Plywood To Use For Boat Building

The amateur boat builder Has relatively few choices of materials for DIY boat building. It is possible to build a fibreglass boat or canoe but a mold, to build the fibreglass hull on, is a necessity. The cost of this mold can unfortunately be quite high. Unless you intend to build a number of boats from the same mold it is really not an economical proposition. Building an aluminum boat or canoe is also a possibility but requires considerable skill in sheet metal work which few amateurs have. The remaining alternative is to build a do it yourself wooden or plywood boat.

Plywood boat building is the choice of most DIY builders since plywood is relatively cheap and easy to work with. Some small dinghies can be built from just one sheet of plywood to make a boat up to 8 feet in length or a little less. Plywood used to build do it yourself boats can be either marine grade (which is best but more expensive) or ordinary exterior grade. Interior grade or utility grade must not be used. These types of plywood are nor made to withstand prolonged exposure to water and will delaminate since the glue between layers is not waterproof.

Many vintage plans boats call for plywood lengths which are greater than the standard eight foot sheets available in lumberyards. Marine plywood in lengths greater than eight feet is obtainable but may have to be special ordered. If plywood of the necessary length is not available the simple solution is to join two sheets together using a butt joint. Simply lay out the complete length of the part on two lengths of plywood and butt joint the ends together.

A butt joint is formed by laying the two ends together and placing another piece of plywood about one foot long over the joint. Then glue the foot long piece in place using marine glue or epoxy glue. Then use wood screws on each side of the joint (from the inside where the short piece of plywood is placed) to make a very strong joint. The butt jointed section will actually be stronger than the rest of the length if you do it this way.

Never use a scarf joint where the two sections are tapered and glued together. The butt joint is much stronger and is standard paractice for boat building. The short piece of plywood for the butt joint should always be inside the boat. If you butt joint both the sides and bottom of the boat arrange the joints so that they are staggered and not at the same spot. Do not let the problem of obtaining longer than standard plywood deter you from building your vintage project boat. Butt jointed plywood parts are as strong as or stronger than single lengths, and many boats are built this way. You will find a number of good plans for plywood boats free to download at my website vintage projects

Build A 7' 9" Plywood Dinghy

Here is an ideal all purpose DIY plywood dinghy. Handy for the yachtsman who needs a strong seaworthy boat or for the sportsman who wants a lightweight cartop boat.

This do it yourself vintage plans dinghy is light enough to be rowed easily even by youngsters yet sturdy enough to be used with a small outboard motor.

This nice little boat vintage project can easily carry two adults with fishing or camping gear. It is easy to cartop or put in a van or pickup for transportation.

Check this fine vintage plan out and download it free at my website DIY Plan

Build A Boat With 1 Sheet Of Plywood

With just one sheet of 1/4 inch exterior plywood you can build an excellent DIY 8 foot dinghy. This vintage plans dinghy can easily carry two people with fishing and camping gear.
This is a very stable easy handling little boat. You can row it or power it with a small outboard motor.
If you want a heavier boat just use thicker plywood. 3/8 inch plywood makes a somewhat heavier but tougher boat which can take a lot of knocks. However 1/4 inch plywood is good enough for most uses and is cheap and light in weight.
You can find this vintage plan and many more interesting vintage projects at my website where you can download them free: Vintage projects