How to Construct a Simple Boat

Step 12 Evolve

Eventually I did make a barndoor-type rudder with a steering yoke rather than a fixed tiller, it turned out to be too small. I also added a shallow  keel, a 2x4 bolted through the keelson. My original 2x4 mast had a knot in it and snapped in half one day, luckily I hadn't put the boat in the water yet. So I made another one, this type called a cooper's mast, it's mostly hollow, made from clear pine with oak caps. A new sprit was made from laminating two peices of pine together and rounding it, a groove secures the peak instead of a point and an extra 12 or so inches extends beyond the peak so a flag may be flown. Lastly I rigged a type of traveler to control the foot of the sail using eye-bolts in the rear deck.

Comments

[kleinjahr]

Nice job on a traditional craft. Speaking of which, whilst Beard is excellent, Gardner's Classic Small Craft is superb. Anyone interested in traditional boats should read it. His dory book is pretty good too.
Dig around through here for all sorts of projects, boats included. http://chestofbooks.com/index.html
For a skiff look around for, How to build a Brockway skiff by Timothy Visel(lost the website sorry)

For those wishing to build in plywood, yes you can. Use exterior grade for cheapness, marine grade if you can afford it. Use Payson's simplified chine log method to avoid end grain problems, nails and screws don't hold so well in end grain. Frame around transoms with 1by 2 or 1 by 3 leave enough proud so you can bevel it.

[SIRJAMES09]

AWESOME!!

call me lazy, or call me a simple man, but I would have used canvas & fiberglass resin anyway. I guess my reasoning is because I'm not that talented when it comes to working with wood. fiberglas & resin I have experience with....but that is just me.

Getting back to the boat, You did great! Everything was explained really well, the pics helped a bunch, & I think this is a boat that even my uneducated fanny perpendicular could build.

TY for sharing Sir. 8=D

[Zeppelinfreak]

How tall was the mast?

[notjustsomeone]

Because the rig used was a sprit sail, the mast was equal to or just shorter than the length of the boat. If you intend to use another rig, you may choose to alter the mast height and consider standing rigging.