First attempt at a home made boat, on the cheap.

 


                  I've been reading a lot about one sheet boats, which is making a boat out of one sheet of plywood.  Since I've just moved close to Pugent Sound, figured I'd see what is was all about.  This is the simplest one sheeter I've found, though it is a bit more then one sheet, but we'll get to that.  First off buy a sheet of plywood(4X8, 1/2 in thick).  Find one of the random, roving Lumber dudes, and have him cut it for you, you want 1 two foot piece, and 2 one foot pieces. 

4X8 sheet of plywood, split up for ease.

       Yes, you can cut it yourself, but why not make this as easy as possible? 


       Now, take your two foot piece, and measure out 17'' from one end of the board.

Draw a line and hack that off.  This is now the bow of your ship(bow=front).  The larger piece is going to be the bottom of your boat.

Now, tap some nails into the top of your new chunk, and on the bottom.  DO NOT put the nails all the way through.  Minimize the holes in your boat.  If water gets into the wood, it will die a horrible death on you. 

Tie some string onto the nails, find something to make a 45 degree angle, tighten the string to hold it in place. 

Using a speed square to make my angle. 

Now, grab up your 1' pieces and line them up at the stern(back end) and draw a line for the angle of the bow.

Cut off those pieces.  (I labeled the pieces, so I know which side was which)

Dont' throw that scrap piece out, we will use it later!!  Now, you will need screws(or nails), screwdriver(or hammer) and silicone caulk.  the screws are to hold this piece of crap together, the caulk is going to be your waterproofing.  If your caulking sucks, you will sink.  Silicone caulk is important, it is the waterproof one, it's what you use on your sinks and bathtubs.  If you use some other caulk, do yourself a favor and make something for bailing before you make the boat. 

 Now, you are going to put this together upside down, and putting the screws in the bottom of your boat, so throw a line of caulk down the side of a side, and screw it in place.

 repeat on other side.

 then caulk and screw in your bow.  The better your measuring and cutting was, the easier this will be.  The more you mess up, the more you will be caulking, and the more likely you will fail in your attempt to float.

Now, I said this is a bit more then one sheet.  Here's what I mean.  If you look at your boat right now, you have a bottom, two sides, and a front.  Obviously you need a back.  Grab a piece of scrap from your woodpile(if you have none, you can but a plank, or a smaller sheet of plywood(they sell 2X2 sheets) or go steal from a construction site or something. 

 This is mine, some piece of crap siding piece that was in the garage when i moved into this house.  Put it against the back of the boat, trace where you need to cut it to fit, then glue/screw it on.

 Now, Flip your boat over, and heavily caulk all the edges.  We will be painting the boat later, so these edges are going to be where the water will come in and ruin your weekend, so give it alot of caulk.  After throwing it in, run your finder down the line to help push it in. 

Now, we will be caulking more, one coat will not be enough.  BUT, for this to be as good as it can be, we need to wait 24 hours before adding more.  So, now is the time to beat your chest, grunt happily, and go grab a beer and hang out for the rest of the day.  Don't let anyone give you shit, you just built a boat, so you deserve the rest.  More to follow on this project as the days go by.