Which rowboat to build?

[sailnstink]

Glorious news my recent sentence in an apartment is coming to an end. Bonus points as the new place is on a pond. Been a few years since I've built a boat(Some plywood, some SOF) and want to build an nice rowing easy building(nail and glue preferably) skiff. I have plans for QT Skiff, June Bug, and Bolgers 10.5' Not averse to buying a set of plans for something else. Use would be me most of the time, but want something my teenager can take out with a friend. Pond is a half mile long speed not necessary but I would like something that rows easier than the typical aluminum skiff. Open to new suggestions and experiences with the listed designs.
Thanks

[Reynard38]

First build? What’s your experience with woodworking? Tools owned?
Check our CLCboats.com. They’ve got quite a collection of rowing craft. My first build was their Chester Yawl. Pretty, fairly stable, rows well, much better than a typical “rowboat”.

[176inches]

Make sure it has a skeg (a long keel also helps) and not too much freeboard. My current sailboat has all three and rows beautifully but it's not easy to tack.

[176inches]

All three you mentioned are flat bottomed hence easy to build. A rounded lapstrake hull like the ones I designed and built (see http://176inches.blogspot.com, there are many many plans available, free and at a price) is prettier and nicer to row but harder to build.

[Larks]

Selway Fisher Thames Skiff? http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthre...kII&highlight=

[176inches]

I heartily agree on the Thames skiff on beauty and rowing ability. How hard was it to build?

[Etdbob]

Actually, I think the June Bug would be about ideal for that 1/2 mile pond.

[seasnail]

QT skiff would be my choice. The trapezoidal cross section allows a decent span between oarlocks without making the boat unnecessarily wide on the waterline.

[Larks]

I heartily agree on the Thames skiff on beauty and rowing ability. How hard was it to build?

Quite easy really and it was very enjoyable to build.

[Michael K.]

I am near completion of B & B 9' nesting dinghy from plans. If you find that sort of practical function and design attractive, https://bandbyachtdesigns.com/spindrift may be worth a look.

[Dusty Yevsky]

Do you have a size limitation? The rowing boat that currently sets my heart aflutter is CLC's Jimmy Skiff II. I'm smitten with the looks and it appears to behave well in quite a few modes: row, sail, fishing and power. Looks like a very easy build and CLC's support is topnotch.

https://www.clcboats.com/modules/cat...Jimmy-Skiff-II

I've built a passel of boats but had this design been around earlier I would have skipped around 3.

[Etdbob]

The Thames skiff and Jimmy skiff are stitch and glue, requiring plenty of epoxy.

Sailnstink asked for nail and glue boats. Can't beat a nail and glue boat for fast and cheap construction, and hey, it's a half-mile pond.

Jim Mickalak has a few nail and glue rowboats, but his QT is probably the best of them. I do like his Sneakerbox Punt, but QT probably rows better.

https://www.duckworks.com/product-p/jm-sneakerbox.htm

There is always Bolgers Teal, a very simple build. But Sailnstink already June Bug, which is a fine row boat. The Bolger Pooh Sticks looks like fun to me, I think it can be built from his book Small Boats.

I have a Summer Breeze by David Beede which rows well enough. His site Simplicity Boats has a few other longer boats as well, and the plans are free, but I don't think they are any better than the above.


Hey, how about something different?





Not a rowboat, but only two sheets of plywood, free plans and lots of fun -

https://the-shed.nz/home/2018/11/19/...utrigger-canoe