Cedar Strip Small Craft Construction

Cedar Strip Small Craft Construction
This pictorial illustrates all of the different steps of construction involved in the process of
building wood strip/epoxy/fiberglass sheathed round bottom hulls. Our pictorial starts by
showing a selection of small hand held power tools used in the construction of wood
strip hulls. Only very simple, easy to follow techniques are used to produce these
beautiful clear finished hulls. No previous wood-working experience is required.
We then show methods of cutting 1/4" x 3/4" wood strips from 1" x4" clear cedar
boards. This is the only operation that will require the use of equipment other than hand
tools. If you do not wish to cut strips yourself you may purchase them already finished,
from a number of different sources. You will find several sources for wood strips on the
links page in Compumarine’s web site for materials and supplies.
This pictorial then illustrates how to draw out and cut the station molds, build the
strongback, set up the molds on the strong back and bending the strips in place over the
molds. Then we show you how to fiberglass the hull outside and in then how to install all
the assorted parts such as gunwales, seats, knees and other add-on parts to complete
the boat.
You will see a number of different types of hulls in this pictorial including the various
styles of dinghies, canoes, and the Compumarine "Fisherman Car Topper" small craft
design.
An Assortment of hand power tools used for strip boat building. Only simple hand and
power tools are required to do the job. Building strip hulls is the easiest form of round
bilge small craft construction. You simply glue together 1/4" x 3/4" wood strips over a
form consisting of station molds set up at equal intervals on a strongback.
We are ripping the 1/4" x 3/4" strips from Western Red Cedar 1" x 4" boards in this
photo, using a radial arm saw. It helps to enlist the aid of another person to guide the
long pieces through the saw. The strips are cut a little oversize so that both surfaces can
be run thru a planer. That helps to eliminate a lot of additional sanding after the hull is
stripped. They may also be run thru a router setup to cut them to a bead and cove
shape. You may use the rectangular shape strip with no problem if you use hot glue for
edge gluing the strips. Hot glue has very good gap filling characteristics but the finished
hull needs lots of cleanup to remove the excess hot glue. Also the cracks between the
strips will require some wood dough fill before finishing. I now prefer to use carpenter's
glue for edge gluing the strips although it does require the use of a lot of clamps. The
bead and cove shape for the strips works well when using carpenter's glue and clamps
for edge gluing.
Cutting strips using a table saw. Table saws, radial arm saws and band saws can all be
used for cutting strips. Use what is available to you and what you are comfortable with. A
thin kerf blade will cut western red cedar very well. For consistent strip thickness you
may wish to use a blade stiffener attachment which will prevent the blade from
wandering. You may wish to purchase your strips instead of making them yourself;
especially if you do not have a suitable saw available. Strips are available in a number of
different types of woods, shapes, sizes and lengths from several suppliers. You will find
strip sources listed in some of the boating publications and magazines and on the links
page for materials & supplies in Compumarine's web site.
The two strongback rails and the six crossties are cut to size using 2" x 6" lumber. The
nine station mold support pieces are made with 2" x 4" lumber. The lumberyard should
allow you to select the best warp free and straight pieces you can find. The length of the
strongback rails should be cut to the exact length shown in the manual for the size of hull
you want to build. The crossties should be cut to approx 5 or 6 inches so that the
strongback width is about 8 or 9 inches. That dimension is not critical however, and any
convenient width can be used to take advantage of an existing supply of wood. As a
general rule, narrow hulls such as canoes, kayaks and rowing shells will use a narrow
strongback and wider hulls will use a wider strongback. The power dinghy hull at five
feet in width could be built on a strongback from 12 to 15 inches in width.
The station mold spacing should be marked on top of the strongback rails prior to
attaching the station mold support pieces. The support pieces for stations 1 thru 5 are
attached on the side of the station spacing marks toward the bow, the mold supports for
stations 6 thru 9 on the opposite side of the marks toward the stern. See the strongback
drawing in Compumarine's construction manual.
Lay out the station molds on plywood or particle board. Place carbon paper between
your full-size patterns and the plywood and trace the lines on the wood, one mold at a
time. The notches on the molds will determine the sheer line of the hull. The bottom of
the mold which sets on top of the strong-back, determines the keel rocker of the hull.
Stations 0 and 10 will be attached to the ends of the strongback. Be sure to draw the line
that will allow you to match the side of the mold to the top of the strongback, in the
proper location.
Cut out the station molds using a hand held jig-saw. Notice that the two pieces of
plywood are held together with a pair of clamps. You could also nail the sheets of
plywood together to keep them from moving while you cut. The two half molds will then
be matched up and connected at the centerline to form the station mold.
The finished station molds. Notice the fair line of the hull shape can be seen in the
finished molds. This will be the shape you would see if you were standing in front of the
finished hull. Use your imagination to stretch it to the full length. This set of molds has
been cut from plywood.
This set of molds for the Classic Dinghy has also been cut out of plywood. This photo
shows the finished molds from a different perspective.
This set of molds for the Fisherman hull was cut out of 1/2" Strand board. Be sure to give
the cut out edges of the molds at least two coats of epoxy. The epoxy strengthens the
end grain of either plywood or Strand board to help it hold nails or drywall screws
better. Strand board is an excellent material for station molds. It is inexpensive and it is
fairly dense and holds fastenings very well.
This photo shows stations 0 and 10 with canoe stem and stern pieces attached. The
molds and the stem and stern pieces were coated with epoxy prior to assembly. Notice
that the dotted line used to cut off the excess wood from stations 0 and 10 after the hull
is removed, has been partially cut.
Notice that the station molds for this canoe hull have small blocks of plywood in-stalled
around the edges. As the strips are bent into place and edge glued together they will be
clamped to these blocks until the glue sets. This will hold the strips in place without
having to use nails or screws, helping minimize damage to the cedar strips.
This photo shows the Power Dinghy molds set up on the strongback ready to start
bending on the strips. Notice how station 0 with the stem piece attached is installed on
the end of the strong-back. This station should be attached using wood screws, which
must be removed before lifting the finished hull off the molds. Station 0 remains in the
finished hull.
Refer to the drawing in the manual showing the station molds set up on the strongback.
Be sure to attach station molds on the correct side of the mold support pieces. Notice
that on two ended hulls like this canoe, station 10 with the stern mold attached also
stays in the finished hull. Attach station 10 to the strongback with wood screws.
The first strip you will install on the molds is the keel strip. Attach the keel strip across
the top of the station molds on the centerline. Measure the distance at the top as you
screw the strip to the molds. Make sure that you have the correct station spacing at the
top of the molds. The spacing at the top should be the same as at the bottom.
The next strips to be attached are the sheerline strips on each side of the molds. Start
attaching the sheerline strip at Station 5 exactly at the notch in the molds and work
towards each end of the hull. Be sure to keep the station spacing accurate as you attach
the strip to each of the molds.
Notice in this photo that the transom is resting on top of the pieces of wood extending
from under the notches in stations 9 and 10 out past the transom.
The transom is resting against the transom mounts which are attached to station 10. I
place a piece of two-sided carpet layers tape on the ends of the transom mounts to help
hold the transom in place until the first strips have been attached at the centerline and
the sheerline on both sides of the molds.
The transom for this Fisherman hull has been assembled from two layers of 1 x 4 inch
clear cedar boards edge glued together to make a single piece of wood large enough to
cut out the transom pattern The finished transom is 1 1/2 inches thick. This transom
construction is recommended for any hulls that will carry an outboard motor up to about
20 HP.
A curved transom looks great on rowing and sailing hulls. The first step in building a
curved transom is to edge glue 1 x 4 inch cedar boards together to make a piece large
enough to cut out the transom pattern.
Next, cut three wedges and epoxy them to the transom as shown in the photo. The width
of the top end of the center wedge should be 2 inches tapering down to 0 at the opposite
end. The two side wedges should be 1 1/2 inches at the top. Match the wedges to the
transom from top to bottom. Use 1/4 transom length spacing.
Glue strips across the wedges, the width of the transom starting with the first strip at the
widest part of the transom. Continue gluing strips down until you reach the bottom edge
of the transom. Use a staple gun to staple the strip ends in place until the glue sets.
Finish gluing the strips to the top of the transom. Use a jig-saw to trim around the
transom edge. Pull all of the staples and the transom is ready to mount on your
strongback.
Bevel the edges of the stem mold and station 0, and the stern mold and station 10 on
canoe and kayak hulls which will remain in the finished hull. They will have to be beveled
so that the strips will contact a flat surface as they are glued into place. On dinghy hulls
or any hulls that have a transom the edge of the transom must be beveled so that the
strips will lay flat along the edge. A small belt sander works very well for completing this
job. Use a piece of a strip for a batten to move along the edges of the molds as you
bevel. Be sure the batten is long enough to go around a couple of stations to ensure the
correct angle of the bevel.
Notice the first strips have been started at the notches along what will be the sheerline of
this eighteen foot canoe hull. The notches that you cut in the molds when you made
them, determine the sheerline of the hull. The flat bottom of the mold setting on the
strongback determines the rocker designed into the hull.
The strips are edge glued together up the sides of the hull. Place 2 or 3 strips on one
side then trim them to the stem and stem molds or stem and transom as the case may
be. Repeat on the other side of the hull. Continue until you reach the top of the stem and
stern molds on two ended hulls and the top of the stem and transom on dinghy hulls.
Notice the blocks of wood attached to the edges of the molds. This photo illustrates how
the c-clamps are used to hold the strips in place while the glue sets. You will see a
clamp across the junction of the strip edges between each of the station molds and a
clamp holding the strip to the edge of the mold using the blocks.
This Classic Dinghy hull was built using plain rectangular strips. Notice in this photo that
a hot glue gun is used to edge glue the strips. Many strip hulls have been built using this
technique. It is a very easy assembly method but the downside is the amount of cleanup
necessary to remove excess hot glue after the hull is finished.
To use the hot glue method of construction you will need to use an electric screw driver
and drywall screws to hold the strips tight to the molds. Drive the screws through scarp
pieces of strips to prevent damage to the hull strips. The hot glue sets in just a few
seconds, so it is necessary to squeeze out about 12 inches of hot glue on the strip then
hold it tightly in place while the glue sets, then screw the strip to the nearest mold only if
the strip is trying to pull away from the mold. Screws are only needed in areas of
compound curvature of the hull. No clamps are required for this technique.
The process of bending the strips in place around the molds gets a little more difficult as
the strips reach the turn of the bilge. At this point in the construction you can take the
easy way out and lay the strips from the centerline out on both sides of the hull. It is
much easier to finish the bottom of the hull that way but the finished hull is not nearly as
pretty to look at. Although it is more difficult to bend the strips into place toward the
centerline I recommend doing so because you will be much more pleased with the
results of your extra effort and with the appearance of the finished hull.
Notice that the edges of the molds for this Classic dinghy have been coated with epoxy.
After the epoxy cured, the edges of the molds were also coated with bee's wax to keep
the glue on the strips from sticking to the molds.
Once you reach the top of the stem where the strips coming up the sides of the hull meet
the centerline strip, the strips must have their ends trimmed to match the edge of the
keel strip.
As you fit the strip into place mark a line on it at the edge of the keel strip and use a
small hack saw or coping saw to cut it. If you have a miter saw, use it to make very
accurate cuts. Also, if you have a flat bed, bench top sander, it will help to get the right
angle on the ends of the strip so that it fits well on the keel strip.
Notice that as the strips cross the edge of the station molds they are touching the corner
and not the flat surface of the edge of the mold. Since the molds do not remain in the
hull, they do not have to be beveled and that is the reason the molds have to be
attached to their supports on the correct side to maintain the fair lines of the hull.
Notice the clamps that are being used to hold the edges of the strips together while the
carpenter's glue sets. You can never have enough clamps for boat-building!
This photo clearly shows how the strips between the waterline and the keel, butt to the
edge of the keel strip. Also notice that the ends of the strips below the waterline strip
have been trimmed to the line of the stem and stern. Before Fiberglassing the outside of
the hull, you will need to cover the sawn off ends of the strips at the stem. I use a thin
piece of mahogany (1/8" thick) to epoxy in place around the curve of the stem. Then
round the edges, so the stem is a smooth curve for the final finish. Some people prefer
to use a 1/2 round brass for the stem and stern bands. If you use brass wait till after the
hull is fiberglassed to put on the bands.
This photo of the Fisherman hull shows a mahogany stem band epoxied in place over
the ends of the strips. After the epoxy sets it will be sanded to a nice rounded shape.
Although I prefer a Mahogany stem band I have also used half round brass as a stem
band and it gives the bow of the boat a lot of protection and looks good too.
The stripping on this 13' canoe hull is complete! The nails and staples used to hold the
strips tight to the molds while the glue cures, have been removed. The holes have been
filled with a mixture of sawdust and glue. Any hull damage from the use of screws and
nails has been repaired and is unnoticeable in the finished hull.
This 12 foot Fisherman hull had very little damage on it from the assembly process as a
result of using blocks on the molds to clamp the strips in place. The hull was quickly
sanded smooth and faired, given two coats of epoxy and is now ready for fiberglassing.
Suggestions for using epoxy: Always use separate measuring cups for the epoxy resin
and hardener. Pour the resin and hardener into a container for mixing. Mix the epoxy for
at least two minutes to insure proper curing. Pour the epoxy into a plastic paint tray
liner. Do not mix any more epoxy than you can use within about five minutes. Use only
foam rollers and foam brushes.
Sixty inch wide, six ounce fiberglass cloth will cover the entire outside surface of the
canoe hulls and ¾ of the surface of dinghy hulls. Drape the cloth over the dry surface of
the hull and smooth it into place. Trim the excess cloth around the sheerline leaving a
couple of inches to spare.
You will want to overlay the fiberglass cloth on the bottom of the hull so that you will
have two layers of cloth for better abrasion protection on the bottom of the hull. Sixty
inch wide cloth will cover from the sheerline on one side around to the waterline on the
other side of this Fisherman hull as shown in this photo.
Overlap the stem and the transom also. Trim the cloth neatly and smooth it in place
before saturating it with the first wetting out coat of epoxy. Notice that the cloth is placed
on the dry hull. Never attempt to place fiberglass on a freshly, epoxy coated hull.
Use a foam roller to completely wet out the fiberglass cloth with epoxy. Notice how the
cloth turns clear as window glass!
After the cloth is wetted out, use a squeegee to remove excess epoxy. As the epoxy
cures, it releases gas bubbles that will tend to lift the cloth from the surface of the hull in
areas of excess epoxy. For best results, use as little epoxy as possible in the wetting out
process.
After the initial wetting out coat, you will need to apply at least three and maybe four
additional coats of epoxy to completely fill out the weave of the 6 oz. cloth.
Attach the outer gunwales to the hull prior to removing the hull from the molds. Use
mahogany bull-nose stop molding for the gunwale material or cut your strip of hardwood
to a 5/8" x 1 5/16" dimension. It looks good and provides a lot of strength to the sheerline
of the finished hull. If you prefer, you could use commercially available molded
gunwales.
Remove the wood screws holding stations 0 and 10 to the strongback and lift the hull off
the molds. You may have to loosen some of the other station molds also. This 12 foot
Fisherman hull weighs 48 lbs. at this stage of construction.
Now you will see why it was important not to forget to draw the curved dotted lines on
stations 0 and 10. The first thing you must do after you remove the hull from the molds is
too cut off the excess wood along the curved dotted line on station 0. Also on station 10
on two-ended hulls.
Using a good quality epoxy is very important for getting a superior fiberglass job. For the
initial wetting out coat, I recommend using slow or medium hardener if your ambient
temperature is above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the epoxy thoroughly for at least two
minutes.
Use a foam roller to wet out the fiberglass cloth. Using a squeegee to remove any
excess epoxy is very important on the surfaces of the hull.
Use polyurethane expanding foam to fill the hollow spaces formed in the stem and stern
sections.
Use a hacksaw blade to trim the cured foam flush with the sheer-line.
Use mahogany bull-nose stop molding to fabricate the inwales. Cut 12" blocks, then
space them at approximately 6" intervals along the inside of the sheer. Use fiber filler in
the epoxy and clamp the blocks to the hull.
Clamp a full length piece of molding to the blocks using fiber filled epoxy. This type of
fabricated inwale not only looks nice, but is also very strong and very practical. Also
notice the mahogany strips covering the foam filled stem and stern sections.
Two finished Canoe hulls. The shorter hull in this photo is 13' long. The other hull is 16'
long. Actually they are not quite finished because they are missing the caned seats, the
thwarts, and the portage yoke. These parts are available from an assortment of suppliers
so we won't be doing any re-inventing of these parts for now.
The fisherman ready for the finish parts to be added including seats, breast hooks,
transom knees, inner gunwales, foredeck and hardware.
The simplest type of seats to install in a hull are 1 x 10 or 1 x 12 inch boards cut to
shape, with a center support to help spread the load. I take my finished hulls to local
boat shows so I use mahogany for the beauty of the wood but it adds a lot of weight. To
keep the weight down for car-toppers I suggest using three 1 x 4 inch cedar boards edge
glued together to make the thwarts. Very light weight and good looking thwarts can be
fabricated by edge gluing your left over, scrap strips together and using two layers glued
together to form the thwarts. You can determine the exact shape and fit for the thwarts
by using tick strips at the proper locations in the hull as shown in this photo.
Mahogany thwarts cut to shape and ready for the center supports to be added. Be sure
to give the thwarts and the center support pieces two coats of epoxy before gluing them
together.
After gluing the center supports to the thwarts, mix up some filled epoxy using either
wood dough or sawdust, to a consistency of peanut butter, then make a fillet on each
side of the support where it joins the thwart.
When making filled epoxy be sure to mix the resin and hardener for about two minutes
before stirring in the wood dough. After the wood dough filled epoxy is thoroughly mixed,
spread it out thin on a piece of plywood to keep it from setting up too quickly.
Install seat stringers on each side of the hull for the thwarts to rest on. The stringers
don't have to be full length. I don't like to have screws penetrating strip hulls because I
feel they detract from the looks, so I improvise methods of clamping as you can see in
this photo. Use filled epoxy to install the stringers.
Install the finished thwarts using filled epoxy on the stringer and on the bottom of the
center supports, where the) contact the bottom of the hull. If you are building your hull to
be used as a Yacht Tender you may wish to build in removable seats. That would allow
the hull to be turned upside down on the foredeck of a larger yacht.
Other seat types can be used to keep hull weight down for car-topping or other reasons.
This Yacht Tender photo shows a sliding cane seat arrangement.
This photo shows a Fisherman hull built with foam filled, enclosed seats. The seats are
made with panels of scrap and leftover strips from building the hull, edge glued
together. The construction manual illustrates how to build these seats.
It is easy to make to patterns for the necessary finishing parts for the hull using poster
board. In this photo scrap pieces of poster board are laid on top of the transom and side
of the hull. A pencil is used to draw the pattern for the transom quarter knees by tracing
along the side of the hull and the top of the transom.
This photo shows the patterns for the two pieces required for the breast hook. These two
pieces break in the middle to accommodate the curve of the top of station 0. A foredeck
cover will go over the foam filled space and the breast hook pieces.
Transfer the poster board patterns to a hard wood. Mahogany works great and adds
beauty to the hull.
Cut the parts out using a jig saw, band saw or scroll saw and give them at least two
coats of epoxy before installing them into the hull.
Use wood dough filled epoxy to install the parts. Clamp the pieces in position on the hull
till the epoxy cures.
Mahogany door skin or a wood veneer works great for a foredeck material. Place the
material over the bow section and use a pencil to trace around the bow on both sides of
the stem. Be sure to install the inner gunwales as discussed in a previous section of this
pictorial, prior to installing the foredeck.
Cut out and install the foredeck using a liberal amount of wood dough filled epoxy.
Secure it in place by placing c-clamps around the edge of the outer gunwales and along
the edge of the breasthook pieces. Use plenty of clamps so that no gaps will be left
around the edges of the foredeck to spoil the looks.
Fiberglass the top of the foredeck to provide abrasion protection.
This photo shows a simple method for transferring the shape of the hull to a piece of
wood to make the skeg. The skeg should be made out of a hardwood. I like to use
mahogany for its beauty.
Cut out the skeg using a hand held jig-saw.
Attach the skeg to the hull using filled epoxy. Spread a fillet of wood filled epoxy at the
junction of the skeg and the hull. Tie a piece of rope to the handles of two of your water
filled bleach or milk bottles and drape the rope over the top of the skeg with bottles
hanging below the sheerline of the hull. This will hold the skeg in place till the epoxy
cures.
Three or four coats of varnish on a finished hull really brings out the color and shine. The
varnish should be a good quality spar varnish with a ultra-violet inhibitor in the formula.
The ultra-violet rays of the sun can degrade cured epoxy over a period of time. If
protected your strip hull will last a very long time.
Use at least three coats of a good quality spar varnish on the inside of the hull and all of
the added parts. The varnish will provide protection from the ultra-violet rays of the sun.
Notice the spray strakes on the outside of this Power Dinghy hull. You may wish to
install spray strakes on your hull if you will be using an outboard motor.
Your finished strip hull will make an excellent car topper. It is a strong lightweight hull
that will last forever if you take care of it. You will draw a crowd and lots of envious looks
and compliments every time you take it out.
Have fun using your new "Work of Art". When you order the plans from Compumarine
and build one of these small craft photographs of your finished hull and any comments
you might have would be appreciated. We post photographs of finished boats by our
customers on our web site. See the completed boats page.
When you purchase a set of plans from Compumarine you will receive full size patterns
to cut out the eleven station molds, the stem and the transom. You also receive a
comprehensive construction manual that includes a hard copy of the photo pictorial tour
you have just finished, and the specifications and word descriptions of each phase of the
construction process from start to finish!
Completed Boats
The 12’ Classic Dinghy completed by the author.
The 15’ Fisherman completed by Brad Simmons.
8’ Yacht Tender completed by Scott Gibson
12’ Power Dinghy completed by Jim Krause
14’ Classic Canoe completed by Alfred Troy.
Boat Plans Available from Compumarine
The Classic Dinghy
A delightful, traditional dinghy design
with fine lines and classic
styling....The hull features a wine
glass transom, a hint of tumblehome
in the aft sections, a gracefully curved
sheerline to a clipper shaped bow with
moderate flare in the bow sections.
The hull is designed with a raking
midship section with the deepest
section at station four, the widest
section at station six and the lowest
point along the sheerline at station
seven. These are the characteristics of
a good displacement hull and can be
seen in the lines drawing.
This dinghy has been designed to
provide exceptional rowing and sailing characteristics. It is a
displacement type hull that will move easily through the water and
will exhibit very good ultimate stability. The twelve foot hull will
carry 4 persons with all their gear. At a maximum load of 750 lbs.,
there is still nine inches of freeboard left for safety in rough or
choppy waters.
Although designed originally at
twelve foot, this classic style
dinghy can be built in any length
(LOA) from eight to twelve feet,
simply by changing the station
spacing and the length of the
strongback. Specifications are
provided for lengths (LOA) from
eight to twelve feet on two foot
intervals. (Click on Lines Drawing
to the right for specifications!) The
same mold patterns are used for the different lengths. The
displacement, load capacity and hydrostatic calculations are different
for each length. For instance, the Classic Dinghy built to a ten foot
length will still have the same beam and draft as the 12 footer but
the displacement will have changed to 250 lbs. with a load carrying
capacity of 600 lbs. and will carry three persons instead of four.
Changing to an eight foot length gives a two person dinghy.
When you purchase the plans set for this dinghy you will receive full
size patterns for the eleven station molds and the stem and transom
pieces and the most comprehensive construction manual currently
available for amateur boat builders. The manual provides a complete
written description and a photographic illustration of each step of the
construction process.
This hull has been designed for ease of construction for the amateur
boat builder. Wood strip construction is a very simple and easy
method for building round bilge hulls. It is an ideal construction
method for a person with limited woodworking skills and a minimum
tool inventory. Anyone can create a beautiful, clear finished, round
bottom wooden boat that is a work of art. The finished boat will
require a minimum amount of maintenance and will be extremely
durable over many years of use. This type of hull is very strong and
light weight and makes an excellent car topper. Feel the satisfaction
that comes with building your own boat. Get started now on a great
fall, winter or rainy days project and be on the water on nice summer
days.
The Power Dinghy
This dinghy style has a planing type hull and has been designed
primarily for use with an outboard
motor. Since it is a round bilge hull it
will still exhibit excellent rowing and
sailing characteristics. It is a wider
and larger hull design than the Classic
Dinghy and has excellent load carrying
capacity. Refer to the lines drawing
and notice that the buttock lines are
much flatter then the same lines in the
drawing for the Classic Dinghy. Also
notice the considerable difference in the shapes of the transom
between the two styles. The transom is much wider and flatter along
the bottom.
The Power Dinghy hull has a beam width of five feet and has
considerable initial and ultimate stability. The hull has more
freeboard and more flare in the bow sections to keep the boat dry
when running through rough or choppy waters. This type of hull is
ideal for use in rivers, lakes and protected ocean bays.
The cedar strip, round bottom
construction method used for this boat
allows for a much lighter and stronger
hull than is possible with other types of
construction for a boat of this size.
Click on Lines Drawing (right) for
Specifications. Consequently this
dinghy style makes a very convenient
car topper, easily handled by two
persons, possibly even one person
when necessary.
The weight of the 12 foot model can be held to under 95 lbs.
depending on the types of material and configuration used for the
seats and other parts used in the hull. Construction is the cedar strip,
wood epoxy saturation technique which is a very easy boat building
method for amateurs. This method of construction requires little or
no woodworking experience and a minimum amount of hand and
power tools. Anyone can build a beautiful strip plank wooden boat
using this technique.
This hull can be built in lengths of twelve or fifteen feet using the
same station mold patterns. To change the length of the finished
hull, simply change the length of the strongback and the station
spacing. The displacement and load capacity will increase for the
fifteen foot model.
The design package contains full size patterns for the station molds,
the stem and the transom. The full size patterns allow you to trace
the lines directly on plywood or particle board to make the stations
molds. The design package also contains a comprehensive instruction
manual that completely describes and illustrates the construction
process "step by step", in both words and pictures. Using the
information provided in the plans package with less than $500 in
materials and approximately 200 hours of your spare time, you can
create your own "Work of Art."
The Yacht Tender
The Yacht Tender style of dinghy has been
designed with very rounded and full lines
to provide adequate load carrying capacity
for very small dinghies. It has a greater amount of freeboard for the
length than the Classic Dinghy and the sheerline is not quite as
pronounced.
With a flatter sheerline this hull will be very easy to carry on the
deck of your cruiser turned upside down. Also, it's light weight will
make it easy to use with or without davits. It is a general purpose
design that will perform very well for rowing and sailing or with a
small long shaft outboard motor.
This dinghy has a beautiful rounded hull shape that will be easy to
build and will be very functional for use as a Yacht Tender.
Although originally designed at nine
feet, these hull lines are suitable for
building in smaller sizes. When you
purchase the plans package for this
design you will receive specifications
for seven, eight and nine foot hulls.
(Click on Lines Drawing to the right for
specifications!) Changing the length
from a nine footer to a seven or eight
footer will change the displacement,
load carrying capacities and hydrostatic characteristics but the beam
will still be 4 feet and the draft will still be 6.2 inches.
This hull is designed specifically for the amateur boat builder (as are
all Compumarine designs) who wants to build a round bottom type of
hull. Cedar strip hulls saturated with epoxy and sheathed with
fiberglass inside and out are very strong and lightweight for their
size and are very easy to build. This method of construction will
produce ideal boats where beauty and ease of handling are
important. Their performance characteristics are unexcelled and
impossible to achieve with other types of construction. Using the full
size station mold patterns and the highly descriptive building manual
a person with little or no wood working skills and minimum tools can
build one of these boats.
You can build one of the small Yacht Tenders for less than $1,000 in
materials using approximately 200 hours of your spare time. It can
be built in a very small work space such as a single car garage, a
basement or even a spare room. Building one of these small craft is
a terrific project for those spare time hours when you really want
something productive, interesting and fun to do.
The Fisherman
This hull is designed for use as an easily car-topped fishing boat and
was originally designed for a fly Although designed originally as a
twelve footer, this Fisherman dinghy can be built in lengths (LOA) of
twelve or fifteen feet, simply by
changing the station spacing and the
length of the strongback.
Specifications are provided for both
lengths (LOA) twelve and fifteen feet.
(Click on Lines Drawing to the right
for specifications!) The same mold
patterns are used for both lengths.
The displacement, load capacity and
hydrostatic calculations are different
for each length.
When you purchase the plans package for this dinghy you will
receive full size patterns for the eleven station molds and the stem
and transom pieces and the most comprehensive construction
manual currently available for amateur boat builders. The manual
provides a complete written description and a photographic
illustration of each step of the construction process. It is a lot of fun,
building your own fishing boat!
This easily car topped fishing boat will have you at your favorite
fishing hole at any time you like and at a moment’s notice!
The Classic Canoe
Several thousand years ago somebody dragged a Cedar tree out of
the forest and proceeded to dig the wood out of it to make it hollow
in the middle. He created the
first dugout canoe.
For the time it was a very
convenient way to make a vessel
to transport himself for long
distances over the water.. He did
not have the advantage of
today's technology so he was not
aware of and totally
unconcerned about the hydrostatics and hydrodynamics of the hull
he created.
Canoe hulls were manufactured in this fashion for many thousands of
years and were improved upon as all things will be as time goes by.
At some point in time a new method was found to make a much
lighter and more manageable vessel...the birch bark canoe and its
derivatives were born.
The shape of the hull however stayed the same symmetrical shape of
the hollowed out log, once again with no regard to hydrodynamics.
The shape of a tree trunk became the traditional shape for even
modern canoes of aluminum and plastic, simply because that shape
had been used for eons. It is almost unbelievable that that with
today's technology, canoes are still being manufactured with little
regard for the hydrodynamics of
modern hull shapes.
Compumarine's Classic Canoe hull
has the shape that all displacement
hulls should have. (Click on Lines
Drawing to the right for
specifications!) Displacement hulls
are those hulls that are designed to
move through the water, not on top
of it like a power boat's planing hull
form.
There are several key features to the modern shape of a
displacement hull....a sharp angle of entry at the bow sections, the
greatest depth of hull just forward of the midship section at
approximately station four, the center of displacement just aft of the
midship section at approximately station six, and the greatest width
of the hull a little further aft at approximately station seven. As the
hull moves through the water it parts the water gently, then after it
has been displaced past the center of displacement the water flow
past the hull then closes quickly creating the least amount of
turbulence and the least possible amount of drag. This hull shape
produces the least amount of friction to the flow of water around the
hull of a displacement type boat.
Lots of dollars have been invested over many years on computer
research and tank testing by Naval Architects to determine the
proper shape of displacement hulls for America's Cup sailboat racing
and for many other displacement type hulls. The basic features of the
shape that has resulted from all this research, is the ultimate shape
for any displacement hull from a two foot model to a hundred foot
sailboat or any size in between. Obviously there are many differences
in beam widths, drafts, displacements, waterline lengths bow and
stern shapes for different types of displacement craft but the basic
features of this asymmetrical shape should apply. This is the shape
that is designed into all of Compumarine's displacement type hulls
including the Classic Canoe.
The Classic Canoe plans package includes full size patterns for
station molds, the stem and stern pieces. Specifications are provided
to allow you to build the hull in your selected length from 12 to 21
feet. Cedar strip/epoxy construction is the ideal technique for
amateur boat builders with little or no wood working experience and
a minimum supply of hand and power tools to build there very "work
of Art".
It is easy to glue 1/4" x 3/4" cedar strips together over a simple set
of plywood or particle board molds that you have cut out with a hand
held jigsaw. Give it a try! It is a lot of fun to build your own hull and
the satisfaction you receive is priceless.
The Plans Package
The Construction Manual.
The Full-Size Pattern Blueprints.
Plans are priced at $139 including shipping
Go To:
http://www.compumarine.com
to order plans
Or
Mail Order to:
Compumarine – 1208 Calle Juan Legarra – Rio Rico AZ 85648