Looking for anyone with experience building wooden boats

[Skagen]

I'm looking at building a wooden boat. Somewhere between 19 and 25 feet. I haven't really decided whether I want to do a runabout, or perhaps a cuddy cabin, but I wanted to know if anyone had experience with any plans obtained from placed like Glen L or similar sellers. Please let me know of your experiences, good or bad.

 

[Lyle29464]

Re: Looking for anyone with experience building wooden boats

You will find it all at www.woodenboat.com

 

[andgott]

Re: Looking for anyone with experience building wooden boats

I've built a couple- All of them smaller than what you're looking at building- the largest I've done was 15'.

There are ALL kinds of plans out there, and a lot of different ways to build. There are the more traditional plank on frame, and far more modern methods that use plywood, glass cloth, and epoxies. What you choose will depend a lot on your needs, budget, and experience level.

Glen-L has some nice plans out there- And there is a LOT of support for them. Many of their plans have been around for 50+ years, so there are a lot of boats that have been built from them, and owners associations, etc to help you out.

I don't know the level of your woodworking experience, But the best bit of advice that I can give to ANY aspiring boatbuilder is to built a small, 6 or 8 foot boat first. It will use the same basic techniques and skills that a larger boat project will, and will give you a good idea of if you REALLY want to try to tackle a larger project, without investing too much time and money.

-Andrew

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Looking for anyone with experience building wooden boats

This ^^^ is GREAT advice. I currently have plans for the Glen-L Squirt and plan on starting her next Fall after I get my Blue Flamingo Launched and all the Wife's Honey Do Woodworking Projects completed. If all goes well, I will use the experience I gain from the Squirt and move up to the Malahini.