Boat Building

[JEM]

Greetings All,

I'm Matt, newbee here. I e-mailed David before posting here to make sure it was ok.

I own a small side business called JEM Watercraft http://www.jemwatercraft.com . I design mostly canoes and kayaks for folks who like to build there own boats from plywood, epoxy, and fiberglass.

I don't have a store. Just a hobby room/shop, computer, office at home, and a knack for desiging stuff and writing directions on how to build it.

If anyone has any questions or interest, let me know. I'll try and frequent this forum. I have a tech support forum on my site as well.

I'm also here because I like messing around with wood. Nothing like it in the world! Some Jake chairs are in my near future.

Thanks

 

[DaveO]

Matt, your plans look really good. I am sure there will be many folks interested in them. Boat building is out of my range now, but maybe someday. BTW welcome, glad you joined, hope to see you around and some pics of the Jake chairs when you get them done.
Dave

 

[NCPete]

Matt, glad you joined. I have found and looked at your site at some point in the past I believe, as building a small boat has piqued my interest for some time. guess I caught the bug when some guy built a Pygmy Boats kayak on PBS 5-6 years ago. Only recently have I been able to consider actually doing it. Welcome to the friendliest woodworking forum!

 

[D L Ames]

Matt, welcome aboard. I am glad you could join us here at NCWW. I know we have at least one member that has built his own Kayak and another one that has voiced an interest in building one himself. I look forward to reading your input to our forums as well as seeing some of your work.

D L

 

[sapwood]

Glad you joined us Matt! Apparently you're a pretty crafty woodworker. :-D

We have attracted members with a variety of skills and skill levels. So thanks for adding to our diversity

Sapwood

 

[JEM]

Thanks all.

My boat plans are aimed toward being simple and within the reach of new builders. Building one via stitch-and-glue is not nearly as hard or time consuming as one build via wood strip.

Stitch and glue is VERY forgiving to errors because of the gap filling abilities of epoxy mixed with a filler like wood flour (fine wood dust).

I do pretty good with them but will struggle with some of the projects I see on here. I like assembling the boats, not much of a finisher. I build them to look from about 10 feet away. Just don't peak up close! :roll:

 

[clowman]

Glad you joined us. What would you say the recommended skill range is for building one of your plans? Tools required?

 

[JEM]

I have a selection from beginner to experienced builder. I always like to tell folks that if they intend to build something complex, they should start with something simple as a learning project.

In almost every case, the 2nd boat you build will be lighter and done much better than your first.

I encourage newbees to build a pirogue or the boatshelves plans I have. Just that little bit of experience goes a long way.

Tools: Stitch and glue plans can be done with a hand held tools. Jig saw, drill, sander are all you need. Of course you can get nicer tools to help along the way. One of my favorites is the Sureform. Makes quick work of any little stray epoxy bumps. No complicated scarf joints needed. You can do things with what is know as butt-blocks.

It's a fun process. Lots of forums around the net discuss boat building and to get info. No matter where you buy your plans or kits from, there's always someone who has built it or something similar before.

 

[D L Ames]

Stitch and glue is VERY forgiving to errors because of the gap filling abilities of epoxy mixed with a filler like wood flour (fine wood dust).

Cool............maybe we just found a market for all this MDF dust we all seem so proficient at making.:lol:

D L

 

[JohnsonMBrandon]

Thanks for posting. Building a boat, and a cedar strip canoe are some things that are on my long to do list. I will have to check out your site. Thanks for everything.