Thread: A little Rowboat, i would love anyones opinion :)

You do realise that their 'one piece of plywood' boat uses a piece of ply that's 14' long - you can't buy that anymore, the longest you can get is 8'.

Don't try to save money by saving on the plans, it always, always costs you more than you could possibly save.

Do you want a row boat? Do you need a row boat? Or do you need something different and were just looking at this because it seemed cheap and easy?

Realistically mate, go to Mik Storer's website, choose the boat that fits your needs and buy a set of his plans. I say this because his 'plans' are not a set of basic drawings like those you've shown. For your money, you get a booklet that is the nearest thing to a boat building course you are going to get outside of paying for a boat building course. If you want a rowboat, he has a rowboat. If you want a sail boat, you've got his PDR racer or his GIS. If you want a power boat, you've got his Handy Punt. They are all high performance boats designed and documented to be built by muggins builders like yourself.

Another alternative is Gavin Atkin's Mouseboat - free plans, they need a sheet and a half of 8' ply and are very good either with a paddle or under oars as a rowboat ... though you need to decide before hand which option you want. The downside is that you do not get all the documentation you get with Mik's designs but there is a healthy Mouseboat community and yahoo group. The Mouseboat was my introduction to boat building after I realised that Redback's plans were a horrendous pile of cocky poo (I actually needed the skills learned in a proper boat building course to finish Redback).

Mate, even a Mouseboat will cost you a couple of hundred bucks. That boat you've linked to will cost quite a bit more. When you add up ply, epoxy, timber and paint, the cost of a decent set of plans is minor. This is why I'm strongly pushing Mik's plans - they are 'cheap' and they provide a HUGE amount of information, information that you won't get elsewhere. They also have the added advantage that you can come on here with your problems and we'll all gang up on Mik until he's sorted them out for you

Just some thoughts ... but first, work out what you actually want and build that, DON'T be misled by thoughts of doing it 'cheap' or you'll wind up with an unsatisfying craft like my Redback.

Richard

Howdy,

The boat shown is not really a very good rowboat. The transom is quite wide and it is dragging in the water.

Michael, what do you want the boat for? You want to row out and go fishing, or just have a boat that you can just use when you feel like getting out on the water.

There might be other choices that make more sense for your lifestyle and idea of having fun.

MIK

I forgot to include Mik's Eureka canoe if you want a canoe

Seriously Michael, work out what you want to do and build that, don't stuff about with intermediate boats. Of course, you might change your mind, I didn't realise that I'd prefer rowing to stuffing about with sails until after I'd tried a few sail boats, but as most on here will attest, I am a bit weird

Richard

You might consider these as well

http://koti.kapsi.fi/hvartial/

Another option is to get a copy of Harold Payson's "Instant Boats" books.
http://www.instantboats.com/
The designs are by Philip Bolger, and they work. Again, you get a course in boat-building
included in the book, although you have to be careful of some of the short-cuts in
materials which are available to north americans, which we dare not take here. (You
avoid these if you build one of MIK's designs, and MIK's are optimised for performance
rather than extreme build simplicity.)
cheers
AJ

im just looking for a simple rowboat like one you would hire out from a national park.
im looking for something to add to my portfolio, something to impress the friends and impress a lady with a picnic.

i dont mind rowing, any excuse for exercise, im not a regular sailor or anything. just looking for something not too challenging but still exciting.

ill have a browse of Miks designs, i have plenty of time to decide (ie next summer)

but i appreciate all the imput!
Michael

how do you feel about canoes and kayaks. They use the minimum amount of materials and can be quite seaworthy. people go long distances in them.

MIK

And also the easiest to move around and store.

Also check out the designs by John Welsford at http://www.jwboatdesigns.co.nz/plans/plans.htm#rowing

Or if you are willing to sacrifice stability for speed have a look at these http://www.guideboat.ca/

Hi Michael,

There are plenty of simple rowing boats around, I am partial to this one by Jim Michalak, it takes 3 sheets of 6mm ply and a small amount of epoxy.
http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/ji...kiff/index.htm

The plans can be found in his book, which has plenty of information for anyone contemplating simpler, more 'homely' projects. He also has plans for budget oars.

http://www.duckworksbbs.com/media/bo...alak/index.htm

Originally Posted by Boatmik

how do you feel about canoes and kayaks. They use the minimum amount of materials and can be quite seaworthy.
MIK

i do like the idea of canoes and kayaks. i put the vote out to my friends and they all wanted me to make a row boat haha

what are the comparitive prices for making a kayak or a row boat? (just a rough average cost)

seems i have a bit of research and thinking to do
MiLK

"rough average cost"
No such thing unfortunately.
At the cheapest end of the scale, Bolger's 'Teal' rowing/sail boat & MIK's 'Eureka'
canoe come out of two sheets of 6mm ply plus assorted other bits of timber &
glass tape. Figure around $450 using cheapest marine ply & timber, or closer to
$650 if you go for premium materials. Both boats perform beautifully, although
Teal rows better than it sails. You won't buy any commercial boat that comes
close for the money. They'll be heavier & slower, at best. And more likely cost
twice as much for a lesser performing boat. My avatar is a modified 'Teal'.
Pictures of others linked from http://www.instantboats.com/
MIK's Eureka can be seen at http://www.storerboatplans.com/

Going bigger...
Add $80 - $120 for each extra sheet of ply you need.
Add $100 if you want to glass sheath the bottom.
Double the cost if you want to build in strip plank & blow the socks off your friends with an amazing looking boat.

Hope this helps.
cheers
AJ

Add $100 if you want to glass sheath the bottom. <<< love this idea cause its something new to try and add to my skills.
Double the cost if you want to build in strip plank & blow the socks off your friends with an amazing looking boat. <<< your gonna hate me but whats a strip plank...

ill hit up the links and see what i like.

mean while my parents are gonna kill me cause i "borrowed" a powertool off a mate, by this i mean i lightened my bank account a little on a hand trimmer at bunnings
they are also not thrilled at the idea of me building a boat but hey im takin over the garage haha

MiLK

p. also thanks heaps for all the imput!