Considering buidling a boat? Read this chapter on boatbuilding kits to get started.

2. 2
plans
There are several ways To go once you have decided to build
a boat. you can build from scratch using plans from one of the many sources
available nowadays, buy a boat kit, or buy full-size paper patterns for hull
parts. refer to a current boating magazine or use online search for plans.
The boat of your dreams may be a simple rowboat, a boat for both rowing
and sailing, a daysailer or cruiser, a power craft for waterskiing or fishing
or both; or you may set your sights higher, and be satisfied only by a larger
powerboat for cruising. whatever the type and size, take your time selecting
plans. remember, it takes only a second to decide to build your own boat,
but it might take years to complete it.
There is a wealth of plans for plywood composite construction methods
such as the stitch-and-tape method, sometimes called stitch-and-glue or
taped-seam. This method is discussed in Chapter 11. some designers offer
full-size patterns for the hull parts to be made from flat sheets; others
furnish thoroughly dimensioned scale drawings for the parts.
lofting, discussed at length in Chapter 7, is the process of drawing hull
lines full size, working from the designer’s scale drawing. Much, if not all, of
this work is eliminated when building a hull by the stitch-and-tape method,
but such hulls are limited to the shapes that can be formed from flat panels.
There are also designs available for a number of other construction tech-
niques including lapstrake plywood, strip construction, and traditional
15

3. 16 Boatbuilding Manual
wooden construction, as well as for other methods and materials covered
by this book.
regardless of their source, try to determine whether the plans that interest
you are sufficiently detailed for you to completely understand the vessel’s
construction. It cannot be emphasized too strongly that good plans are well
worth their price, because their cost is but a fraction of the total cost of the
boat. The cost of the plans might be considered as insurance that the fin-
ished boat will be a success. when designers do not draw the profusion of
details that the novice builder would like to have, this book should be very
helpful in filling in some of the missing information.
I would warn you against making changes in the hull lines, heights of
superstructures, or locations of major weights. such procedures can result
in unsatisfactory performance at the least, or even downright reduction of
seaworthiness. Consult the designer before making any major changes, and
if he advises against them, you will be better off using plans that will give
you what you want without departing from the drawings.
ExamplEs of plans
I am using plans I drew over the years as examples of adequately detailed
drawings. The Rudder magazine, which unfortunately disappeared many
years ago, was once known far and wide for its down-to-earth practical
content and “how-to-build” small craft plans. I was fortunate enough to
be selected to do a number of these. In fact, in 1950 The Rudder collected
Figure 2-1.
Plans for this Herreshoff descendant,
the Somes Sound 12½, by Brooks Boats
Designs, run to 16 large sheets.
(Brooks Boats Designs)

4. plans 17
a series of my monthly boatbuilding articles and published them as Small
Boat Construction, which was actually the first edition of this book. The
majority of the illustrations from that first edition, drawn in 1949–1950,
still appear in the edition of Boatbuilding Manual you are reading now.
when it comes to building wooden boats, the old expression really is true:
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Figures 2-2, 2-3, and 2-4 are plans for a 19-foot arc-bottom daysailer I
did in 1948 for The Rudder to the general specifications of the magazine’s
editor. I named this boat “Triton” (a name I do not think had been used for
a class of boats at that time). over the years I have heard good things about
the design from as far away as england (where the builder obtained the
framing lumber from an obsolete British army truck), Brazil, and Cuba, just
prior to the Castro revolution.
Figures 2-5, 2-6, and 2-7 are for a 1984 design for an 18'7" inboard-
powered launch I christened Barbara Anne. respectively, the figures are
a combination outboard profile and arrangement plan; the lines plan; and
the construction plan. a separate written specification for the various parts
on the construction plan is keyed to the circled numbers to avoid cluttering
up the drawing any further. running to three or four dense pages of scant-
lings and hardware, the specifications should of course be included in the
plans package you purchase for a boat.
over the last several years there has been a proliferation of small design
firms focused on the amateur boatbuilding market. The tendency has been for
these designers to develop and refine their plans packages to make them much
more understandable and user-friendly than they were years ago, even to the
point of providing fairly detailed written step-by-step instructions. Take some
time to identify and compare some of these designers, and remember that the
quality of the plans and the support available from the designer may end up
being as important to you as the size, construction type, and general configu-
ration of the boat itself. lots of them have websites nowadays, and those who
do not may be happy to talk to you on the telephone. If they don’t have time for
you before you become a customer, they probably won’t later on!
The plans package for a somes sound 121 ⁄2, a plywood lapstrake design by
Brooks Boats Designs, for example, includes seventeen plan sheets, a thirty-two-
page specifications manual, and twenty-seven pages of lists as well as seven
full-size pattern sheets covering dozens of individual parts. Brooks, like many
contemporary designers, has free study plans available online. Figures 2-8, 2-9,
and 2-10 show details from the full-size pattern sheets for this boat.
another approach to plywood boatbuilding that has gained consider-
able prominence over the last few decades is the stitch-and-glue method,
(continued on page 28)

5. 18 Boatbuilding Manual
Figures 2-2, 2-3, 2-4.
These plans were drawn by the author as part of The Rudder’s “How-to-Build” series and appeared in the
February 1948 issue of that publication. Large-scale blueprints were offered by The Rudder for use by home
builders. The arc-bottomed form makes this a relatively simple boat to build.
(The Rudder, reprinted with permission)

6. plans
Figure 2-3
19

7. 20 Boatbuilding Manual
Figure 2-4

8. plans 21
Figures 2-5, 2-6, and 2-7.
Outboard profile and arrangement plan, lines plan (including the offsets), and the construction plan for the
18'7" inboard-powered launch Barbara Anne.

9. 22 Boatbuilding Manual
Figure 2-7

10. Figure 2-8.
plans
Forward sections, web frames, and mast bulkhead—full size in the original—for the glued-lapstrake Somes Sound 12½ design from Brooks Boats
Designs. (Brooks Boats Designs)
23

11. 24 Boatbuilding Manual
Figure 2-9.
Details of the stem profile, forefoot filler, and deck stringer from the full-size plan sheets for the Brooks Boats
Designs Somes Sound 12½. (Brooks Boats Designs)

12. plans 25

13. 26 Boatbuilding Manual
Figure 2-10.
The transom knee, transom profile, and other details from the full-size plan sheets for the Brooks Boats
Designs Somes Sound 12½. (Brooks Boats Designs)

14. plans 27

15. 28 Boatbuilding Manual
described in greater detail in Chapter 11. sam Devlin is a west Coast designer
who has refined and developed this method and has even written a book on it.
his plans, or study plans, for the 22-foot powerboat he calls the surfscoter
can be purchased at his website, devlinboat.com. Figures 2-11 and 2-12
show a few details from those plans demonstrating the attention he gives to
the specifics of construction and the needs of the amateur boatbuilder.
plans for Boats Carrying passEngErs for HirE
every year there is a great number of boats built to carry six or more fare-paying
passengers, whether it be for sightseeing, dinner and dancing, or, more likely,
fishing. If you are contemplating building such a craft, you should be aware
that, in the interest of safety, the construction and equipment of passenger-
carrying boats are regulated by the U.s. Coast guard. The regulations are not
unduly strict, but you should not start construction without at least obtaining
approval of the hull construction. The routine is fairly simple if you take the
time to consult with the closest office of the U.s. Coast guard. In general, an
application is made for the inspection of the boat, specifying the service, the
route, and the number of passengers to be carried. If there is a complete set
of plans, it should be submitted; otherwise, if construction is to be started
quickly, general arrangement drawings are necessary and also details of the
hull construction. The Coast guard has a book of regulations that spells out
the design and equipment requirements and lists the plans that must be sub-
mitted for approval. They no longer offer the book for free, but they can tell
you the location of a government bookstore that stocks the publication. The
regulations are also available online. you will find a great deal of guidance
at the Coast guard’s website. vessel construction and inspection information
can be found at the “Passenger vessel safety Program” page.
rEstoration
restoring old wooden boats and even early fiberglass boats has gained con-
siderable popularity. This is easy to understand since many of the older
designs have more appeal than the look-alike plans turned out today. Much
restoration is done by amateurs, but a good many professional shops are
kept busy catering to those who prefer the older, sometimes classic boats,
both sail and power, and can afford to have others do the restoration.
an amateur planning to restore a boat that has caught his eye should be
wary of one that has deteriorated beyond his ability to repair it, or one that will
require too much time and money—even if money is not important, an excessive
amount of time can destroy his enthusiasm before the job has been completed.

16. plans
29
Figure 2-11.
Detail from Sam Devlin’s plans for the Surfscoter 22 showing connection between hull and keel/stem. (Sam Devlin)

17. 30
Figure 2-12.
This detail from the General Details sheet of the Surfscoter 22 plans might help
the first-time builder evade a major pitfall of stitch-and-glue construction. (Sam
Devlin)
Boatbuilding Manual

18. plans 31
hardly a month goes by in which a boating magazine does not carry a classified
ad reading “1945 classic mahogany runabout, partially restored. . . .”
In any event, the situation is not unlike choosing plans from which to
build your dream boat—first be absolutely certain the design is exactly
what you want, and then, if you are not personally capable of making an
accurate judgment of the boat’s condition, hire a surveyor for the job. and
don’t use just any surveyor: get one that is unquestionably familiar with
the type of construction employed in the craft being considered.
BOATS BuiLT FROm PLAnS AnD KiTS
Building a boat from readily available plans is one tried-and-true approach.
Shown here are several boats for which plans and/or a kit is available.
An elegant line drawing of the Coquina, a traditional plank-on-frame interpretation
of a classic Herreshoff design available from D. N. Hylan & Associates. (Doug Hylan)
(continued)

19. 32 Boatbuilding Manual
Over the years, thousands of junior racers For modest ambitions, here is a trailerable
have trained on the Blue Jay, a 14-footer 25-footer, a Roberts design.
designed in 1947 by the venerable design (Bruce Roberts)
firm of Sparkman and Stephens. (Sparkman
and Stephens)
The Paper Jet is a hot little number—on a
reasonable scale—from Dudley Dix.
This Dix 43, built in aluminum, is shown at
(Billy Black)
anchor in Antarctica. (Franz Joho)

20. plans 33
This interpretation of the traditional Nova
Scotia Tancook Whaler was designed by
George Stadel and built by Bill Rogers
of Woods Hole, Massachusetts. This
photograph was taken before the internal
ballast was installed. (Bill Rogers)
The Surfscoter 26 is typical of the wide range Thousands of builder/sailors have lived
of boat plans using the stitch-and-glue method the tropical dreams on the innovative
available from Devlin Design Boatbuilders. catamarans of James Wharram. This is his
(Sam Devlin) Tiki model. (James Wharram)

21. 34 Boatbuilding Manual
BuiLDinG SeA KniGHT
Glen-L sells a variety of plans and other materials to support home boatbuilding.
Bill White purchased Glen-L’s plans for Sea Knight, set up his shop, started build-
ing, and launched the boat sixteen months later. (Photos and captions courtesy
Bill White.)
1. 2.
Building the form. The framing is white oak; holes were drilled
on the frame uprights before assembly.
3. 4.
The plywood for the hull was scarphed on Polyurethane enamel was applied over
the floor into 18-foot lengths and installed resin-based epoxy primer. No antifouling
as single sections. No fiberglass was used on paint was needed.
the boat.

22. plans 35
5. 6.
Once the hull was turned upright, epoxy Building the cabin.
was applied to the bilge. From this point
on in the construction process, attention
was paid to the placement of fixed
weight to achieve proper fore/aft and
port/starboard balance.
7. 8.
The cabin was built, and a flexible White polyurethane enamel was applied to
texture finish was applied to all exterior the topsides.
surfaces above the bumper rail.
9.
Sea Knight after launching.