Boatbuilding Tips and Tricks

New Carolina Dory Launched

2010-01-31T07:47:00.000-08:00

A customer has been working on this 18' Carolinian for about a year and his patience and attention to detail have been richly rewarded with this beautiful example of a wooden Carolina dory boat. He recently launched it sent me these pictures:

New Stitch and Glue Boatbuilding Video

2010-01-31T06:34:00.000-08:00

I just uploaded a new video entitled, "How To Build a Stitch And Glue Boat" to Youtube with a link on my main site, the Boatbuilding University page (Free E-Books, Videos and Articles) Be sure to check it out:

New 14' Canadian Home Built Drift Boat Completed

2010-01-14T05:56:00.000-08:00

I just got this photo of a new, home built 14' Canadian drift boat. The builder did an excellent job:

The builder had this to say:

"Gave it a test run in a local pond yesterday. Took a minute to get the hang of it, but once comfortable I really enjoyed myself. Balance is very impressive and boat is extremely responsive. As long as you are easy on the oars it tracks well and also spins easy when needed. Stability is insane, I was a little worried because it is narrower then a lot of drift boats, but definitely a non issue. I put all of my 210 pounds to one side and didn't get much of a lean out of it.

Can't wait to get it on moving water.

I could not be happier and will buy plans from you again."

New Huntington Harbor Kayak Launched

2010-01-14T05:18:00.000-08:00

Just got this picture of a newly launched Huntington Harbor kayak:

The builder said:

"I printed the plans for your free kayak on line, and was interested in building a wooden vessel of sorts. My goal is to build a 14-16 foot Carolina Dory to take around the harbor and out a few miles to fish here. I thought I would start small to understand the principles behind boat building.

Well I finished and launched the kayak yesterday. Needless to say it was wonderful. I received several complements on her, and she was smooth paddling in the harbor.

Now I am very confident in my understanding and ability to build my Dory. Thanks for the support."

Great job!

New Stitch & Glue Boat Plywood Cutout Guide

2010-01-05T17:23:00.000-08:00

After receiving a few questions on how exactly to cut out the plywood for stitch and glue boats, I have developed a new free how-to guild outlining exactly how to lay out the curves for stitch and glue boat plywood panels. You can find it on my site in the Boat Building University section (Free Videos, E-Books and Reports) here: http://spirainternational.com/hp_free.html

McKenzie River Drift Boat Video

2009-10-11T08:05:00.001-07:00

One of my customers sent me a link to this great youtube video all about wooden drift boats. It's great. Thanks Scott.

New Homebuilt Boat Photo Galleries added to Web Site

2009-10-04T13:29:00.000-07:00

Construction begun on 34' St. Pierre Dory

2009-09-27T15:34:00.000-07:00

I'm nearly finished with the plans for two new Grand Banks style (St. Pierre) dories. One is a 32' x 10' and the other, it's bigger brother at 34'x12' The person I originally did the plans for was eager to get started on the larger of the two, the 34 footer, so I've been sending him drawings as they are completed. One week and he has many of the ribs finished, so he's not wasting any time at all. He's also blogging about the construction. Here's a link with pictures: http://www.shugarbear.blogspot.com/ Check it out!

Spira Boats Now on Facebook

2009-09-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

I just set up a new Facebook page for Spira International Easy-to-build boat designs called Spira Boats. Stop by, check it out and sign up as a friend.

Spira Boats

Create Your Badge

I uploaded a whole slew of pictures, too, many of which have never been published before on my site or blog.

New Oysterman Carolina Dory Launched

2009-09-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

Jeff Frankel from up the the San Francisco Bay era of California just launched his Spira International Oysterman Carolina dory. He did a great job on it too. Here's an excerpt from the email he just sent me:

It’s done! I put an old 25HP merc outboard on it and that way enough power. It’s hot flat and glassy on San Francisco Bay this week. I’m going to try water skiing behind it if I can find a ski tomorrow. Thanks for all of your help along the way.

I'm sure Jeff's in for hours of fun in his new boat. Nice paint scheme too!

New Mission Bay Ultralight Stitch and Glue Boat Launched

2009-09-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

The builder did an excellent job on this 11' Mission Bay ultralight stitch and glue boat built exactly to plan. These easy to build boats can be put together in a couple of weekends by anyone with moderate competence using hand and hand-help power tools. This hull weighs only about 70 lbs so can be lifted on the roof of a small car or SUV, and launched in any lake, stream, bay or the ocean. This model will handle three people with ease too. Check out the free downloadable study plans for this and other boat designs on the main site using the link to the right.

New Home Built Boat - Hatteras V-Bottom Dory Launched

2009-09-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

I just got these photos of a newly launched Hatteras v-bottom dory built from my plans:

It was built by Tom Bashaw. Great Job, Tom!

Here's Tom's e-mail that accompanied his photos:

Hey, Jeff.
Thought I'd send you some pic's of the vee bottom Hatteras. I get more compliments on this boat than any boat I've owned. People love it and most think it's an old restoration, too funny. I launched it on 8/9/09. I was impressed how well it handles. I put 115 hp Evinrude on it. I picked it up for nothing and rebuilt it so I couldn't beat the cost.... hp wise it's a bit much, but weight is just a over 300lbs so it's fine. Hope all is well and thanks for designing such beautiful boats.

Tom

New Article: Home Built Boat Seaworthiness

2009-07-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

I just finished and uploaded a new article about homebuilt boat seaworthiness. I seem to get a lot of questions about whether this or that boat is seaworthy enough to handle the conditions at this or that locale, so I thought I'd address the real issues that people should consider before building a boat. It can be found here: http://spirainternational.com/a_seaworthy.html.

19' Alaskan Grand Banks Dory Now Available in Metric

2009-07-04T09:48:00.001-07:00

I've added an optional 5.8 Meter Metric dimensioned plans for my very popular 19' Alaskan Grand Banks style dory. These new plans aren't only converted to metric dimensions, but have also been redesigned to use standard metric sized lumber (timber for those of you down under.)

Here's one almost complete in the Gulf Coast of the US:

Follow Me on Twitter

2009-07-03T06:48:00.000-07:00

OK gang, I've now put myself on Twitter so you can follow my musings. Keeping up with the latest technology and trends is a necessary part of running an information business these days. It's working too. If you type How To Build a Boat in Google, my YouTube video of the same name comes up #1 now. It's impressive and has resulted in quite a number of new visitors who I've been able to learn about the joys of modern home boat building.

Anyway my new Twitter address is http://www.twitter.com/SpiraBoats

Jeff

New Carolinian Carolina Dory Launched

2009-06-28T22:21:00.001-07:00

This beautiful Carolinian Carolina Dory was recently launched in Alaska. The builder did an excellent job and his workmanship shows. He elected to build it with a well mounted outboard instead of the usual transom mount.

New Free Boat Plans Page

2009-05-08T10:26:00.001-07:00

I recently updated my Easy To Build Boat Plans site with a new page featuring two boat plans you can download immediately for free. The first is my 12' Huntington Harbor Kayak, Dozens of these have been built to date and are being used in lakes rivers and the ocean. I also now offer Free downloadable plans for the all new Booth Bay 9 foot mini Grand Banks dory. I just completed the design and already there are several under construction. I'll reward anyone who sends in the first photo of a completed hull with a special prize. http://spirainternational.com/hp_frpl.html

New Canadian Drift Boat Launched

2009-04-11T06:33:00.000-07:00

This newly built Canadian drift boat was launched recently and is shown here on a river in Michigan. The builder did an excellent job and is ready for many more fun fishing trips this summer. See how a few hours in your garage each week, only a few hundred dollars in materials costs, can turn a woodworking project into an inexpensive summer of boating fun. Check out more easy-to-build boat plans on my main page.

- Jeff

Framed Boat Plywood Cutout Guide

2009-03-26T23:06:00.000-07:00

I've just added a new guide to my web site entitled: Framed Boat Plywood Cutout Guide. You should check it out of you've ever wondered why boat designers never seen to tell you what size and shape you're supposed to cut out the plywood planking. You will be surprised, I promise!

Framed Boat Plywood Cutout Guide.

Let me know what you think.

- Jeff

Boat Building Epoxy Source

2009-03-15T10:45:00.001-07:00

I often get e-mails from people asking about what kind of epoxy is best to use for building my boats. I've used an online supplier, John Greer, in the past and find his products excellent quality and very well priced. He ships quickly, answers questions promptly and also stocks thickening agents like cab-o-sil and microspheres, and also carries fiberglass cloth and tape, also at excellent prices. Check out his web site: http://www.jgreer.com/. The "Green" product is ideal for both gluing and wetting fiberglass cloth on my boats.

Blogging Building a 19' Alaskan Grand Banks Dory

2009-03-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

My customer who is building the 19' Alaskan Grand Banks Dory below is blogging about his experience. He's collected a great series of posts about the actual experience of building a boat. It's worth a read. Remember that blogs are organized backwards, that it the latest posts are first. The best way to read them is from the oldest forward, so it makes sense. Stop by and take a look. It really captures the day by day experiences of what building a boat is all about. Here's his blog: http://build-a-dory.blogspot.com/.

Alaskan 19' Grand Banks Dory Coming Together

2009-03-05T13:12:00.000-08:00

This is the second of my designs, this customer has built. His other was an Oysterman Carolina Dory. He's doing a great job on it and it's been skinned already. It won't be long until he'll be out having a blast in his new home built boat. The Alaskan is a very capable, rugged dory suitable for river, lake, near coastal and even offshore use. I'll keep you posted on the progress and post pictures once it's complete.

- Jeff

Innovative Clamping Technique for Boat Building

2009-03-04T09:07:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you've seen photos of huge arrays of wood clamps when people are building boats and though, "Wow, I couldn't afford all of those clamps if I ever wanted to build a boat!" Well, don't worry. there are ways around this. This Huntington Harbor kayak builder scrounged all of the materials to build his kayak, mostly from the dump, and were he lives (the Canadian Arctic) there are no inexpensive tool stores or swap meets to pick up a bunch of inexpensive clamps, so he made due with scrounged materials. Here you can see he used simple polypropylene rope tied around the chine log, then with short sticks, he twisted the rope pulling the frame elements into place. This is commonly called a "Spanish Windlass." So, see you don't have to have lots of fancy tools to do a great job on easy to build boat plans like those available at Spira International. Inc. Here's how his boat came out:

New Fishing Boat Building Article

2009-03-03T17:07:00.000-08:00

I wrote this new article and uploaded it to my site recently about building fishing boats. It takes a look at the special needs of fisherman and offers information about which easy to build boats are most suited to the kind of fishing you do. Check it out at: http://spirainternational.com/a_fishingboat.html You can also download a pdf version of the article to print out and read at your leisure.

- Jeff

Wooden Boat Building - The Perfect Winter Project

2009-03-02T13:19:00.000-08:00

What have you been doing this winter. Watching TV and working on building up that spare tire around your middle. Not this guy. One of my customers in the Midwest has been spending some spare time in his garage building this beautiful easy to build 18 Carolinian Carolina Dory. He almost there now and when spring arrives, guess what he's going to be doing come spring? You guessed it, fishing in one of the most economical, light, safe and fun boats you could ever own. You can build it for a couple hundred dollars in 100 hours or so. What are YOU waiting for?