How to Do These Things

There is just something so appealing about leisurely yachting in the Riviera through the sunset or paddling down a small creek on a hot summer day. Boating is certainly one of the most well-loved leisure activities of people worldwide.

Unfortunately, purchasing or renting a boat is quite expensive for most people. Here are a few guidelines on how to construct a small wooden boat.

Materials and tools needed

• Outboard motor
• 2-inch wood nails
• Four 16-ft. long 1” x 10” pine boards
• One 16-ft long 2” x 4” spruce board
• One 2-ft long 2” x 4” spruce board
• One 4-ft 16 ½” x ¼” spruce board
• ¾-in x 6-in cedar or spruce board
• 16-ft long 7/8” x 10” cedar or pine board
• Two 16-ft 7/8” x 2” spruce board
• 4′ long piece of scrap board
• 1 ¼” x 10” metal sheeting
• 1 pound white lead
• One old sheet
• Hammer
• Plane
• Chisel
• Saw
• Heavy drift

Preparation

1. Select the 16 ½” x ¼” x 4 feet spruce board for the transom.
2. Cut it into lengths of 42 7/16”.
3. Cut the top at an angle so that the top is exactly 8 inches shorter on each side than the bottom. The resulting shape should be a trapezoid that measures 16 ½” tall, 42 7/16” at the base and 31 ½” at the top.
4. Cut a 2-inch deep and 14-inch long groove at the center of the top.
5. Select the 16 foot 2” x 4” board to make the keel.
6. Cut the ends of the board to round them off. The last one inch should taper to a point at one end of the board. This tapered end should look like a 16-inch long paddle.
7. Taper the rest of the board’s length so that it measures ½” x 4” x 15.5’.
8. Design the stem from the 2-feet long spruce board.
9. Put the board on the work table so that its height is the 4-inch side.
10. Cut a tiny groove into the first end on the left side to make that side ¼ inches narrower and 2 inches down the 4-inch length.
11. Cut the board to make it ¼-inch narrower and 2 3/16 inches down the 4-inch length on the right side. Repeat this step on the other end to make the two ends exactly the same. The groove should run the entire 2 feet of the stem board.
12. Use two 16-ft long 1” x 4” boards for the sides.
13. Score a notch in the 10-inch width of the first plank. This plank should measure 1 ½ inches wide and ½ inches deep.
14. Do the same on the other board. The notches should run the entire length of the board. The two boards should be a perfect fit together.
15. Nail the boards together and repeat the process for the other side of the boat.

Putting the Sides Together

1. Put a strip of white lead and a small amount of twine in the span of each notch cut in the stem. This procedure helps to waterproof the seam.
2. Place into the notch one end of the left side. Make sure that the top and bottom planks fit perfectly well into the notch.
3. Position the planks so as they are 20 inches high and the stems are 2 inches tall.
4. Secure the planks into the stem with nails.
5. Repeat the procedure for the right side of the boat.
6. Position the trapezoid-shaped transoms in such a way that the groove is facing upwards.
7. Tightly pull the other ends of the left sideboard so that they touch the slanted height of the transom. Make sure that the edges of the sides lie flush against the edges of the transoms.
8. Secure the left side of the boat to the transom by nailing it.
9. Repeat the process for the right side of the boat.
10. Secure the molding along each side at the juncture of the side planking with nails.
11. Use the drift to clinch the nails along each side.

Putting the Bottom Together

1. Turn the boat over.
2. Cut the 120- ft long wood into two strips.
3. Cut the first strip to 42 inches.
4. Get the width of the bottom of the boat 4 inches from the wider end to obtain the measurement of the second strip.
5. Cut a groove on one side of the first strip, 1 ½-inch down the length of the plank.
6. Cut grooves on both sides of the second strip.
7. Secure the first board to the transom and both sides of the bottom of the boat by nailing it in place.
8. Lap the boards together and attach the second board.
9. Continue to cut boards the width of the boat.
10. Groove them and nail them in place throughout the entire length of the boat.

Finishing

1. Even out the edges and sides of the boat.
2. Smooth the bottom to make it as flat as possible.
3. Nail to the transom the keel and the stem of the boat.
4. Attach the keel to each of the bottom boards by nailing it.
5. Turn the boat over and look through the cracks.
6. Cover the cracks and cover nail holes with white lead.
7. Use metal sheeting to patch larger cracks. Make sure that the bottom part is watertight.
8. Set the sheet metal binding at any of the end of the transom. Make sure that the sheet is wide enough to overlap the side, bottom, and the transom.
9. Nail the sheet in place.
10. Attach boards for bench seats along the sides of the boat.
11. Set the seats 2 feet apart. Make sure that the boards are long enough to be nailed to each side of the boat.
12. Attach oarlocks to hold the oars.
13. Secure the outboard motor to the stem of the boat.

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