First boat

[jclays]

Ive looked at Old Wharf Dory,s site and I like the looks of his lumber yard skiff. I will start with the 12ft lobstermans skiff. Reading the material list for this boat and it lists 1/4" meranti for the sides and 3/8" for the bottom. I have access to 3/8" marine fir plywood. Can I use this for both the sides and bottom. How is Poplar for use in frame work?
Thanks
Jim

[DGentry]

Hi Jim
3/8 fir will work fine, though your boat will be much heavier. Fir plywood has a tendecy to "check" and it certainly isn't as high a quality as BS1088 marine plywood - or even as high a quality as it was in the past. Examine it carefully for voids.

Poplar has some rot issues, or so I hear. Douglas Fir might be better, but there are lots of options.

Good luck!
Dave

[mike hanyi]

if it is a screw and sikaflex boat paint everything 2 componant paint before gluing it-it will last a lot longer

if it is an epoxy ply join your plywood, then paint it with epoxy before assembling, it will last longer, even quality pine is ok for stringers and chines,- it is your first boat and a testbed. just try to visualize it getting finished, so many people just get tired of sanding and epoxying.

I would recommend a sikaflex and ply first as the project -moves faster and the results will last for many years.

[switters]

you may have a difficult time bending the 3/8" sides around the frames. Something to think about. I glued 1/4" on frames last weekend on a small skiff and found it hard to keep everything lined up with just one person.

good luck,

[JimD]

Jim, you will have to fiberglass sheath both sides of the fir to keep it from checking. Epoxy alone will not prevent those cracks from inevitably appearing in short order. Use the lightest weigh cloth you can find - around 2 oz or so. This will add to expense, build time, and weight, and the 3/8 on the side is already overkill. It might be better in the long run to shop around for the meranti, or even occoume, which weighs about 20% less than meranti but costs at least 20% more, even if you have to order it and pay shipping. You don't say what corner of the world you hail from. If we knew where you are located it could help finding a supplier of meranti or occoume.

[kenjamin]

I built a dory skiff twenty years ago out of marine 3/8" fir. Only the bottom exterior and a few inches up the sides was fiberglass sheathed and set in epoxy. The bottom was further protected by a glued mahogany keel strip with a replaceable white oak strip on top of that. (underneath if the boat is upright). The oak strip needed to be replaced once.

The boat is still going strong. The checking of the paint is not attractive but does not seems to hurt for a boat kept dry (well covered and well ventilated) on a trailer and painted every three or four years or so.

Having said that, I would use a good quality 1/4" mahogany marine ply for the sides as the boat will be lighter, perform better, look more attractive, and require less maintenance – worth the extra cost.

[jclays]

Thanks.. Anyone familiar with Shoe string shipyards Frugal Skiffs 12ft version? Just an fyi Im in So California.
Thanks again
Jim

[S B]

First boat. a few tips:#1 all the mistakes you are going to make now are laughs for your old age. #2 be cheap, the last thing you need is for your first attempt to outlive you. #3 there is always someone out there somewhere who did this worse than you. $4 Noah had to ask God for help.#5 Danm it ,I can do this myself. All the best.

[jerry bark]

First boat...

#2 be cheap, the last thing you need is for your first attempt to outlive you.

All the best.


LMAO,

words to live, and build, by.

cheers
jerry

[Thorne]

If you click on the User CP link in the upper left of this page, you can update the location section of your profile -- so folks will know where you are from without you having to respond to the question each time with "I'm in So Cal".

My strong suggestion is to find a plan that meets your needs and available materials, then "Build to the plan, man." Otherwise mistakes can be expensive and disheartening -- and the world really doesn't need any more half-finished wooden project boats...

;0 )

The rule of thumb hereabouts is that the savings in marine fir ply are lost when you add the costs of the epoxy and glass cloth needed to keep it from checking -- so you don't save any $$ and the boat is heavier than necessary.

If you can find a design that calls for 3/8" ply covered in epoxy and glass cloth, then you've got what you need to fit the materials == but that is often putting the cart before the horse. Your boating needs, transport, budget, storage space, etc should be what drives the choice of a design, not available materials.

[jclays]

Found the plans that I will build for my first boat. Its by Shoestring Shipyard. Called the Frugal Skiff, 12ft flat bottom basic plywood construction. It has 3/8 plywood sides and 1/2 inch bottom. Will work great with an outboard. Hope to start after I finish my bathroom remodle. Just did the tile. Should wrap it up in 2 weeks time.