Building a Canoe on the cheap......

j williams

j williams

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Nov 14, 2005
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I thought Id post my progress as I attempt to build a Canoe. Im going to try to build this boat for the minimal on coin, with minimal hand tools....

I am building this boat 14ft Canoe

So far Ive spent 40 bucks. That got me 2 sheets of good 1/4 plywood, a few clamps, new saw blades, and a 10ft section of PVC pipe. Plus some cereal (;)) I had to dig through the stack, but managed to score 2 sheets of nice exterior grade plywood. The PVC pipe is used as a batton to mark the curves in the bottom and sides.

I didnt get any pics of the begining marking, and measuring 4x, and marking the lines with the batton, or cutting. Camera was dead. So the first pics I have of the build are from when the pieces were cut. The wood was cut with an old jigsaw I scored at an auction for 3 bucks with a brand new blade with fine teeth. Those plans are great and really easy to follow. If you can measure, and have patience, you can build this boat. I used a standard tape measure for all measurments, and the levels were used at straight edges. Those could be replaced with whatever. Gaps of up to 1/2in are acceptable, but I dont have any gaps to speak of. This boat will be getting glassed with 6oz fiberglass on the bottom, sides, and interior as opposed to the seams as the plans suggest. It will have a nice Hardwood rubrail, and also a rear removable deck to stow gear under. The deck will be made of waxed canvas from a US military shelter half I have in a box(free!) All of the supports I cut to help with the form were harvested from an old box spring I snagged in an alley.(Free!)

This project is gonna be slow going as its not particularly a priority project. I will update with pics as I go, as well as price updates.

Heres the first 3. Got about 5 hours in it as of tonight.

canoebuild009.jpg


canoebuild010.jpg


canoebuild008.jpg


I will do my best to awnser questions, and will periodicaly update with progress reports......:thumbup:
 
And you though my poncho (doughnut)raft was Cool!! Ha!!

Man this is way better!!!

Great Stuff!!
 
Thanks Brotha. I appriciate it......Its easier then I thought it would be so far, but its alot of measuring!! lol
 
That looks great. Looking forward to more photos as you progress.
 
Thanks guys....I will get updates up as they come. I look at what I did with 2 sheets of wood, and get excited to get out on the water...already. :rolleyes:

It will be slow goin, but Ill get there. I work every other weekend, and have my next two weekends off booked with a wedding and the Hardwoodsman meet I need to get ready for. Plus shrooms are up, and fish are biting, and the bush is callin my name....;)

I looked at these plans online for quite awhile before I took the plunge, and then even more when I printed them out. Ive researched a ton of boat building sites and have a few very skilled boat builders in my corner to help with questions I have.

I will not mess it up now that its cut, but I might be sandin my ass off for awhile.
 
You gonna be taking this craft on Missouris rocky streams ? Im curious to see how it performs. It looks like a good plan.
 
dipbait said:
You gonna be taking this craft on Missouris rocky streams ? Im curious to see how it performs. It looks like a good plan.
Click to expand...


Thats the plan brutha. Thats why its gettin overbuilt with the full glass. Im thinking of mixing graphite in the epoxy for the bottom as well. Plenty of small lakes and ponds around though if the waters prove to brutal on the boat.....

chuck buck said:
need fiberglass? check your email boss
Click to expand...

Chuck, I cant thank you enough brother. You are reallly helpin me keep true to the "on the cheap" idea of my build.
 
That is really cool man, and will be an awesome accomplishment :thumbup: Looking forward to following your progress. I also like the idea of doing it inexpensively, and starting out with a free building plan is a great way to start!
 
With that flat bottom you might want to think about a keel or you're going to have a heck of a time pointing it where you want to go. Be careful you don't get too heavy...
 
Thanks guys....

I might add a keel to it and weight is always on my mind.....lol I know a guy who just finished this build, and he only glassed the outside, and just the seams on the inside....No keel, with canvas decks and hes had it out a couple times..Im interested to see his thoughts on the design with time.
 
Cool idea. But I can just imagine hitting some rapids on that thing. Yikes. Hope it works. Better wear some swimming trunks when you try it out. Haha.

Good luck. Very cool project.
 
I'd never take it far from inhabited areas, but I can't wait to see what it looks like all finished up. I've no idea how well it'd handle. Keep us up to date! :)
 
Why so much doubt in its strength??? The plywood is 1/4 inch sandwiched between sheets of 6oz glass with epoxy wood filler filled seams, and possibly a graphite bottom....Thats alot of reinforcement. This free canoe plan from Bateau I linked to has been built thousands of times over and Ive only read rave reviews of its performance and durability, especially by full glassing it. A builder I know of from TX has built a ton of 3 panel boats and takes them through rocky cluttered waters all the time. He is the one who suggested I glass the whole thing inside and out, also providing me with rough estimates of weight differance by doing the seams opposed to a full glass job. The 14in plywood on its own of course would be trashed in no time if I took it out, but it is essentially the skeleton or form, for the fiberglass. The seams in the middle will be reinforced with butt blocks epoxied to both halves as well as an additional seat support that will be epoxied in the bottom. Then the seams will be filled, the whole interior wetted with a coat of epoxy, followed by the glass, then another wet out of thin coats with epoxy. The breast hooks will be double thick plywood epoxied and glassed to the canoe, with a 1/4-1/2 hardwood one installed on top. Also a 1/4-1/2 hardwood rubrail installed around the boat will help to strengthin and protect it. The bottom will be primed with a coat of epoxy, full glass coverage laid, and then another wet out in thin coats with epoxy with (possably) graphite mixed in.

Am I missing something? What is the option to make it stronger?

Heres a link to pics of the model im building. The CC14....

http://www.bateau.com/boats/NC16/index.html
 
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IMHO strength shouldn't be an issue. Fiberglassing the inside and out should make it a tank. I've used boats of that design alot throughout the years, but only in shallow coastal waters or in rice fields. They can float a tremendous amount of weight for their size. Looking forward to following your build:thumbup::thumbup:
 
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