Precuted kit boats

[venetianguy]

Browsing the web i found somebuilder that sell precuted kits, everything (i guess) already done and you just have to put pieces toogheter.
Do anybody knows anything about it.
Are they worthy ? I am scared about the building time !
Thanks to everybody

[NormMessinger]

The only ones I am familiar with are the CLC boats. The parts are cut with a CAD/CAM system and seem to go togeather okay, which is to say, perfectly if CLC builds them, adequately if built by the one inexperienced person whos boat I saw.

Now let me question your motives for building. That is not generally the least expensive way of getting on the water. With the kit you are paying someone else to have some of the fun of building and driving up the cost of your boat. On the other hand you will save some time and perhaps the need for some tools.

What ever. Ya makes yer choices and ya pays yer money.

Good luck and best wishes.

[Steven R]

I'm currently building CLC's Skerry. I am a first-time builder, so I decided to go this route, first.

I would never compare building from a kit like this to building from plans. However, for a first-time builder, it provides enough challenges (the kit manufacture ensures this by keeping the instructions vague and a bit "buggy") to keep me interested. I have over 80 hours into my boat and I figure I'm only 3/4 of the way through.

As far as cost, I don't think you save much by building the same boat from plans instead of a kit. Those that do it, do so for the experience more than anything. Although, beware that your overall cost to build (plans or kit), is probably going to cost at least 1 1/2 times the cost of the kit. At least that's what I'm experiencing.

In a word, I'm having a blast building a kit.

http://www.bigdunesystems.com/get-outside/skerry/sk79.jpg

Get-Outside (http://www.get-outside.com)

[Ted Ford]

Hi-Check out Karl Stambaugh's site. He has computer generated hull kits for boats up to 40 feet. These include the popular Redwing series. I am currently working on a Redwing Semi-V 21 ft. boat. Purchased the pre-cut kit - sort pf pricy, but I think worth the money in time saved. The kits are great - accurately cut, stepped scarfs, good pywood.
His site is: http://www.cmdboats.com/hullkits_prices.htm

Ted Ford

[ 06-25-2003, 02:47 PM: Message edited by: Ted Ford ]

[Mike Vogdes]

Ted,
The Redwing 21 V looks like a nice boat, will you finish her with a pilot house?
How far along are you on yours and what power are you planing?

[venetianguy]

Those boats are nice and the site you gave is even better.
I do not understand how do you hadle bevel betwen joints. Are they alredy done as well ?
The picture is great and i think you should send it to the magazine. What about your plank bevels ?

[Tomcat]

In general, boatbuilding isn't all that difficult. So I don't think one should be scared of trying a project from scratch, or worried that one has missed out by assembling a kit. The main difficulty you face with plans is understanding them. Books, videos, clubs, the web, make everythign so easy, it is getting ridiculous.

I think there is a major trend towards kits at both ends of the build spectrum. There are all kinds of issues pushing this: Liability, quality control (formt he designers concern), capturing more profit, getting more builders interested, sourcing products, and letting peopel tackle HUGE prjects, like 40' foot catamarans, that probably would have been 25-30' twenty years ago.

Yes just as the 800 square foot tract home is the 2400 square foot one these days, and the VW microbus is replaced by the Lincoln Navigator, so to the average cruiser wants a mamoth boat. Kits get you there. Partly because they do some work for you, but also they subttlely shift people to methods they might not otherwise have considered.

I can remember kit boats in ply like the CLC boats back in the 70s. Yet strip held sway. CLC broke through with their funky chines and approximate tortured surfaces. Just as Composite hard chine pre cut panels and pushing into the larger boat market that is used to round shapes in glass and wood.

If you are talking about the picture above, I don't know how it was built, but with most systems matched bevels are not necesary. Think drywall, you just glop the seams with tape and compound.

[Steven R]

If you are asking about the pic I threw in, the bevels are pre-cut with the kit. There is some rabbeting that's done by the builder.

Now that I see how it goes together (again, I'm a newbie), cutting the panels myself doesn't seem like it would be such a big deal. But for me, it did take building a kit to acquire that confidence.

But, it definately is not like traditional planking with a strongback and such. Heck, my boat doesn't even have a stem. But, if you can get past that (which some people can't), it's fun, some of the boats get reasonable reviews for performance, and they aren't too horrible to look at.

[Bob P]

Built two stitch and glue kits back in the late 60's early 70's. Kits were very well designed and afforded a faster way of getting in the water. Had no prior experience.
Todau O wouldn't have any compunction about building a real boat, just too old.
Bob

[Ted Ford]

Mike-
I have really just started on the Redwing semi-V 21. Had to spend the winter carving an insulated workshop out of our two car garage and am now busy finishing up a CLC kayak for my wife.

I do plan a pilot house - probably modified by making it 2 feet longer. I would like to somehow fit in an enclosed head, but will have to work on the layout. Already have the motor -a used low hr. 25 4-cycle Merc. at a good price. The kit is designed as stitch and glue with the frames fitting into a slotted keelson so the hull should go together quickly. I have all the parts scarfed and sealed with epoxy and will get into the construction after the kayak is done.

Once I get well started on the Redwing, I will post some photos.

Ted

[venetianguy]

Hi there Ted,
I am a little confused !!!!!

[QB]If you are asking about the pic I threw in, the bevels are pre-cut with the kit. There is some rabbeting that's done by the builder.

Do you want to tell that you do not have to use the hand planer at all ?

Please, let me understand.

Andrea

[venetianguy]

Thanks everybody for helping me.
Andrea

[Steven R]

Andrea,

Sorry. I should have been more specific. The bevels for the panels are pre-cut. However, I used a Rabbet Plane to cut ramping bevels at either end (double-ended boat) on the non-beveled sides of the the panels so they would sit correctly where the ends of the hull come together. I'm sure this is hard to picture, but it's really not a difficult task.

This pic doesn't help much either, but...

http://www.bigdunesystems.com/get-outside/skerry/SK20.JPG

If you are interested in the building process, check this out.

web page (http://www.get-outside.com)

Also, a hand plane is handy for shaping other parts of the hull... but, not required.

Steven

[venetianguy]

Well Steven,
Congratulations, it a beatyfull boat and your family is even better.
I suggest everybody to take a look at Steven Web Page, is worthy to see what he did and the comments really help to understan the entire building process.
Thankyou
Andrea