Wood strip boatbulding as we know it has been an evolution over at least 80 years now, though there have been some major mile stones along the way, not the least of which was the Gougeon brothers experimentation and ultimately productization of an epoxy that would give consistent results for boat builders. Likely the biggest boost to the home builder market was a book by a Maine outdoorsman named Gil Gilpatrick simply called "Building A Strip Canoe". This unpretensious book sparked an enourmous movement in back yard builders. I don't know the original publication date of this book, however my copy has been on the shelf for over 25 years now. The book was the perfect mix of information on how to take a table saw, pile of Cedar and some goo called epoxy and create a way above average looking...

When you first unrolled your boat plans you probably found different pieces of the boat which required various widths, sizes and shapes of lumber. For your boat building project, chances are your best bet for milling out all of the members is from lumber that will not come from the local big box store but rather a good old fashion lumber yard. One of the primary reasons for us working on this site is to pass along tips and techniques. Over the years, necessity has proved a great motivator to either research or develop techniques which allows us to build our boats. One such technique we had to figure out a long time ago was how to make a straight edge on a long piece of lumber. One realization that you come to very fast when looking for the best lumber to fill the need of your boat plans,...

While I might be a geek who actually likes pouring over the numbers to loft out a boat for my boat building project, it is not something that I would necessarily recommend for everyone. For some reason, many people don't think they have fulfilled the requirements for a boat building project unless they start with pencil and paper. That would be like saying you didn't build a house if you didn't first accomplish all of the architectural drawings yourself. Sounds silly when you think of it like that. So why not give yourself a break and focus on building a boat? So many boat building projects get stopped at the early stage of making frames and there is no reason for it. When done the right way it could not be simpler. When done wrong, I can think of nothing more harmful to the project. Most...

WHICH WOOD IS RIGHT FOR YOU? One of the more difficult questions we get is "what types of wood.....?" People want to know what they can use for gunwales, planking, decks and so forth and it is easy for us to give an answer if you happen to live where we live. When it comes to wood types and the approrpicate uses, it in fact is not a small world. Shipping a canoe kit from the east coast of the US to Austrailia almost costs as much as a typical canoe kit does doubling the cost of the kit. The the next logical question is, "well what kind of wood in my area can I use". We get pictures from all over the world from people who have built boats out of wood we have never heard of. This is not an exhaustive listing, however it is a great start to avialable wood types and their uses and characteristics....

Spiling, Yup, it is a real word... First, A little History Spiling is one of those things I can write about, be completely wrong and nobody can prove it. I could not find a definition in most dictionaries I checked, articles I have read on it are brief, non-descript and single focused and boat building books going back to the masters of the likes of Howard Chapelle, leave enormous room for interpretation. I think the reason for this is because most people try to define spiling as a specific action instead of a goal. Even as I write this article, the spell checker refuses to accept the word.

Starting with the Frames Hopefully this blog will take you on a boat building trip with me as I build an 18' power dory skiff. The construction method is unique using plywood planking over frames. I considered building this boat using stitch and glue but as in most cases on boats of this size, I found that the panel size would be daunting and by the time I was done installing all of the supports I needed for the self bailing cockpit, engine splash well, decking and so forth I might just as well built it with frames to begin with. Having built using both methods, I simply find this construction method suites me far better than stitch and glue for large boats such as this. I will typically either be working alone so trying to stitch 20 foot plywood panels is a daunting task to say the least....

If you have ever tried to joint two pieces of fiberglass with a lap and got frustrated with fraying ends, this article is for you.there are a few reasons to join or lap fiberglass layers on boats. Typically fiberglass comes in rolls of 60" or less in width. So if you are working on a boat such as the Pea Pod used in this discussion, you will need to have more than one layer simply to cover the hull. The second reason is to add strength to specific areas of the hull. typically the bottom. For instance if you are building a small wherry or canoe that you think will be dragged up on rocky shores, you will probably want a couple of layers on the bottom. Some boat plans have specific requirements for fiberglass layups and you should never do less than what is recomended. When I write how-to's...

First, let me say that building with staples has been done many thousands of times and makes for a beautiful boat. In fact if done carefully and the staples are aligned neatly, it can be very appealing. Boat plans for canoes do not generally specify how to attach your strips as either method will work just fine. That said, if you are of the opinion that those darn little staple holes detract from the beauty of the boat then read on. The actual act of stripping without staples is a fairly easy straight forward process. There are a number of ways to accomplish it but we will get to that in a minute. The actual rub to building without staples lies in the shape of the hull. In general, if the hull has smooth curves which aren't too severe then it is a very straight forward process. When the...

Adding a little dash to your Canoe! Even if your canoe plans don't specifically call for them, you would be surprised just how easy it is to add a little flair to your canoe or rowing craft. Scuppers not only add to the looks, they also serve a purpose. when you flip your boat over it gives the water a way to exit the craft. Scuppers on bigger (trailered craft) are pretty much just for looks. As most of you know, when it comes to building your own boat, there is nothing wrong with doing something just for looks. First a little disclosure before we start making our scuppered gunwales. All of the gunwales we have here at our shop whether we are using them here or sending them out to customers are cut by machine out of long pieces of Ash. Although this is preferable, making them as outlined...

arge clear timber is getting hard to come by. This simple technique will cost you about $100 in tools, glue and jig material and give you a rock solid stem with a perfect shape. In years gone by, boat plans called for stems that were typically made from sawn timber in multiple pieces, and the pieces were glued together and assisted with through bolts. Words like rabbett and knee are seldom used on newer plans when referring to the stem. In fact most stems today are made from inner and outer stem pieces. The inner stem is actually the integral part of the hull where the outer stem typically includes the cutwater and has a primary function of protecting the bow of the boat. Not only are these two piece stems easier to build with, they are typically much stronger than a traditional stem. If...