Has anyone here built a bay boat before?

Have you ever built a boat period? Maybe start with a pirogue first. Trying to build a bay boat solo, with zero experience seemed like a great way to waste a bunch of money.

Just an uneducated guess though.

If you live near madisonville check in at the maritime museum they have a boat building class. They build lake skiffs anywhere from 16-20 ft.

I've helped build one and it was an awesome experience but you have to know what your doing or it could get dangerous. How detailed are the plans on the one in the picture?

Bateau.com should be your homepage if your serious about this endeavour. Very active forum with a ton of information. Lots of members who have been there and done that.

I would be interested to know how they got that dead rise on the front with marine plywood.

quote:

---

I would be interested to know how they got that dead rise on the front with marine plywood.

---

Framing out the hull.

OP, look into a nice old bass boat with higher sides that the floor is shot. You can buy one dirt cheap with papers. From there, you split the decking off the hull, but before doing that, you build a cradle to keep the hull in it's true shape.

Lay in new stringers, transom, glassed in. Then glass in a new floor. Build a mold in sections of the deck you want and go from there.

Cost around 2k to get a finished hull.

To do this, you better know how to deal with fiberglass.

As far as building a wood boat and then glassing over it, to me, that is a big No No. Cost and weight is a killer.

Ok cool I have never seen it done that sharp of an angle and thought the wood break or split. Thanks.

quote:

---

Ok cool I have never seen it done that sharp of an angle and thought the wood break or split. Thanks.

---

A bit more to building a wood boat, but one uses a steam box or steam tube to bend wood. And yes, I had built wooden boats up to 32' in my pass.

Ok cool. I'm definitely a novice woodworker but I was guessing the steam box could work I've only seen done on a small scale so thanks.

I would love to see pics of everyone's wooden boats they have made. (Sorry not trying to hijack the thread.)

I've never built a boat but just thinking as previously mentioned it seems as to keeping it equal on both sides would be a challenge as well as keeping it balanced. One side heavier than the other and it won't sit or perform correctly.

Not trying to discourage but things I would want to be aware of.

You do not want to build that boat as your first project. if you are dead set on a project. Get a bare hull like a Cajun or something that is rotten and make it all composite. Watch how much time and money it costs, give the unfinished thing away for a significant loss and realize that fishing is more fun than glassing. Or build a cheap canoe, that will actually be fun.