How to Build a Small Boat
Even if you don't live right on the beach, you can easily use a trailer to carry your homemade boat to the water. Just getting out in the open and fishing or enjoying the peace can be worth the effort it takes to build a little boat. Parts can come from most anywhere. Try a few of these tips to make your own.
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Instructions
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Buy a kit. A number of prefab small boat kits are available that incorporate wood or fiberglass. The kits include all the parts you need along with directions.
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Either purchase some plans for your boat or design your own. Figure the length and width of the boat and how many you seats you require. Draw the plan with markers for where you will attach the boards and the parts to make the seats, transom and bow.
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Begin with the floorboards. Attach the floorboards with screws to a centerboard that runs the length of the craft. Fill in any cracks with heavy waterproof resin. Place the form up on a table or platform so that you can easily reach the form to add the additional parts. Make sure the floor is angles, giving your bottom a v-shape.
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Add the transom, which will hold your form together as you bend the plywood to make the curved sides of your boat. Attach with the screws, as it will hold the shape together, providing the form for the sides.
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Bend the planks on the sides to form a point in the front of the boat. Screw together each plank from the bottom up. Fill cracks with resin after the side is complete.
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Add as much or as little inside the boat as you need to be comfortable. A bare bottom can be covered with more planks of plywood or just insert the seats. Consider putting a few extra layers of flooring inside if you will be carrying the boat on a trailer of dragging it across a beach.
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Tips & Warnings
You can also hire a designer to design or engineer your custom boat.
