There were some articles on here about traditional built wooden jon boats cant seem to find them at the moment but they were some mighty fine river boats.
Also in your opinion Mark would the Flat Skiff 12 be suitable for a med size river ? I have always wanted to build a boat since I was a kid and I think my kids would love to be a part of that.
There are many definitions and variables to defining a medium sized river but I can say with ease that I would carry the flats skiff more places then I would a standard 12' jon.
The thing about stitch and glue is that there are no fasteners.
Nothing worng with fasteners in a boat if they are the right fastener and installed right. These kind of fasteners like bronze and copper are not found down at the hardware store or the box stores.
Stainless Steel? What makes stainless impervious to corrosion is oxygen.
If you bury and seal a stainless fastener it will corrode from lack of oxygen.
Stitch and glue is the absolute best way to build boats if they can be engineered to do so. Its super strong.
There is a learning curve at the beginning but that is quickly overcome by building a small boat first. Something like the free canoe which is a free plan .
The first build you'll use more epoxy then the plan calls for normally.
Thats basicly the only reason the designers recomend first building a canoe or a small craft. It really has nothing much to do with difficulty level. Its a matter of using maybe a gallon more of epoxy on a canoe then is required as opposed to using 8 gallons more of epoxy then needed on a 20 footer.
When you get the canoe built and its time to build something bigger donate it to a boyscout troop and better yet donate a Saturday or two helping them build a few with what you have learned.
The flatskiff 12 is a simple build. Thats a weekend build depending on how showy you want it. If you want a show piece you can spend a month of weekends finishing it.
The hull goes together quick. Its the fairing that is time consuming. Depends on what level of finish you want.
I can assemble an 18 footer hull wise in a couple of weekends. In the same breath I can spend months fairing it out if I want to spray it and have a showroom "factory" look. Thats where and why you want to spring for some meranti marine plywood. It cuts way down on fairing and by the time you get box store ply faired out the money you spent in fairing materials will prove to cost more then it would have to have gone with the more expensive ply.
Alot of fairing depends on your tools too. In an ideal situation you would have the same sanding tools and air power that a body shop has but its not required. Those tools would make it go alot quicker though.
Building these boats are great father and son projects whether its a father and adult son or daughter or a father and a kid.
Probally one of the most jaw dropping builds I ever saw was a woman that lives in Maryland built her father who retired to the Outer Banks a 21 foot center console offshore boat. She had never built a boat before and had nowhere to build one other then in the backyard under a canopy she also built.
He never knew about the boat until she called him from a cell phone and told him to walk out to his dock. She was just pulling up in the boat.
Her build time was roughly a year for that boat.
Skilsaw, cordless drill, and a sander or two.
Awesome looking boat too might I add.
So if a woman with no experience and limited tooling can build a 21 footer suitable for offshore work, those boats are pretty much suited for anyone to build. They are designed light, strong, and simple to build.
What a Christmas present. New boat, new trailer, and new engine.
I have plans from a handful of sources. By far Jacques Mertons down at Bateau has the best plans available for the amateur builder and every seam, joint, and lamination is an engineered one. The guy has spent his entire life designing, building, and sailing the world. He has an extensive background in in designing and production of glass boats which also include the high performance boats like the cigar racers.
