How to Build a Wooden Flat Bottomed Boat

well let's get started on the process itself what what's what's our first step and we'll take Paul and we're going to cut out the flat base fort first and get it set up to add the side rails and the ends to okay we're gonna take a 48 inch piece of plywood this is what we've done it's a full sheet we've cut it down to 42 inches wide now at the front of the boat we're going to take our three inch offset come up 24 inches put a winch offset and then we're gonna scribe that line with a flexible ruler or a stick and cut that much off of each side of the front of the boat [Applause] there's a reason you use marine-grade plywood and you know if you just use a cheap plywood you might have a problem why don't we use this Marine great it is a exterior-grade type of plywood for this purpose this particular plywood is 5/8 and it is a top grade ply and it's individually plied with a very good exterior glue and they use a thicker ply to give it a better density and a better bonding alright we're gonna make a three-quarter mark down the side so we're gonna know where to set our rails we want to take our compass and you'll start at the front of the boat and set it on a 3/4 offset and scribe all the way up our shirt to our first piece of plywood and stop there and I'll repeat that on the other side alright we're gonna take our poplar base rails and set them right over here at the edge we're gonna set this in place and pre fit this rail before we cut it at the ends in the back those screws are inch and 5/8 and you'll notice we haven't countersunk them all the way because we're simply holding this channel in place so that we can pre-market where we're going to put our glue mark on both sides so we got a good mark on it and I'll repeat that on the other side we've got the front part of the boat place now we're gonna put the secondary piece of ply went in the back and Mark it likewise we did the front okay all right Tim this one's been pre-cut to 42 inches to match the width of that of a piece of plywood right there too now we're going to do the same thing we're gonna set a 3/4 back set and Mark this piece of plywood here and then we're going to mark the end of the plywood that we're going to cut we're going to make a 3/4 mark to carry through the rest of the boat all way down to the end now now that we've got our first sheet of plywood marked when we set our second piece in we're going to get a 3/4 mark all the way up there about every 8 or 10 inches so that our rail can line all the way up the side of this with the same 3/4 overhang on each side also before we set this plywood in place now we're going to come back and cut this channel strip back the recorder so that we set our gun all in place our in board it'll be sitting on the plywood also like the rest of the size and the front so we've got our mark there and we've got our match 3/4 mark right there alright just like Tim we did on the back we're gonna give a 3/4 reveal on this plywood so that it has a lip extended like on the edges so that we can set our front board in front of it too and screw into same process we're just duplicating it in the front all right gonna set our plywood back in place I've got a 3/4 offset coming off the back everything's good to go next step is to pre screw the channel and do this piece of plywood also all right John you're holding in your right hand what kind of wood is that and what's the measurement on again this is yellow poplar season yellow poplar it's approximately four and a half inches wide it is simply a cleat board to bond these two separate pieces of plywood together as a bonding agent waterproof to seal out any leakage you get up in there we're gonna set it in place and just fit it now of course we'll pre-drill it set screws in it now that we've pre-drilled this I'm going to sue this put the screws in it so we can hold the two pieces of plywood together and not have to lose our sizing on that as we take the rest of it apart what's the next step obviously we got to get it ready for glueing gray our rails are set we're marked now we're going to take these off with the exception of this we're going to leave it in place so that we've got a bonding agent between the two pieces of plywood we're gonna pull these off clean them we got wet cloths on our hands why were you getting it wet and what's the purpose for all this we want to get enough water on it to dampen it real good that cleans the dust off it gives us a tracing agent for the glue to bond into so everywhere inside that line just soak it in pretty good doesn't have to be dripping wet but just as long as you get it damp and when you leave it alone you look back and it's still there all right we're using gorilla glue and I noticed on the side of this it actually says damp it glue it clang-clang and that's exactly what you're gonna do now you're gonna make a pattern here explain why this is an expanding glue so what I'm gonna do is give it room to expand I'm going to zigzag it make sure that it's a permanent run not a broken run so that no water seeps in and out once it's bonded now as we place this on here he's gonna hold that piece off because we're gonna curve this wood like we did to start with and i'ma lay it in place in the same screw holes we patterned it on so that it stays put and I don't have to lose it off my lines we're spread to glue where I don't want the glue to be I'm going to come back if I feel like there's not enough screws in it and add another one because I want to make sure it's clamped and bonded with these screws come over with it son Paul and this is drawing up the wood real good and making it a clamp at the same time any of the excess glue that exposes itself now I want to make sure I get cleaned off before it starts setting and you'll come back a couple of times and do this because as it continues to build and foam will continue to come out of it I'm going to take this Center cleat out of the middle now because we haven't glued it yet and I don't want it to get stuck with the other glue before I get a chance to put it in place well prep and clean this the same way we did the side channels we left a slight crack between those two just enough for the glue to get down into it's probably 1/16 of an inch I'm gonna put a liberal amount in that seam so that we get a good bond on our two pieces of plywood we're going to set that back in place and screw it down there yep you've seen us wipe this down once already now you see it's continuing to foam it's the exterior or the outside of the boat where you're gonna lay and apply that side rail is where you want to keep it clean as it foams out so I'm gonna clean it one more time we've set this to before underneath of this just to get us a pre arch while this is still drying and we're gonna draw down the secondary part of it back here so that we get the glue to dry with this in an arched position which is what it's going to be like when we put our side rails on it tomorrow how many hours would you recommend to let this little sit hours eight hours is it good yeah I mean it'sit's it wrecked it I'd let it sit overnight because there's no reason to come back too soon and do something as we see the shape of this boat take place obviously the next thing we got to just put some sides and in front and and back on it and when I saw you a pre-cut a piece over there just to see how it fit a little while ago and send out and a notice there was a curvature to match the grade that you put the bend in it with last night so how did you cut that particular piece so it would fit then we took our 12-foot one by 12 and I came down to 8 feet and marked it at 8 foot point and would have come down at 10 feet and I'm gonna mark it at a 10 foot point at our eight foot mark we started it zero point where nothing was taken off I came down to foot marked ten and three eights that was one inch off if I subtracted from the 12 inch board and I came down and took three inches off that gave me eight and three eights as soon as we got that part done if we put a straight edge on it you'd see the part that I'd cut off all we did was set this on top Bend it up to my points scribed it with a pencil and took off that much all right we're gonna take our 12-foot cut board we're gonna match it and cut a pattern on our other board we haven't done anything to you I'm gonna scribe this same mark and we're gonna cut this much more off of this one so we have a matching set of runners now you've got this is called a pleat once where's that go cleats gonna go in front just like the two on the side we're gonna put a cleat here between these two at the front and back to give a support brace that will screw our cap and transom in so you're just doing the same thing you didn't fork right same thing we'll give us a pencil line so we'll have a glue mark the layer glue in after we soaked it down and wet it real good we're wet this down do the same processes every time we glue something we're gonna wet and soak it so that it'll trace that glue and I'm gonna screw it in place with these screws and that'll serve as my clamping inch and 5/8 screws with a square or Phillips head same thing we've been using all along about every six to eight inches just as long as it's pulling it down good we'll be in good shape we're gonna work the sides in more than water now Tim and prep it for the glue too now I think this step right here John once people see these two sides go on that's gonna really put this thing together make it look like a boat it's going to be mostly boat what you're gonna you gonna picture your boats and we raise these it and if you hear the noise in the background that's rain so we may need this can you hurry this up money will hold out of here and we'll get a paint job on it this afternoon we dampened it down real well before we put the glue on it we're gonna set it up one more time and dry fit it make sure we have do any adjustments or any modifications to the links once you change this arch it may adjust the length of this board and make it a little longer what it should be so you'll want to check your measurements after you drop it at every time before you put glue on it and stick it up there I'm to me Paul whoa right there that's good at any point that you've got a board set up dry-fit at first so that you can check and make sure nothing's changed with your arch or your measurements for its longer or shorter double check it and dry check it first before you put in glue on it and just like this case here we've got about a quarter inch extra we're gonna cut that off so we've got a good flush fit at the back as well as the front every time you cut a piece and you sit it in place to glue it double check those measurements and make sure it's fitting right for the next piece all right now you've pulled the boat over to the edge of the table so we can you're thinking ahead you got a clamp this thing alright a little different process on the gluing this time but we are at the point where this side is going to go on when you put the glue down and climb some screws it's there it's done what's the difference in the glueing we're gonna put one good bead right down in that corner and set in place it'll expand under and up without having to add an extra zigzag barrier or any other extra glue to it this is gonna be plenty of glue right here and I'm gonna start right here and put a screw in this one first after I get a clamp on it to hold it flush at the front so that I don't change anything else I've got this one set in place right at the end of the board where I want it I'm gonna set a screw inside of it right flush into that channel we'll whip it on not too close to the inside of the split the wood at another spot change them a clamp again tighten it up you can drop it all the way down up now I think we'll be okay now we're gonna repeat the process on the other side I'm going to keep on cleaning this glue that's foaming out wiping it down smooth right on the side of this so that it presses it into the end of that raw plywood and into our poplar it's something we won't have to clean off later and I've left this too before in front of the boat to keep her arch in place while we were pulling up the front of the boat to match our cut on those side rails all right Johnny got a boat sitting here in front of us almost what you cut these pieces up alright alright SADS are done these are gonna be cleats for a back seat so we're gonna sit these in place and glue more sand and just like we did every other process what was the measurements on this again another ten and a half I said man didn't have long seven half-an-hour seats gonna be 12 inches that it gives a little overhang now gives you a pocket box to sit stuff underneath of while you're traveling down the creek alright Jim here's our transom and what we did was we took our bottom measurement right below here we took that measure what we're doing is I had a three degree exterior outfall and gives us a wedge ship piece of wood and as we set that in there I'm going to drop it at first you're gonna see how it flares out the side of the gunnels and that gives it a little flare on the side of the boat gives you a little more water buoyancy just three degrees three degrees cut on a short side laying it out like that just three degrees on the length of that board and that's the same size one by twelve that we used on our outside bands just like last time we're going to run a bead right up in the corner and right on the face of that run one down the corner on the inside to all the way down the back of it one continuous bead right up the corner again and a little on top of the face okay you can put a seat anywhere in this boat that you want to do this yeah structurally right now it's it's together in solid those seats you place in there wherever you place them we're just gonna give it some more string okay you can put one at each in one of each in one in the middle it doesn't matter and you'll build them the same way we're gonna build this one it's gonna give it the same characters you're just going to have a different placement no we've taken the same kind of channel and rail that we put on the bottom everywhere else and we're gonna use it as a cleat to put here in the back we're gonna add another one to the face slide it in place and that's gonna be our frame to set our seat on all right Jim just like this one we're gonna add the front cleat into it we've pre-drilled it when you get to dealing with some small wood like that if you put a screw in too close to the edge you're gonna split it like that so we've washed it we're gonna put some glue on it set it in place it has the same three degree inset cut from zero so it slides and matches the angle the back of the boat to then put the finish side up so that's a smoother side there's a finish side and there's a rougher side of that marine plywood inch and a quarter screws Tim everywhere we've put on glue before we put another bore on it somewhere we've got this expansion of glue we're gonna clean it off and it's a real quick and easy process two or three hours after you've glued it come back and it's pliable enough you can take a knife and cut right down on it like that slide it across the bottom and it pulls out just like that and you've got it all off your spot just as clean as it was before okay Tim now we're gonna put the bow the boat on we're gonna set it in place we've already pre-cut it to the same height as this 8 and 3/8 is what this one happens to be we're gonna scribe the side its laid up square where we want it I'm gonna scribe this side to take it over here and cut it we'll come back and clean it put it in place putting the glue right in the corner joint like we did last time gonna set it in place I'm gonna put the shorter screws in it we've been used an inch and a quarter an inch and five-eighths we've got the bottom in place now while the glue still wet we're going to pre-drill this top and I'm gonna set it in place like this and we'll pre-drill all of these at the end so we don't split them out all right John we're in a final final stages here you built the back seat you built another seat because you know technically you could fit a couple of people in this boat and we plan on that now and you follow the same steps in the middle seat that you did in the back seat same same deal now in the front you're putting a board here that we talked earlier about the fact that when you're pulling this boat along you need a handle where you can grab it by plus it's a seat somebody could set up here in school or whatever they have this to serve as a handle it'll be a base seat it also serves as a step to step on when you're gonna leave the boat or step into the boat so you have to make such a stride going down into it also gives you the stability in the front that our back seat did in the back so so it's basically gonna grab this in the bottom side it'll sit right in place remember we brought the cone of the boat into a point here so I'm gonna have that same three degree angle we've been talking about all along draw up in here too right so you cover that side for me right there all right you good there I'm good to go we'll screw it down and glue it like we did the rest of it and use the same process for the other cities as well here just to frame your building frame pop it in here all right to refresh where we're at we'll measure from the back of the gunnel this splice cleat that put our two pieces of plywood together is centered at 47 inches continue in the run of our tape we're gonna put the next one at 104 inches right in the center I'm gonna place this board on both sides of that mark that's where we cut it to fit I'm gonna scrap each side of that line so I'll know where to put my glue process reason we did this was the strip's we'll put on the bottom in just a few minutes will give us a nailer point at this point the front at that strip in the back so that we don't have any protruding screws coming in to the bottom of the floor okay Tim we've got the front done now we're going to flip it over and put the runners on the bottom now I'm going to clean up any surplus foam and glue that's come out on the side of it before we get ready put our strips on it and you'll notice right there there's one little screw that's popped through that's not a problem as we sand this we're gonna sand that down too and when we paint it it'll seal it up and get rid of it alright in the last construction phase we've got is to clean and prep and glue on this last runner strip we'll have for these that'll attach on the bottom of the boat to block any abrasions in the river or wherever you're gonna stop okay we've got the first one on now we're going to come over every 14 inches to the center with the other three strips and repeat the process everything goes on the edge and we'll have that done we used the oak rails for the bottom to stop any kind of abrasions from rocks or anything you might run over while you're in the creek that's why we use the oak it's harder the rest of the wood and give you some stability on the bottom of the boat to be able to walk on it without much give - I'm impressed with your skills as usual I mean but this was not terribly complicated got it done in just several hours we're not done yet but the next time you see this boat it's gonna be in the water we're gonna be doing a show on it now what are some more things we can do to pretty it up to wrap it up mm-hmm we've got some fine sanding to do we're primer it will take some butyl caulk and touch up any screw heads pieces and parts that we want to seal up just to smooth it up real good for the paint job on it that's ready to go can I pick the colour yeah it's camouflage of colour it's several colours but you can pick can I pick that about Kentucky field oh nine on the sack I took your fiddle man and a camel job that's what I'm talking about I can see you doing some height now this thing oh yeah thank you man nori sheet I'll see you

Channel: KYAfield

Views: 1,827,502

Rating: 4.6938338 out of 5

Keywords: Kentucky, Afield, boat, build, wood, float, lake, stream, river, pond, shallow, water, kayak, How to Build a Wooden Flat Bottomed Boat, flat bottom wood boat, How-to (Website Category), Flat-bottomed Boat (Ship Type), Tim Farmer

Id: gHvyUkTTsLM

Length: 22min 0sec (1320 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 05 2011

Reddit Comments

[u/benutne]

So you just make a box?