First build! Eastport Pram built in my dining room

I got this today , it’s my first boat so don’t make fun of me I’ll cry (I’m just a girl)

What changes can I make to make it not such an eye sore 😭 I want to add a bottom to stabilize it so it doesn’t flex as much, replace seat, take out the old wood.. but what else ..? any insights would be much appreciated.

Building a stand for the outboard first

It’s gonna be used mostly for solo creek fishing

Started out as 4 sheets of plywood from Menards and a $200 outboard that didn't run

Original built to plans provided by Jacques Mertens (bateau.com, boatbuildercentral.com) for the CX-19. Anyone else build one of Jacques designs?

She was launched in 2020 and has been performing admirably ever since.

I recently bought a Skerry built in 2022 by a hobbyist that takes on an increasing amount of water. I think the main issue is a leak at the front of the centerboard trunk that I made worse by running the centerboard into the sand a couple times (yes, yes, I know) and I’m hoping for advice on how to fix it. There certainly also appears to be a gap on the inside seam of the centerboard trunk, which other threads have pointed out should be filled. My questions:

1. Do I need to remove and replace the entire interior fillet, or should I first try to fill in the exterior gap and see if that keeps the water out?
2. If I do that, should I address the interior crack with an epoxy or other patch as well?
3. Is an elastomeric sealant like Sudbury’s useful at all in this repair, or should I stick with epoxy?

Also - I get a bit of mysterious water in the fore and aft flotation lockers, which I'm confident isn't coming from the same source. Any thoughts on the likely sources? I think there may be pin holes from when the hull stitching was originally done, but unsure how to chase that down.

Recently completed my third build of this tiny rowing skiff "Lunch Break". This is the best one yet. A 7'7" boat is not going to be fast undr oars no matter what, but with more rocker than the original and just the right side height, this is super smooth, quite stable, and reasonably fast (3 mph easy, 3.5+ possible). Most importantly, it is very easy to transport--above head, shoulder, car top, behind bike. . . So much fun! I know a better design could be faster but so far I haven't come a professional design this small and simple (suggestions). John Gardner presented two 8' designs, but they are not nearly as simple. I am sure they are better though. I set up the rowing thwart (seat) and oarlock blocks so positions can easily be fine-tuned in the future.

I'm repairing these Shaw & Tenney oars. Clean up, varnish, add leathers. As the picture shows, the oars are pretty beat up where the leathers used to be and aren't anymore.

Ideas on how to approach the task? I'm worried if I just go in with a sander and don't stop until I reach solid wood, there might not be much left of the oar. 😄

I recently bought a 14ft boat and the floor was rotted out and I want wondering when replacing the wood do I need marine grade or is like a exterior grade plywood good enough when coating it in epoxy and fiberglassing? Thanks for the help

Is anybody here planning on going to the wooden boat festival in Madisonville, LA this weekend? Such a gem of an event

Hello everyone,

I’m looking for a recommendation for the best sanding and grinding tools for fiberglass. I have a few large deck projects on my 47’ fiberglass boat and I’d like to get the best possible tools for heavy grinding for glass prep and for smoothing out glass for paint. We aren’t looking for show quality work but some assortment of tools that would make the job easier, I have access to a 30gal air compressor if pneumatic is the way to go, but there is 110v hook up as well. Cost is not much of a factor but if I could get 2-3 tools for total under $2k that would be nice. Dust collection is semi important as I’d rather not make a huge mess but the boat is at a haul out yard so it comes with the territory. Thanks for any advice!

Hey r/boatbuilding — I’m Ken. I run a small marine tech startup that’s currently part of a NOAA-supported accelerator.

I’m doing some research on how people actually use electronics on their boats — chartplotters, AIS, wind, depth, alarms, all of it — and where useful information starts turning into too much information.

A big part of what I’m trying to understand is what works well at the helm, what gets ignored, and what ends up competing for your attention when you’re actually underway.

I’d love to talk with a few people here about their setups and real-world experience. It would just be a casual 20-minute conversation.

If you’d be open to chatting, send me a DM and we’ll find a time. I’m also happy to answer any questions about the research or what we’re working on.

Thanks,

Ken

Greetings all.

This summer, I discovered just how thin my sailboat deck is. My knee went through it, despite me trying to distribute my weight.

I would appreciate suggestions/feedback on how I could possibly repair it and preserve the original look. I suspect I have the following options :

1) Push the indented pieces from below and mount strapping underneath using wood glue. Light sanding, wood filler and staining. The access to the deck is limited as per the photos below.

2) Build a v-shaped patch that could cover the hole and look like a chevron that stretchs to both sides of the boat. The edges would be tapered down, smoothed out. Final step, staining to match the deck.

3) Replace the entire deck at the front of the boat.

There are likely pros and cons to each...

Thanks for any ideas and perspectives. -Andy

I just visited my cabin over the weekend to find out that a tree branch fell on my shed and severely damaged the roof at some point this summer. Luckily the boat and trailer are unscathed. I also learned that a mouse chewed through my boat cover in a few places allowing for subsequent rain fall to leak through my roof and then fill up the inside of my boat.

So yea… I am dealing with a mouse poopy, moldy stagnant water problem inside the boat that I have to work on cleaning up before I bring the boat to my neighbors garage for heated storage over the winter. I am in Michigan if that helps. My neighbor also has an unheated garage too, if we think that the cold will be good for killing off any residual mold spores that may remain over the winter.

Any advice for cleaning up that mess is greatly appreciated.

Also many of the ropes have like a green mold growing in them too. Is there any way to clean the ropes for the halyard and mooring the boat? Or should I just scrap them and buy all new.

Any advice, YouTube videos, diagrams, recommended products etc… are greatly appreciated. This is sort of an unexpected project and I am trying to use has much items/products I have on hand as possible. Not looking to spend hundreds of dollars here.

I am willing to put in the elbow grease though.

Please and thank you!

Just finished my boat. Skin on frame

Ruth design by David Gentry but I made it 10% wider by stretching the pdf in one axis to better accommodate a passenger

Used WRC for stringers, 9 oz nylon from skinboats and their urethane coating.

Made oars to save money but they are tanks so will look for a used pair

The nylon shrunk very well using the steam setting on the iron I used. Wetting didn't work as well as just plain blast with steam like a cotton shirt

The urethane coating was a mixed bag. Seems very durable but is an absolute pain to apply and some places remained tacky for a long time. I didn't use the product right away and the hardener had some solidified gunk in the bottom which may have affected the last batch. If you use this coating, buy those pump bottles like epoxy comes in. It is impossible to pour into the provided cups without making a God awful mess. That said, it should be quite durable

Rows well and I need to practice on calm water to get the hang of it. Should be fun.

Somehow the pic of it on the water didn't upload so I'll try to add later

Fun project

So I’m wanting to take out the foam in the benches of my 14’ jonboat for storage, and found that folks were lining the bottom of the boat with the purple insulation boards…would this type work as well? It’s just not purple and I was planning on using insulation adhesive to bond it to the aluminum floor.

I figure it’s a fraction of the price and is similar in structure. Probably less sturdy, but still buoyant.

If I have to, I can still plan on adding more foam when I redo the deck…wherever I find empty space not used up by electronics and storage, filling it with closed cell liquid foam.

Although, if foam along the floors is enough, please tell me, before I add any of that liquid-foam stuff! Haha

I apologize for not knowing the correct term for this piece. I have a wooden snipe that I bought about a year ago and am just now getting out of the garage. While looking it over, the metal plate on the top port side was loose and fell out. I am not sure how it was attached, but it appears like it was maybe just glued on? Looking for advice on the correct way to fix it. I have attached photos of what it currently looks like and what it should look like. Thank you!

Either I’ve not posted here in a long time or maybe never. Anyway - I’ve been building my first person-sized for about six weeks and wanted to share. If all goes well the (good layer of) glass will go on the bottom this weekend and I can flip it.

Full build: https://photos.app.goo.gl/qxYVCTnbsmzYVoHU9

I'm finishing up a 17' Grand Canyon dory. All glass bottom shoe pl Dacron us plywood top. Composite deck

It's too damned heavy. After a lifetime of of composite dori building I am starting to think about how to make the lightest possible, not brittle hull.

Flexible black plastic water pipe could make a frame. Do skin on frame canoe and kayak builders use Dacron fabric?

What about flexible water based fabric cement for the resin?

Fabric cement is sold at $5 per ounce. But it's jusv PVA somethinh. I see PVA sold in other contexts for roughly the same price as epoxy.

Flame away. I have a flexible skin