The BO-AT Single Sheet Plywood Boat

My son and I built this simple one sheet plywood boat following the plans and sage advice provided in the following link  http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/07/the-blue-crab-one-sheet-plywood-boat-tiny-yellow-house.html.  We saw this in a recent eNews from Make Magazine.  This is Not our design but I wanted to share what we learned.  This was a simple and fun project to build and cost us a grand total of $59 dollars and about 6 hours (not counting Beer and Juice Boxes).

Step 1 Shopping for Material

We went to our local hardware store and purchased the following supplies:

1 Sheet of 4x8 15/32 Plywood Sheet
Gorilla Glue
Silicone Sealant
Latex Paint
Screws
Paracord
Sand Paper

Depending on the size of your workshop and the tools available to you, you may decide to have the store cut the 4x8 sheet of plywood for you (as we did) - just make sure they cut it right (as we did not) - it will save you trimming and increase you freeboard later on.

Tools Used:

Jig Saw
Caulk Gun
Screw Gun
Measure
Clamps
Drill
Paint Brush

Comments

[charlessenf-gm]

Prime (oil-based exterior primer) "finish cut" boards first. Then paint two coats of finish paint color. Then assemble and caulk with Silicone sealer or, better yet DuPont 5200 (comes in white only as far as I know). Sealer will adhere to paint, paint does not adhere readily to most silicone sealers.

Seal exterior of seams first and foremost - sealer is to keep water out. Sealing interior joints can't hurt, of course.

If you add sealer (esp DuPont 5200) to joints before assembling (use as a "glue" as well as a sealer, you will seal exterior and interior simultaneously.

[solarbipolar]

Those were very good suggestions except that there seems to be no such thing as Dupont 5200. If I do a search on it, all I come up with is stone counter sealers, which don't seem like the right kind needed here.

[ArtisanEclectic]

That's because 5200 is made by 3M. It's used a lot in the marine industry and can be used under the waterline. It's an extremely tenacious sealer/adhesive that should only be used on things that you would rather throw away that have to take apart.

[ArtisanEclectic]

It's also very expensive, About $20 a tube. PL Premium would be a better choice than even silcone. I saw Deek's video on building this boat and I wondered why he would use silicone. Then I remembered, He is a Tiny house builder.

Silicone is for doors and windows, Not boats. It's a sealer, not an adhesive.
Wooden Boat magazine used to sponsor an annual family boat building event where the contestants (A parent/ child team) had to take a bunch of precut pieces and build a boat then put it in the water and hopefully not sink.

They were not allowed any fasteners. Only PL Premium.

It's available at the Big Orange Place for less than 5 bucks a tube. But read the labels and test for your self since there are different formulations. I'm pretty sure this is the one I used to glue the skin to the frame of my Hollow Wooden Surfboard (Instructable coming soon.)

http://tinyurl.com/7rqgzbh

Ok. It's less than 6 bucks a tube.

[tomgrayb17]

what angle do you cut the bow side of the sideboards at?

[PaleoDan]

It's about 80 inches long

[PaleoDan]

It's about a 45 degree angle. It is easy to use one of those plastic orange angle square to prop it up then draw your lines. Post pictures when you done please.

[tomgrayb17]

what is the overall length, bow to stern?

[rwilliams22]

I had a buddy who built boats for a living. He made his hulls out of thin strips of wood, nailed and glued to the spars. After sanding, and before covering the boat with fiberglass, he would rub the entire hull down with a mixture of flour and sawdust, making sure to work it into any cracks or defects. He explained that if there was any moisture at all in the wood or leaking through the fiberglass coating, the bits of flour and sawdust would soak it up and swell to keep the boat from leaking. Not sure how much value that would add to a plywood joint, but it's worth considering

[PaleoDan]

I appreciate the idea - I will try that next time. Mine is still holding but this sounds a bit more stable

[trainz222]

When you attach the bow isnt there a gap between where the bow and the bottom meet how did you fill it in, or did you cut on an angle???

[PaleoDan]

I did not cut at an angle but I did fill the gap completely with lots of the Silicone. I did this from both sides (as with all the Silicone I used). I completely filled one side (started with the bottom) until the Silicone was coming out. I let it cure the full time recommended on the tube and then flipped the boat over and did the same from the other side.

Cutting your bow on an angle would give you a much better fit and cleaner look so that is the way I would go next time I think.

Thanks

[jsadler1]

Silicone in a deep pocket that is air tight can take weeks to cure and is risky at best. The surface feels completely cured in a day but deep within it remains quite raw and weak.
There are marine, paintable, adhesive sealants that last and are very hardy and grip with much more secure force. You won't even believe what salt water can do to common silicone, household products.

[mharris17]

We made these boats when I was in the FFA in North Florida in the 60s. They are great for shallow streams and are very easy to maneuver. It takes the about the same amount of time to paint the boat as to build it.

[jerbear1978]

Would you need to register this for use in public waters?

[mharris17]

In most states a row boat does not need to be registered. But if you attach a motor, then both the boat and motor have to be registered. Check with you fish and game office.

[PaleoDan]

You will need to check your local regulations but I think for NJ, you only need to register boats larger than 13 feet or as soon as you put the motor on. That is why the Motor test was in my pool.

[Verga]

Dan
Congrtatulations on winning one of the Grandprizes in the water sports contest. This is a great instructable and your prize is well deserved. Looking forward to seeing other instructables from you.

[PaleoDan]

Thank you very much for all the votes and support. This is a great community and I enjoy being a part of it very much.

[jbend]

Can you put a small boat moter on the boat.

[PaleoDan]

I did in the last pics - did not get a good chance to test but because my battery was crap but will test it when I can afford a new one

[speedphreak]

BO-AT. Nice Phineas and Ferb reference. http://phineasandferb.wikia.com/wiki/BO-AT

[PaleoDan]

Thanks - you are the first to notice. My son and I like to watch Phineas & Ferb - they are the best cartoon Makers out there...

[utatuka]

hahaha... i built my boat with zero money... and i counted the beer... 400 !!!

good project... i will build also a 1 sheet boat for the daughter of my friend...

Thanks... I will use your project... Cheers from Turkey.

[PaleoDan]

Very cool - not sure how you pulled off the free beer part but that would make a great Instructable itself - "How to get Free Beer" I would like to read that one...

[utatuka]

you can see the free beer part here

http://utatuka.blogspot.com/2011/07/adallara-sevgilerimle.html

[rowerwet]

for a similar design and others that will fit large adults look here http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mouseboats/ so far I have built 4 one micromouse, two squaremice, and a romana which is the large person size one. the big difference is that they have sealed air boxes for flotation so they are much safer.
Little boats like these are great fun for kids! enjoy!

[Objectivityiskey]

You should cut a large hole in the bottom, and then replace the cut wood with Plexiglas so you can see under the water beneath the boat just in-front of where you sit. This could be a great tool for finding things that you lost under the water!

[PaleoDan]

If you follow the link at the top of the Instructable, you will see that he did exactly that. I did not want to try adding any holes into it. I was more concerned with making sure I filled all the ones I did have with silicone.

[verity33]

I've been looking at the Puddle Duck Racer - PDRacer - "If you like fishing, you can row her into the shallow areas that power boats can't get to, and launch in areas that don't have a boat ramp. She is very stable, enough that you can stand up and cast."

Have a look at http://www.pdracer.com/ - you need more than one sheet of ply though :o) - but I like yours, because it looks easy enough for even someone like me to build!

[PaleoDan]

I was looking at that same site last night. I like the design and the fact that is can be rowed, sailed, or powered with a motor. I will give that one strong consideration for my next build.

This build was very easy and you should go for it. It nothing else, you get a great story to tell friends and have a few good laughs (at least my wife did) watching my cousin and I try not to capsize ;)

Thanks
Dan

[Madrigorne]

you might rig a cable-pulley system to your motor so you can steer without having to twist so much - a piece of garden hose around the handle - a cable that runs through two eye screws on either side of the boat near the back to another pair nearer where you sit to fasten to a handle that you can slide left and right - pulling the cables and turning your motor.
As for brads and glue - screws hold better, even if you have to predrill - you needn't worry about popping a seam. Be sure to wear your life-vest!
Also, of you don't have enough freeboard, this boat looks happy enough that you can add on, provided you screw and seal the seams as you did during original construction. I think I will put a cooler behind me to hold the fish, and to provide back support, also will add a fishing pole holder. This boat rocks.
How long does the battery last on your electric motor?

[PaleoDan]

Great suggestions for the pulley system. I plan to try that out - thanks.

As for the battery, sadly I had about a 30 second ride before it died. My battery was old and could not hold a charge so I need to purchase a new one. When this battery was new and I had this same motor on my canoe, I could easily fish for several hours and still have more than half a battery left.

This boat, after I complete the battery test with a new battery will not see my girth in it going forward. It will be for my son to use and he is about 80 pounds. This gives him much more freeboard than I will ever have.

This was a fun project to see more if I could than anything else. Not that I have been "bitten" by the plywood boat bug, I will try to build a larger one for two adults.

[Madrigorne]

I have this for you - I may build this guy, though according to the plans, its as easy to build one as it is to build two...

http://koti.kapsi.fi/hvartial/dinghy1/simboii.htm

[gstephens1]

I wonder how it would work to make stabilizers out of 5 gallon buckets. I have a canoe that gets really wobbly, and I don't want to spend the money on stabilizers. My thought is to use a couple 5 gallon buckets with lids. That might work better on your design than on my canoe, though.
I was thinking to remove the lid and use some bolts and washers to attach a 1x4 cut to the length of the bucket on the side then seal the holes. Attach a couple of 1x2s to the 1x4 about 30 inches. Then put the lid on and make sure it is on nice and tight. Not sure how the clamp to the boat would work, but each 1x2 should have a clamp to attach it to the top edge of the boat.
It will take a little adjusting to get the buckets to sit at the right level, just above the water line so it has a little movement but not too much. It might be fun to try on your design... maybe thats the motivation I need.

[PaleoDan]

That's a good suggestion. I am ultimately looking to build a boat that I can fish and duck hunt out of. I think the buckets would give you the stability you are looking for but I am not sure how much drag they would create. They might slow you more than you want. Perhaps you can try to find something with a more pointed front or build a cone out of some plastic to add the the bucket.

[Madrigorne]

mebbe put fish in the buckets?

[noahh]

I saw the video and I'm going to start on it soon. My design will be a bit more complex and I will post when I'm done (a trebuchet may be included!).

[Madrigorne]

I totally want video.

[PaleoDan]

I love Trebuchets and as a bonus it will help repel any borders if you venture too near Pirate waters.

Would love to see the pics.