boats

does anyone here build boats. OR has built a boat in the past.
i'm looknig to make jsut a small boat that 2 people could use but one person could still use it easily. maybe liek a canoe or a bullboat or something liek that. i would liek it to be historically accurate around like the war of 1812 and the civil war . around that time.
thanks

hold strong
Son

 

[paulvallandigham]

Are you going to use it on flat water, or fast water? ( lakes or rivers?) Oars or paddles? Or a pole? That makes a difference. Canoes and punts have been around forever, in one form or another. Dugouts work. Bateau work in the Southern swamps. Give us some idea of what area of the country you are in, or will be boating in, and how you intend to use the boat. Saying you want a boat that one or two people can use doesn't limit this much. There are lots of boat building plans out there for all styles of boats and canoes. Wooden Boat Magazine has loads of ideas, and examples in every issue. A flat bottom boat that you can row is perhaps the safest and easiest boat to build out of marine plywood. There are many plans for tenders- small flat bottom boats pulled behind sail boats, and other larger craft that allow the owners to row to the dock or shore, and back to the boat at its mooring post.

 

i am in southeastern texas around houston. so soem swampy lands and small docile rivers
some small lakes. mostly i'm lookngi for a fishing boat. jsut someting i can go sit in rather stabley for hours. without having to worry to terribly much about balance.
thanks

hold strong
Son

 

[paulvallandigham]

Build or buy a john boat. They are inexpensive, stable, and are the kind of thing you can sit in for hours. For more money, you can have a bass boat, with a fishing live well, chairs to sit in, etc. with motors, and everything. But for pure, simple enjoyment, you will have a hard time beating the old, reliable john boat. Aluminum versions are still available. You will need a boat trailer to haul them, but they work. I have friends who put a trowling motor on their john boats, together with a charged battery, to motor the boat around flat water at maybe 5 mph. Beats rowing, but you aren't going anywhere fast. Another friend has an old Johnson outboard motor, that is about 20-25 HP, that won't sink the john boat when he mounts it to the transom. He can row that boat, also, but prefers to get across lakes and back ahead of storms as quickly as possible. Considering how much rain you get around Houston, I should think this might be a concern. You don't want to be on the water when lightning begins striking.

 

[chipper]

The Mountain Man Sketchbook vol 2 has several boats listed including several skin boats with buffalo hide coverings and 2 dugout canoes. I'm sure any Dory type boat used by whalers would be accurate. They of course use lapstrake construction. Or simply put, strips of wood nailed together to form a shell. Here's a website that gives out free plans to make boats, it should give you some ideas.[url] http://www.spirainternational.com/[/url]
I hope that helps.
Regards
Loyd Shindelbower
Loveland Colorado

 

[shmrck1]

Loyd,
Nice site!
snake-eyes:hmm:

 

thank you very much. that site was amazing help. thank you all very much.

hold strong
Son

 

[laffingman67]

That's a great site Loyd! :thumbsup: :hmm: Hell I might try to tackle one myself.

 

does anyone here build boats. OR has built a boat in the past.
i'm looknig to make jsut a small boat that 2 people could use but one person could still use it easily. maybe liek a canoe or a bullboat or something liek that. i would liek it to be historically accurate around like the war of 1812 and the civil war . around that time.
thanks

Build or buy a john boat. They are inexpensive, stable, and are the kind of thing you can sit in for hours. For more money, you can have a bass boat, with a fishing live well, chairs to sit in, etc. with motors, and everything. But for pure, simple enjoyment, you will have a hard time beating the old, reliable john boat. Aluminum versions are still available. You will need a boat trailer to haul them, but they work. I have friends who put a trowling motor on their john boats, together with a charged battery, to motor the boat around flat water at maybe 5 mph. Beats rowing, but you aren't going anywhere fast. Another friend has an old Johnson outboard motor, that is about 20-25 HP, that won't sink the john boat when he mounts it to the transom. He can row that boat, also, but prefers to get across lakes and back ahead of storms as quickly as possible. Considering how much rain you get around Houston, I should think this might be a concern. You don't want to be on the water when lightning begins striking.

Paul I don't think that there were any motor boats nor aluminum boat that would be period correct for the 1812 / Civil War era,IMO :wink:

 

[paulvallandigham]

I thought his reference was to Type of boat used in those periods, not what it is made from. I have seen boats made of aluminum, and fiberglass, painted to look like birch bark canoes, and used in all kinds of demonstrations. You make do.

This man sounds more interested in simply getting away and drowning some worms, than worrying about PC nonsense! I looked at the internet this morning for wooden boats, and boat plans, and there are loads of plans, and kits to make your own, if that is what he wants to do. A boat made of marine plywood would be smart, but not PC. I suggested a john boat based on what he said he wanted to do with it. Same for the bass boat. If he said he wanted to participate in re-enactments, or hunt ducks out of it with a BP shotgun, in period dress, then I would have limited my suggestions to a piroque, or canoe, or dugout, or lapstrake dory, or tender, or skiff.

 

Try this site Poke here
Or google piroque, or bateau, and you'll get all kinds of links.

Bill

Mayor of Hirosima's last words--What the heck was that noise?

 

[LRB]

Check[url] blueheronmerchantile.com[/url] You can buy a set of plans, and or kit from Jim Jacobs. You can make a pirogue in a couple of weekends, or less. The pirogue goes way back, and sounds just right for your needs. If you want a square stern boat, ask him about it. Jim is very savvy to boats and building them.

 

[mommicked]

I've built a 6-hour canoe and a plywood johnboat. Both were fun to build. I've used the canoe(actually a bateau) for beer-clamming and sight seeing, longest trip about 8 miles. She is tippy, but fast and handles like a dream unless it gets real windy or choppy. Then she's a coffin. :shocked2: If you build a bateau, build a WIDE one(it'll take more plywood or planks, but worth it). Bateaus come from over your way, and have been around a long time, because they're fairly easy to build, and they work.

 

i give thanks to everyone who has helped me in this journey. hopefully within the next month or so i can set aside enough money to build one for my PC trip in november. i'm gongi to be walking the whole way carrying everything, pulling my boat with my horse. i've desided on a very very light cavas covers kayak. i'm walking from south houston up to fredricksburg. it should take me about 2 weeks gonig and 2 weeks coming back so i'll be gone for about 5 weeks. i'm wearing PC outfits and packing everything from rifles to balls to powder, and everything from my canvas tent to my knapsack to my capote. it shall be a grand time. fret not i'm not cruel to my horse it's gigantic. he's a large draft horse about 18 and a half hands. named u-s-ti u-do which is cherokee for little brother. he's stronger than a steel bar. and i love him to . pray for me as i continue to plan this trip and prepare for it.
again thaank you to everyone

hold strong
Son