Hopefully this will take you on a boat building trip with me as I build an 18' Power Dory Skiff Boat.
After careful thought over different construction methods, I chose a method which is unique, using plywood planking over frames. In this article I will take you through this process step-by-step. I hope you will find it informative and helpful. With that said, let us begin. It all starts with the frames... READ MORE...
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. When looking for the best lumber to fill the need of your boat plans, you most likely will find the wood you purchase may has not been planed or milled straight.
If done properly, you will find that the technique discussed in this article will rival any big, bulky and expensive edge planer,..... READ MORE...
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. But since most of you do not, the next logical question is, "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. The information in this article is not an exhaustive listing, however it is a great start to avialable wood types and their uses and characteristics. READ MORE...
If there is one thing we have learned over the past 15 years is that people who use the DVDs with their canoe plans as their guide, had a very successful, tension free experience while building. With the wealth of information on the internet (both good and at times horribly bad), we remain more convinced than ever that the best opportunity we can give to our customers requires us to provide the best educational material that we can and not require them to rely on internet experts.
You can go here to read more about our new Kayak builing DVDs.
What a great idea for putting a memory stamp on a canoe.
I attached a photo of a method I used to spread the canoe back to 32" that is very easy and quick.
Basically, I reverse an Irwin clamp and use it as a spreader. It worked great and only takes a minute so I thought you might be interested.
Thanks again for all your help and have a great Christmas!
Scott Fredrick
Thanks Scott, this is a great way to keep scratches off the hull while spreding it for the yoke and breasthooks. Jack
