Aboard, About, A Boat . . .

May, 2006. Two guys, a ream of blueprints, several sheets of poster board, and a dream of someday sinking to the bottom of Lake Erie in a boat built with our own hands. Yup, it’s time for the boat post.

A joint endeavor combining my legendary woodworking skills* and my good friend Matt’s experience with fiberglass, woodworking and motors, our little boatbuilding project has progressed slowly over the past two years. We purchased the plans from Glen-L in the winter of 2006 and then began work in May. We had originally intended to build a jet boat using the impeller from a used jet ski, but recently decided to modify the design to that of a traditional outboard runabout. The following pictures and descriptions recount the work done so far. From here on, I’ll try to update periodically whenever we make significant progress.

We started working in my dining room with a full set of blueprints.

The drawings on the prints had to converted into full size patterns by carefully tracing each piece onto poster board and then cutting them out.

The full size patterns were then traced onto marine grade plywood, after which we began cutting out the shapes that would form the hull of the boat.

Here’s a finished piece of the hull, followed by the completed transom.

The pieces then needed to be beveled and sanded and shaped.

Once properly shaped, we used epoxy and butt blocks to attach the long planks of the hull together full length.

This picture shows pieces that make up the outer form of the hull and transom; basically, the shell of the boat.

After that, we began stitching the various forms together. You can learn a bit more about the "stitch and glue" technique of boatbuilding by clicking HERE.

In May, 2007, the boat began to take shape.

This picture displays the hull and gives an idea of the eventual length and beam of the boat.

And that’s about where things stand today. More updates to follow!



* After my college roommate and I finished building a bunk bed out of 2 x 4's by hand in college, he gratefully bestowed upon me the title of "Lackee" in recognition of my helpful contributions to the project.