Anyone into boat building?

[Time Waster]

I had a friend who built kayaks, canoes and paddles from wood. Only a few a year to sell as a hobby business. It was very, very high quality.

More recently I've seen boat building courses and boat kits where everything is included from resins, fittings to pre-cut wood or marine ply. Saw a beautiful SUP kit, 12'6" or 14' in marine ply or marine ply plus cedar top deck.

Has anyone built a canoe, kayak or other boat?

 

[Jameshow]

I had a friend who built kayaks, canoes and paddles from wood. Only a few a year to sell as a hobby business. It was very, very high quality.

More recently I've seen boat building courses and boat kits where everything is included from resins, fittings to pre-cut wood or marine ply. Saw a beautiful SUP kit, 12'6" or 14' in marine ply or marine ply plus cedar top deck.

Has anyone built a canoe, kayak or other boat?

Have built a canoe flo mo big guide

https://forum.woodenboat.com/forum/designs-plans/106711-another-two-sheet-rowboat-design-big-guide

Really good design. I used cheap plywood as I had a sheet left over from another project.

I would use marine ply if I were you.

Take your time and do it indoors - I built it over a weekend on the patio.

 

[Andy in Germany]

@Oldhippy Is either building or renovating a canal boat, I think.

 

[Oldhippy]

Just bought one, starting renovation in next few weeks.

 

[Jameshow]

Just bought one, starting renovation in next few weeks.

Come on show us some pics!

Fancy a canal boat myself
One of our lady shedders is doing on with her daughter/sil. I'm watching with interest and hope to visit.

 

[lazybloke]

Whenever someone builds a boat, there's a story I have to dig out. I first read it a quarter century ago on the UK.D-I-Y usenet forums - they seem to be long defunct now. I've posted it on cyclechat previously but that link is now dead....
Found it! >> Expanding foam boat

 

[Gwylan]

Come on show us some pics!

Fancy a canal boat myself
One of our lady shedders is doing on with her daughter/sil. I'm watching with interest and hope to visit.

Boats are amazing money pits. Have you got £10000 a year to fritter away with no obvious or measurable return. All that money does is to grant you licence to risk incurring even larger bills.

After 20+ years of owning a proper boat I speak with experience. And from a position of refreshing poverty.
Selling the boat averted total financial Armageddon and probable a messy end. Largely as my physical strength and the strength required got further and further apart

Also I'm enough of a snob to suggest a canal barge is just a money pit dressed up as heritage or similar. But delusional. And not by any stretch of the imagination a boat or requiring seamanship.
Painting pretty patterns and making rope doilies seems to be the limit
Take up tattooing or bee keeping.

There are so many unfinished projects languishing around the edges of our waterways.
Take up stained glass window making.

 

[Jameshow]

Boats are amazing money pits. Have you got £10000 a year to fritter away with no obvious or measurable return. All that money does is to grant you licence to risk incurring even larger bills.

After 20+ years of owning a proper boat I speak with experience. And from a position of refreshing poverty.
Selling the boat averted total financial Armageddon and probable a messy end. Largely as my physical strength and the strength required got further and further apart

Also I'm enough of a snob to suggest a canal barge is just a money pit dressed up as heritage or similar. But delusional. And not by any stretch of the imagination a boat or requiring seamanship.
Painting pretty patterns and making rope doilies seems to be the limit
Take up tattooing or bee keeping.

There are so many unfinished projects languishing around the edges of our waterways.
Take up stained glass window making.

Totally agree.

Also the mental health of single people is a known issue.

 

[Oldhippy]

I've found our well maintained narrowboat is actually absurdly cheap. Servicing is simple, cheap to insure. Much much cheaper than living in a house.

 

[Badger_Boom]

Boats are amazing money pits. Have you got £10000 a year to fritter away with no obvious or measurable return. All that money does is to grant you licence to risk incurring even larger bills.

After 20+ years of owning a proper boat I speak with experience. And from a position of refreshing poverty.
Selling the boat averted total financial Armageddon and probable a messy end. Largely as my physical strength and the strength required got further and further apart

Also I'm enough of a snob to suggest a canal barge is just a money pit dressed up as heritage or similar. But delusional. And not by any stretch of the imagination a boat or requiring seamanship.
Painting pretty patterns and making rope doilies seems to be the limit
Take up tattooing or bee keeping.

There are so many unfinished projects languishing around the edges of our waterways.
Take up stained glass window making.

A sailing friend used to claim that you could get the same effect as boat ownership by standing under a cold shower while cutting up twenty pound notes.

 

[Gwylan]

A sailing friend used to claim that you could get the same effect as boat ownership by standing under a cold shower while cutting up twenty pound notes.

Uffa Fox, amongst others. Started off talking about £5 notes. Now that won't even buy a pint of beer

 

[dicko]

I started HMAV Bounty in 1998 and it’s still not finished it’s getting fiddly for my old hands but we’re getting there. The real Bounty was built, converted and sunk in less time mine has taken.

 

[MichaelW2]

If you build the boat indoors, make sure you can get it outside.

 

[dicko]

If you build the boat indoors, make sure you can get it outside.

How did NCIS Gibbs ever get those boats he built in his cellar out thats what I would like to know?

 

[oldwheels]

Whenever someone builds a boat, there's a story I have to dig out. I first read it a quarter century ago on the UK.D-I-Y usenet forums - they seem to be long defunct now. I've posted it on cyclechat previously but that link is now dead....
Found it! >> Expanding foam boat

You used to be able to buy small dinghys about 10ft long I think made of polystyrene. I had one which I skinned on the outside with glass fibre. Good little sailing dinghy but a bit fragile. Easy to lift on to a car roof for transport.