 | A Boat
|
IF YOU are a professional boatbuilder, let
your wife cut out this article before you
read any more. And don't blow up if she
begins telling you what a snap job you have.
For it's true that anyone can build this boat.
If you are just plain anyone, beg a few
dollars (about 12), borrow some tools (a
hammer, chisel, plane, saw and a heavy
drift), buy your materials and steal some
time (around 16 hours
if you don't waste any
of it). You'll wind up
with a strong boat that
will perform well with
any outboard from 1.5
to 22 horsepower and
will even respond to
rowing.
The lack of a framework
is the secret of
the simple construction. The sides fair
naturally around the single mold stick inserted
between the stem and the stern. You
can bang the job together with about four
pounds of eight-penny nails—use galvanized,
bronze or copper nails if you're around salt
water. In fresh water, plain nails will last
10 to 15 years, but salt water eats them up
fast. If you plan to power the boat with a
husky outboard, toss in a few screws here
and there, where nails can't be clinched.
Check the list of materials and take a look
at Figure 1 to see how the parts are
chopped out, then chop away.
A rabbet plane is ideal for cutting the
scarfs and rabbets (notches) in both the
stem and side planks, but it can be done
with an ordinary plane, if you clean the
corners with a chisel. Do the transom and
keel first, if you wish, for morale purposes—
you'll need to have something accomplished
to forestall snide remarks from your family
and neighbors. The stem should present no
difficulties. Just shape it and leave the ends
until later. The less said about the side
planks the better, except to note that the
shortest one will determine the length of the
boat. Once you know that, the mold stick
can be made the proper length. Try to get
the front-end angle of the side boards the
same on each side of the boat, if you want
it to be absolutely straight. Be sure they
overlap in such a way that there is a shelf
inside the boat on which to rest the seats.
