Wooden Boat Building
Wooden boats are usually the project that beginner or amateur boat builders start out with as their first project. There are two very good reasons for this. The first is that wood is one of the most affordable materials to use in building boats, the other is that there is not much requirement for specialty tools. You can build a wooden boat in your workshop or garage, using tools that you may already own. If you had to go out and buy all of the specialty tools needed for certain designs, it could be very expensive.
Types Of Wood Used For Wooden Boat Building
The best materials for your wooden boat plans are the easiest to work with, such as plywood. Marine plywood is a commonly used material for wooden boat building because it is specifically designed to be water resistant. Plywood is one of the least expensive materials and is very simple to use. It also lasts a very long time and does not require a lot of maintenance if you apply the proper treatments to it.
As far as lumber is concerned, you really have to know what you need and what you are looking for. The specific lumber species, grade you will require, number of board feet, and thickness, will determine the overall cost of your project. If you are a beginner, you may not want to buy the most expensive lumber you can find. The most commonly used types of lumber include mahogany, oak, okoume and greenheart. Most lumber that you will require for constructing wooden boats cannot be purchased from your basic building supply lumber yard, so you will have to find a suitable supplier that is not overly expensive. If you do some careful research, you may be able to get a good deal on materials.
Wooden Boat Building Methods
There are many techniques for wooden boat building, all with varying levels of complexity. Below are a few examples and breif descriptions:
Stitch-N-Glue
Great method for amatuer boat builders. This method can yield one fully constructed boat in about one hour. Plywood panels are cut according to patterned shapes from the plan that make up the boat. On the pattern, there are marks for small holes to be drilled, then short pieces of copper wire are “stitched” through the holes to hold the pieces together. The seams are then filled in with an epoxy putty and covered with a resin coated fiberglass tape on both the outside as well as the inside.
Lapstrake
Also known as the “Clinker” method. Planks are overlapped over a bent frame and are screw-fastened to the frame. Since there is no glue or fiberglass used in this method, you won’t be inhaling toxic fumes. While this is a fairly simple method, the main disadvantage is that the wood may shrink and expand, allowing the accumulation of dirt and debris between planks.
Strip Planking
This is not only a strong method for building wooden boats, but it is also very light weight. Usually, cedar strips are used because they are very light and absorb the epoxy. You will require a tool called a “thin-kerf ripping blade” with which you will cut the strips from your wood. The strips are then cut in lengths that are simple to work with and applied to a mold form.
These are only a few examples of the many methods you can choose from for your wooden boat plans. Each having their own advantages and disavantages. As you try different techniques and develop your boat building skills, you may find certain methods suit you better than others.