Comments on: Nothing, simply nothing...

Nothing, simply nothing...

OmieWise — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 06:55:45 -0800

It's spring; build a boat, therefore.

By: Opposite George

Opposite George — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 07:07:36 -0800

Don't forget the Puddle Duck Racer! (wiki) Mine's going 3D in a couple of weeks.

By: rmmcclay

rmmcclay — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 07:17:57 -0800

Thank you OmieWise! I love boats.

By: Miko

Miko — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 07:55:14 -0800

An excellent suggestion (said Mole)! Also, I recommend this! And even though I love wooden boats, I've always wanted to try building and sailing a full-size milk carton boat.

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 08:29:15 -0800

If I had a boat I'd go out on the ocean And if I had a pony I'd ride him on my boat And we could all together Go out on the ocean Me upon my pony on my boat

By: dios

dios — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 08:51:51 -0800

Doh! No way I could do this! Thanks OmieWise for posting this so I can feel wholly inadequate at my manly builder skills.

By: ssg

ssg — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 09:18:13 -0800

Funny, I've been thinking of building a boat ever since the weather turned spring-like around here. You know, ... a young man's fancy turns to plywood and glue. Perhaps I'll build something a little bigger than my last boat, the Elegant Punt (all 7'9" of her!), so that my girlfriend and I can sleep aboard. And dios: it really isn't that hard. Try it!

By: ikahime

ikahime — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 09:24:50 -0800

These are great! There are so many lakes round here, and me with little money - but got garage, got tools, and can probably scrounge a board... Ahoy!

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 09:56:55 -0800

I want to build a boat.

By: roboto

roboto — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 10:03:35 -0800

That Puddle Duck is a cool version of the classic Bolger Brick.

By: champthom

champthom — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 10:06:05 -0800

I believe this post is offensive for Southern Hemisphere MeFi-ers.

By: pax digita

pax digita — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 10:14:58 -0800

You don't have to work with plywood and glue, either, other than maybe for the forms you'll pour the concrete into.

By: Miko

Miko — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 10:21:47 -0800

Or how about a canvas-on-frame kayak?

By: roboto

roboto — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 10:36:51 -0800

Even you can build this kayak dios! Don't forget your PFD!

By: wzcx

wzcx — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 11:08:47 -0800

Dad and I built three of these when I was thirteen- we sold two to pay for ours. They only cost about $200 each, when made with cheap plywood. I have also had a great time in these ultralight boats- they only weight about 8 kilos each!

By: Artful Codger

Artful Codger — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 11:10:12 -0800

Boats are cool. I've sailed (mostly windsurfing) for like, forever, but I've never owned a boat til this year. i have a deposit on a 29 year-old 19 ft trailerable pocket-cruiser that i'll pick up later this month. w00t! Not to look down my nose at the homebuilt boats, but if this thread caught your eye and sailing appeals to you, check out some used sailboats in your area. A 14 to 18 ft used sailboat can be had for as little as US$1000, sometimes less. For the price of the average big-screen TV, you can usually find a quite decent used sailboat... that will probably outlast the TV if you keep up with the maintenance. BTW, whether you built it yourself or bought it, sailboats usually require upkeep. That's alot of the fun, actually, if you like to tinker.

By: rusty

rusty — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 11:13:55 -0800

Or yu could Build a kayak that isn't uglier than dirt and twice as sinky. Seriously, if you are thinking about building a kayak, that book is the way to go.

By: rusty

rusty — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 11:16:10 -0800

(Not to malign Codger's Chesapeake link above mine -- those look nice too. I was referring to the shower curtain model linked further up. Sorry.)

By: LarryC

LarryC — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 11:19:47 -0800

I have been daydreaming about building a boat with a PVC pipe frame and some kind of plastic, preferably clear, stretched over that. Something like the plan that Roboto links to above. I have not found much in the way of plans, so I keep mulling it over. Or maybe I could make a pontoon/kayak by getting two very large diameter PVC pipes and somehow lashing them together and sitting in between them? (Perhaps it is time for an AskMe.)

By: Chinese Jet Pilot

Chinese Jet Pilot — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 12:11:42 -0800

I used to loose myself in my grandfather's old copy of the American Boy's Handy Book's plans for building a shantyboat, along with dreamy tales of weeks spent on the river.

By: OmieWise

OmieWise — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 12:20:42 -0800

CJP - You've correctly guessed the book I've been paging through for the past couple of weeks.

By: Araucaria

Araucaria — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 14:36:12 -0800

The Pygmy Boat company sells build-it-yourself plywood kits for making kayaks. I've always wanted to make one but never had the time or space ...

By: IronLizard

IronLizard — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 15:40:11 -0800

I have been daydreaming about building a boat with a PVC pipe frame and some kind of plastic, preferably clear, stretched over that. Why not just acrylic sheets? Some of these designs look fairly good for something like this. Depending on the flexibility of the sheeting you choose, of course. Just sub plastic for plywood and you're golden. (Yes, I know. Lexan is expensive, however.)

By: Listener

Listener — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 17:48:11 -0800

Miko, that course you linked to looks great. Did you take it? I'd sure like to, or one at my end of the continent. Here are two of my boat building links: canoe, another canoe.

By: Miko

Miko — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 22:13:59 -0800

I did take it, back when I worked there. It was wonderful - an intensive week, but you learn enough to proceed on your own for the rest of your life. The best part? There is no difference whatsoever between the boatbuilding for women and the regular boatbuilding class. It's just a comfort-level thing.

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 15:05:03 -0800

I so want to construct a one or two sheet boat; maybe I'll fine the time next winter.