Homemade Wooden Flat Boat

[stonemaster]

If you like the boat in my avatar , i can tell you how to build one . It takes about one day to build and about one hundred bucks in materials. They are very stable in the water and only draw about two inches of depth. I use mine in the Kentucky river which is pretty calm. I don't know how it would work in high waves though, but I imagine much like other flat bottomed boats.It is easy to get it licensed. Simply call the water safty people and they will come to your house to inspect the boat. Mainly they say,
'Yea, that's a boat allright." They then give you a title which you take to the courthouse and get a registration and stickers.
This one is twelve feet long, but I have made them as big as twenty feet.One thing I like about wooden boats is they are so easy to modify to suit your needs.If I can figure out how to post a drawing I will add it to my thread.

[vlparrish]

Nice Darrell, I already have a boat but wouldn't mind checking out the plans for an 18 or twenty footer. Is the boat very heavy? and what does it take to push one at a reasonable pace? Vern.

[Catwagon]

Stonemaster I've got a question for you that I've always wanted to ask a home boat builder. What about the normal practice of using scarf joints on your boats (especially on the larger ones). How do they hold up to the elements and engine power in the real world?

Steve

[Mark J]

Scarfing is fast becoming obsolete in today's nailess, screwless designs in stitch and glue.

[stonemaster]

The twenty foot ones probably are heavier than the same size in metal. My big boat had a forty horse motor and it would plane out fast. As far as being strong, I used mine as a commerical mussle harvesting craft and it held up very well. One of the biggest advantage was their great stability. We many times would be pulling 1000 pounds up and over the side with the river in full flood. With the smaller ones I can stand on any corner without having it to tip.

[stonemaster]

Catwagon, no scrarfing is nessacery in these boats. I built the one in the picture in four hours.

[jholl949]

Stonemaster,
PM me the drawing and I'll post it for you.

[gadzooks]

Nice looking boat, great price on the building cost. What thickness of plywood are you using? Is it exterior grade, BC or better?

[ShilohRed]

I grew up fishing in wooden boats. Ours was 14ft or 16ft long. 4ft wide. Verry stable. but the sides had plenty of flair to them. Guessing at least 6ft across the top. Cyress transoms.2" thick. 1/2" marine plywood for the sides and bottom. 2'x6" for the head block.
Boy those were the days. Wind did not blow these boats around like todays boats. Also Ran good. You could walk along the side rails and the boat would not tip.
It is good to see someone still building them and using them.I for one wouild love to hear how you built the little boat.
Ours were water tight. Finish one up and put it in the water and go fishing no leaks. Also had a livewell built across them.
Also our had 2"x2" ribs every 16" and the plywod was butt jointed and glue and nailed into the ribb above it. My uncle never had one come apart there and he built 7 or 8 per year. but his would take at least 3 hard days to built.
PEte

[Catwagon]

I built pirouges when I was younger and didn't have to make joints because I could get much longer sheets of wood to start with. I always wanted to make a jon boat, but I never could convince myself that I could make a joint that would hold and not leak or come apart at some point, LOL

Steve

[stonemaster]

The smallr boats use 1x12 as sides, 2x12s for the transom and front. The bottom is 1/2 inch plywood, screwed and glued front,sides. back and to the spreader in the middle. The spreader is what gives the boat it's stability. As it is inserted in the middle of the sides it both cants the sides out and raises both front and back ends of the craft.
You begin by taking two 1x12s for the sides and clamping them together. Then measure 2 foot on the bottom side and 1 inch up the end ,{which I cut at a 10% angle to allow you to trim the motor), this makes a triangle that you cut off and move to the top of your sides. On the front you measure 3 foot down the bottom edge and 3 inches up the (front) end, and move this triangle to the top of your sides.
I cut the transom 3 1/2 feet long and the front the same. Then simply screw the sides to these peices using 2 inch screws and construction adhesive. Now the have a 4 sided box 12 foot long.
I make the spreader 4 foot at the bottom and 5 foot at the top.As I push this peice down in the middle of the boat , the sides flair out and the ends rise up. This is also the support for the center seat.
Nowturn it ovr and attach the plywood to the bottom.Add front and back seats and bingo, you have a boat. Paint as suits you.

[glenmorebuckman]

Can you give me an idea how much a 12-footer would weigh ? Some of the places I want to fish in the winter can't be reached by boat because the ramps are out of the water due to winter pool. I'd like to have a small cheap boat that 1 person could drag 30-40 feet to the water and fish. Haul it to and from the lake on a trailer, and fish where everyone else only fishes from the bank!

[stonemaster]

Two men can carry this boat easily. I use mine for this same purpose many times. I used to fly-fish for small mouths in small streams for many years and i have carried mine over many a bank. Also since it only draws 2 inchs of water , most riffels were no problem.

[river scum]

lookin forward to this drawing! 2in. riffles are very comon in our rivers and this boat sounds like something we could use.

thx for the post stonemaster.

[stonemaster]

Can someone tell me how to post a drawing? How do I take a drawing on paper and download it? Thanks

[glenmorebuckman]

Do you have a scanner?

[stonemaster]

Sorry, I don't have a scanner. Just a digatal camera.

[jholl949]

Darrell,
You may try to take a picture (close up as possible) and then download it from your camera. If you draw it with a Sharpie or magic marker, it may show up better. Just a thought.

[glenmorebuckman]

Darrell, Any luck on those drawings? Sure would like to see them! How about posting some more pictures?

[river scum]

yup still waitin here too. :)

[gadzooks]

Most office supply stores have scanners, as do kwik copies,etc. Just take the drawings there with a disk and scan to your hearts delight. Scanners are also cheap, if you can find one.

[Ohio_River_Rat]

Yah im really hopein to see these drawings along w/some steps. It'd be a great weekend project for me. Hopin to see some.

[Ohio_River_Rat]

stonemaster is mailing the plans and directions to me via snail mail so i should be posting them as soon as i recieve them.

[Leakyboat]

Wouldn't mind seeing them,i'm fixin to start on a pirogue or two man croc,(Gator Boats).Want something i can carry in the back of my pickup.
Ernie

[Rtpcat]

Is the bottom 2 sheets of plywood or do you have access to 12ft long plywood?

I'll be glad when we can see the drawing

[loanwizard]

I would be interested in plans on how to make a 20 footer.

[Matthew72]

I could make a 20 footer for myself that I would not sink.:) It would be a great project.

[stonemaster]

I want to thank everybody for their intrest in seeing plans for these boats. I am sorry it has taken so long but we had an emergancy at work,(horses were foaling and I had to build an addional six stalls on their foaling barn in only 4 weeks). I have snail mailed the plans and pictures to Ohio River Cat and he is going to post them for me. I really envy his ability with a computer! On the plans I forget to add that on the bottom of the boat , running the lenght, is a 2x4. This both strenghtens the floor and acts as a keel to allow you to make tighter turns. Without this the boat tends to slide sideways in a tight turn.

[Ohio_River_Rat]

I got the plans in the mail yesterday evening and i am preparing everything to post. Thanks alot for sending me the plans and pics theyre great. I'll post them as soon as i can.

thanks zac

[Ohio_River_Rat]

well im getting these things posted so heres what he sent me.

Steps;
(A) On one end of the 1x12s cut a 10 degree angle, this is so you can trim your motor.

(B) On the other end measure 3 foot down the bottom and 3 inches up the end and cut this line.

(C) Move this triangle to the top and attach it using screws.

(D) On the bottom edge of the 2x12 that will be the front cut an 8 degree angle on the bottom edge to fit the plywood bottom.

(E) Cut the angles on the transom,front and spreader as per drawings.

(F) Using 2 inch drywall screws, attach the sides to the front and transom using construction adhesive.

(G) Now slowly push the spreader down in the center of the boat. This will spread the sides and raise both the front and back of the boat. This creates the true boat shape!

(H) Now turn the boat over and hand plane the edges of the sides flat. It should be obvious what to do to make the plywood fit the edge of the sides.

(I) Cut and dry fit 1/2 inch plywood to the bottom. Align the joint of the two sheets on the spreader. Please use plenty of adhesive and screw the ply to the boat. I put the screws about 3
inches apart. Attach a 2 X 4 to the bottom of the boat to act as a keel and to provide support.

(J) Turn the boat over and screw a 2x12 flatwise on top of the spreader, this creates your middle seat. For the back seat cut a spreader to fit (do not force it) and do the same. For the front seat I screw a 2x10 to the front board and to the sides.

(K) Paint it and go fishing!

What i would do is save the pics to you computer so you can zoom in or out to see them eaiser
Plan 1 http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/zac_warren88/Page1.jpg
Plan 2 http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/zac_warren88/Page2.jpg

Ill post the pics of the boat in the next post

[Ohio_River_Rat]

Here's some of the pics. more on the way

Back view with the motor mounted
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/zac_warren88/IM000262.jpg

a good view unpainted
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/zac_warren88/IM000225.jpg

view of the front deck
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/zac_warren88/IM000258.jpg

another pic
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/zac_warren88/IM000264.jpg

The boat in the water
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/zac_warren88/IM000254.jpg


i have about 30 more pics but these are the most important but if any of yall want anymore just PM and ill post some more
thanks again stonemaster

[samh]

Thanks for the info, this has got me to plan'n and think'n. I got a few questions, if you don't mind. What kind of plywood ( treated,exterior ac, ?) , what kind of glue ( I asked some folks at 3 different building supply stores and none would say), also what kind of paint ( same as with glue no one would say and the marine paint I found on the internet as $100/gal.) Thanks again for what you've supplied , never thought of doing this before, now I can't wait to start.

[1sporticus]

I'd almost think liquid nails would do for the glue, and what would happpen if someone used some rosin to coat the bottom.
what is the life expectancy of a boat like this?

[stonemaster]

For the plywood you could use treated, liqued nails and construction adhesive are about the same thing, both wil work, just be free with it. The excess you can cut off after it dries. As to the paint , you can spend a lot of money or use a good house paint. As to the lifetime, there is a 20 footer still on the farm that I built 10 years ago. Remember that you are talking about wood so like siding on your house or any wood that stays outside it will not last forever. I enjoy building them so much I usually build one ever other year.This time for paint I used a fibergated paint used for metal barn roofs. It has tar as a main ingredient.

[samh]

Thank you very much.

[Matthew72]

:o What would you charge me to build me one that is big enuff for my 400lb self? I would come pick it up when it was done and I would piant it myself.:)

[Rtpcat]

Any particular wood for the sides and ends?
Cypress, oak, pine. Or will any clean, defect free wood work?

[Mountain Cur]

I use the stitch and glue technique on my duck boats and still use the "scarf" for making longer panels, I buy them if I can get them. I have changed the way I make the joint, but it's still a scarf. We use a laminate trimmer instead of planing. Good joints are simple and fast. It also makes the boat much more "fair" than butt joints with "scabs." Glad to see people still making fishing boats from wood, it means we are still more civilized than we might think. In the past, in the days before gas engines were readily available you would often hear the term "the slabs are in the pond." The term had nothing to do with crappie in the Ozarks it meant the rived hedge (osage orange) slabs were soaking in the pond and would stay there all winter. As soon as it was warm enough to work the wood, one of those little river boats would start to take shape. As far as I know there has never been a finer boat built.:) There are many web sites that offer good information on building your own boat, the majority of the info is free, won't hurt to have a look.

[stonemaster]

Yes , any good solid peice of wood is fine.

[loanwizard]

Guys I would like to build my own 20-24 foot flat bottom, but I am having a little problem getting it through my thick skull how. If I build it 20 feet by say 5 feet wide, do I still use a 20 foot 1x 12 as the sides or do they need to be deeper like 1x 16 or what? Also if it is 5x20 that is 5 sheets of plywood to attach. Do I trust it just to silicone the seams? And finally, I get that the spreaders raise the bow and give shape to the sides, but at what point do I do that? Am I correct in thinking that the sides, front, transom, and bottom are all attached and that the spreader is last? Oh one more question. I will be running either a 20 or 40hp jet. What thickness is safe for the transom?

Thanks from someone who has no business with a tool in his hands.

[stonemaster]

When I build a 20 footer or larger I do it differnt than a smaller one. For one thing I make the bottom 7 foot wide. And yes you must use 5 sheets for a 20 footer. I use ribs in the floor and sides so by breaking the joints on a rib I never have a problem. Also I do not use a spreader in the larger boats. Yes I make the sides 16 inches high by running plywood lenghtwise on the side ribs. As for the transom I would use a type of wood called L.V.L. (lamanated veneer lumber) which is available in many widths. For a large motor you would want to add braces from the transom to the floor. Becauce you are using ribs in the floor I also add floor boards on top of the ribs. When I was a commerical musseller I would sometimes lift over 1000 pounds over the side, most of the time in floodwaters.

[glenmorebuckman]

Thanks Stoneman for the information on these boats. I'm also a full time carpenter {framing} and except for the 1x12's , I could get alot of the materials to build one from scraps left on a job. We hardly ever use 1x12 mostly 1x6 or 1x8 for brick board and stairs. We usually have 2-3 tubes of sub-floor adhesive left over on a job.

[Rtpcat]

Hey Stonemaster,
the boat sitting in the water, seems to have a 2nd board scabbed above the main side board. What height is those sides in that boat it seems to have plenty of freeboard, seems 12" would be lower than that.

[stonemaster]

The height of the sidea on the 16 footer is 15 inches. I sent Zac the pictures of two different boats. The white one is a 12 footer and the other one is 16 foot. I add a 1x6 on the sides of the larger one just for comfort. It is realy not necasarry.

[etipriga]

If ne of you other guys start buildin one can u post some pics as you go along please. Thanks

[Cherokee]

Maybe i need to built me a boat to hmmmmmm

[loanwizard]

Well, I decided against building a new boat and just added a deck and rod locker for my 1654 Jon. It's amazing what stain and polyurethane does for good old fashioned 1/2 inch plywood!

[Rtpcat]

Stonemaster,
I attempted to send you a Private message, see if you got it.

[cardfan4life]

Im going to try post this link again. If it doesnt work could someone let me know why.

http://www.2020site.org/boats/flatbottom.html

[suddawg]

I've wanted a boat for so long. I'm definately going to try and build one of these, on my off time when I get back. I'll have all winter to do it. Don't trust it on the Missouri river, but it would be great for just about everything else. Thank you for an awesome post.

SudDawg

[Fishgeek]

WOW!!! That looks way too easy...I might have to give it a try! Like Suddawg, I've wanted to get a small boat (something besides my canoe) for quite awhile. What I save on the boat I would probably be able to get a small used outboard and trailer.

[suddawg]

Myself and TA2D are going to make one this winter. I'm thinking about asking my old high school shop teacher if his metal shop students would like to make me a boat trailer if all materials were paid by myself. Man, I absolutely can't wait.

And you are so right Fishgeek. The money you save on the boat, you can throw into a motor.

SudDawg

[catchaser19]

I was wondering on what kind of wood you would use and if you would have to seal it in some way? also how many horses would max out one of your 12 footers. One more do you attach the sides to the bottom at a 90 degree angle or what?

[stonemaster]

I use pine boards and c.d.x. 1/2 inch plywood. You have to hand plane the sides at an angle to let the bottom fit snug. This is easy to do, after you insert the spreader, turn the boat upside down and lay a strait edge across the bottom of both sides at once/ This will show you what you need to plane to make the bottom fit well. After that I use construction adhesive or silicon between the sides and the bottom. I use any kind of paint to seal all surfaces.A 8 to 10 horse motor is great for these boats. As far as going ouy on a large river in it, I would have no more worries in this than any other boat. Any other questions you have just ask. I would like to see a picture when you are finished.

[metalfisher]

Hey Darrel, try this.

flip the boat bottom up. Then take a 2X4 and wrap medium grit sand paper around the ends. Lay the 2X4 across the boat onto the edge of the sides.

You can then sand both sides of the boat at the same time. You end up with the correct angle to let the bottom sit flat on the edges.

Then just glue & screw.

Robert

[catchaser19]

Hey stone one quick question i would like to make a 12 footer but i can only find plywood in 8 foot sheets is there some trick or store to make a 12 foot boat out of a 8 foot piece of wood. i was thinkin maybe just use one 8 foot piece and another 4 foot piece what do you do?

[thomcat]

Do you need to use some kind of marine epoxy or sealer of some type? I imagine one could get as creative as he/she wanted as far as materials and design, huh? ..Gives me an idea..

[stonemaster]

To make a 12 foot boat using 8 foot ply simply break the two sheets on the spreader. You can use a 2 part epoxy paint but the paint will cost almost as much as the rest of the boat. It takes me 4 hours to build one of these boats, but I have built many over the years. If I was building one for the first time I would keep it simple, then in later versions make changes in the design to suit my needs. The other day I hade 4 men in a 12 footer and everone was suprised at how stable it was and how high it rode in the water. I can stand on any corner of mine and not feel unsteady.

[catchaser19]

So what you are saying is use one sheet to go from the stern up to the spreader, then the other to go from the spreader to the bow. Another question instead of using that two piece epoxy could i just use a spray on truck bed liner like rhino linning, i know this stuff is costly but i plan on doin it any way to help the boat last as long as possible so i was ondering if i did this would it help to seal/ hold it all together.

[stonemaster]

The bed liner would help seal the boat yes, help hold it together, I don't know. I think that you are making this more complecated than it needs to be. I would just build the thing and then make a list of emprovments you would like on the next one. It only cost $100 to build one, and after you do I think you will be impressed with how well it sits and moves in the water. I have never had one come apart so I don't think it needs help holding it together. Also I like to make a new one each year becauce I always make some small changes to suit what my needs are for the year. Plus one of the benifits of this boat is it's small cost, ease of construction and it's stabality in the water. I guess I am saying I only build with one year in mind. any wooden boat left out of the water for months will shrink and leak at the joints. The cure is simply to wet it a few days before putting it back in the water.

[copycat]

I have build several wooden boats and kayaks. First I would build a jig to the specs I wanted and then the boat is constructed upside down on the jig. I studied small boat building for a time and really enjoyed building them! Nothing rides the water like a good ole wooden boat! Wish I still had the time to build them like I used to. But I got two boats now so no need for more.

[AllenM]

I really enjoyed reading this thread. Thanks for posting it. It's got me thinking about building a small one man boat that I can just strap on top of the SUV with a couple oars some day when I can afford a project again. Something about 6-7 foot long maybe, that I can just slip into the water where ever I can find easy 4x4 access without needing to go to a launch ramp and deal with a trailor. :big_smile:

[laidbck111]

I enjoyed reading this post very much. i have one question about weight. About how much weight is this boat capable of handeling?

[metalfisher]

A cubic foot of water weighs 62.4#.

So for example if the boat were a perfect rectangle and flat 4' X 12', here is the math.

One cubic foot is 12 X 12 X12 to equal 1728 cubic inches.

Converting the boat measurements to inches gives 48 X 144. Multiply to get the surface area in square inches. 48 X 144 = 6912.

Assume the boat is weightless. If the boat sinks 1 inch that is 6912 cubic inches. Divide 6912 by 1728 to get the cubic feet. 6912/1728=4 cubic feet.

Multiply the number of cubic feet by 62.4 and you get the floatation weight. 4 X 62.4 =249.6 lbs.

So in this example, for each inch the boat sank, it would float 249.6 lbs.

Now we all know the boat has weight and it is not perfectly rectangular, but we can safely say that it would take about a 1000 lbs to sink it 4 inches.

Robert

[Mark J]

There is a term called PPI in boat design.
If a boat has a PPI of 300 that would mean for every 300 pounds of weight added the boat would sink 1".
I've never seen any boat manufacturer list the PPI
There are major differences in PPI in different hull types.
Typically your flat bottoms will have a high PPI

[laidbck111]

wow Thanks guys I hasd no idea of the formula to figure the weight capacity of a boat. I now have to uncross my eyes and do some figuring on my own. thanks

[catchaser19]

It is not my intention to make it complicated i just dont want to spend a day building this then have someone say this is wrong your boat is useless start again. Do you think i would be able to just build my boat the way the instructions say with minor fluctuations and just glue and screw the crap out of any seams and it would be leak free. I just want to make sure i wont botch this project by makeing a decision that will sink it.

[flatheadmaniac]

i would be interested in the building plans looks nice. i really could use a boat. how would it hold up in the mo river?

[porboy]

One heck of a fine boat. Thanks for sharing.

[Kentucky_Cat_Hunter]

This thread has me pumped! I think I'm going to take it on as a winter project. If anyone finishes one of these boats, please post pics or details.

[stonemaster]

catcatcher, just build it and it won't leak. If by some chanch it does,just put it in the water , it will absorb moisture where it leaks which will cause the wood to swell up and, guess what, seal the leak! By the same token, if you leave it out of the water for long periods of time, you will need to wet it prior to using it. This is just the nature of wood.

[metalfisher]

I started using PL Premium glue to build my boats. It is awesome. I have buildt boats with just the glue, no screws or nails.

Combine this glue with screws and the boat will not leak.

PL Premium 400 Sub-Floor & Deck adhesive. It comes in a tube like caulk.
I got it at Home depot.

This glue is being used in the "stitch & glue" boat building technique by some builders now. It works great.

Robert

[catchaser19]

Thanx metal and stone i will quit being such a worry wort and build it. I will try and post pics as i go along if you all would like. Can someone tell me how i can do that with just a digital camera?:smile2:

[CatSkinner]

Nice, I'd be interested in seein the progress. Perhaps, if I have time, I'll take on the project too. :)

[catchaser19]

I was in a lowes the other day and i was looking for the pl premium 400 deck and floor adhesive i found many types of glue made by pl but nothing with a 400 on it. is there any other name or packaging that this glue come in.

[CNTRYBOY]

I would build one if i had the time and shop! But, don't have either one. How much would you charge to build one. I know this has been asked before , but got no answer that i seen!

[vlparrish]

I'm pulling this thread back to the Top. It is a very interesting read. Vern

[EKYHunter]

I'm pulling this thread back to the Top. It is a very interesting read. Vern

Is there a picture of the boat anywhere?

[vlparrish]

Yea Parker, if you start from the beginning of the thread and read through it, there are well detailed plans and pictures as well. I'm not sure what post number they are in, but with a little searching you can find them. Vern

[MAX1955]

Good read, thanks for bringing it back up.

[oh no]

I have been looking at boat plans for a small boat. You make this boatbuilding sound easy. This winter I want to build a 12-14 footer to power with a 9.9 Mariner. Something with stick steering as my 9.9 has the controls, not a tiller motor.

Thanks Vern for bringing this back up as I never seen it before. Thank You Stone for starting the thread.

Oh No

[dls47150]

If you like the boat in my avatar , i can tell you how to build one . It takes about one day to build and about one hundred bucks in materials. They are very stable in the water and only draw about two inches of depth. I use mine in the Kentucky river which is pretty calm. I don't know how it would work in high waves though, but I imagine much like other flat bottomed boats.It is easy to get it licensed. Simply call the water safty people and they will come to your house to inspect the boat. Mainly they say,
'Yea, that's a boat allright." They then give you a title which you take to the courthouse and get a registration and stickers.
This one is twelve feet long, but I have made them as big as twenty feet.One thing I like about wooden boats is they are so easy to modify to suit your needs.If I can figure out how to post a drawing I will add it to my thread.

I've not learned how to put photos on threads, but I put my photos on my profile under albums.

[kyleco55]

I've not learned how to put photos on threads, but I put my photos on my profile under albums.



here you guys go... hope this explains things