of a sorceress who lived in there. The rocks at the riverside are suited for competitive rock climbers and beginners. Climbing hooks and rings are hammered into rocks. The most fun rafting is generally in May and June.

Olenii Ruchii National Park (100 kilometers west of Yekaterinburg) is the most popular nature park in Sverdlovsk Oblast and popular weekend getaway for Yekaterinburg residents. Visitors are attracted by the beautiful forests, the crystal clear Serga River and picturesque rocks caves. There are some easy hiking routes: the six-kilometer Lesser Ring and the 15-kilometer Greater Ring. Another route extends for 18 km and passes by the Mitkinsky Mine, which operated in the 18th-19th centuries. It's a kind of an open-air museum — you can still view mining an enrichment equipment here. There is also a genuine beaver dam nearby.

Among the other attractions at Olenii Ruchii are Druzhba (Friendship) Cave, with passages that extend for about 500 meters; Dyrovaty Kamen (Holed Stone), created over time by water of Serga River eroding rock; and Utoplennik (Drowned Man), where you can see “The Angel of Sole Hope”., created by the Swedish artist Lehna Edwall, who has placed seven angels figures in different parts of the world to “embrace the planet, protecting it from fear, despair, and disasters.”

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Federal Agency for Tourism of the Russian Federation (official Russia tourism website russiatourism.ru ), Russian government websites, UNESCO, Wikipedia, Lonely Planet guides, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, The New Yorker, Bloomberg, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Yomiuri Shimbun and various books and other publications.

Updated in September 2020

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Yeltsin later said that the destruction of the house was an "act of barbarism" and he had no choice because he had been ordered to do it by the Politburo, The site is marked with s cross with the photos of the family members and cross bearing their names. A small wooden church was built at the site. It contains paintings of the family.