Learn everything about boats


How to Build a Boat in the Camp

Have you ever dreamed of owning a boat of
your own, so that you could explore around2  beam  pieces:  about  6"  x  8"x  18"
the bend of a river, or just float lazily
along a lake? Why not build the boat of yourLaths:  about  6"  screws, bolts, 11/4" nails
dreams?
1. Cut both sideboards and the two endblocks
As far as the appearance of your vessel is(Diagram lb) to shape. In order to give the
concerned, you don't have to be tooboat better navigating qualities, the
particular. The important thing is itssideboards have to run together and taper at
absolute seaworthiness. Perhaps it's too muchthe bottom. By doing this, you raise the
to call these crafts "boats"; for the mostfloorboards both fore and aft. Therefore, the
part, they're actually rafts or floats, butendblocks have to be set in at an angle (a
they all serve the purpose of carrying you onslope of about 4") to give the bow and stern
the water. For example, here is a tube-boat.racy lines. (The angle formed inside the
This is made of old tire tubes which aresidewalls where they meet the endblocks
first carefully patched, then pumped up, andshould be a narrow one.) The sides can be
finally bound together with boards and ropesscrewed down to the endblocks permanently,
as the illustration shows. The ropes shouldbut because of the flooring take care to let
be as thick as possible so they will not cutthe sidewalls extend about an inch beyond the
into the tubes. You can make paddles out ofbottom  of  the  endblocks.
small  boards  nailed  to  short  poles.
2. Bolt the frames together as shown in
The water-flea is a different model, and toDiagram 2 and force them between the
make it you first need a tree trunk. Fasten asidewalls. Since the boards can still be
pole crosswise at each end of the trunk andbowed considerably now, this was the reason
bind a small log or block of wood to the endsfor choosing a narrow angle at the ends.
of each pole. This provides you with fourScrew the frames tight on one side, but once
floats which prevent the tree trunk fromagain have the sidewalls extend beyond the
spinning on its own axis. Fasten blocks tobottoms of the frames by the thickness of the
serve as foot supports on both sides at thefloorboards.
middle of the trunk. In order to reduce water
resistance, the blocks and the trunk are3. The flooring is a little more trouble. Put
pointed. To make the barrel-float, you need atogether the three boards which have been
barrel, some poles, and two boards. Thetongued and grooved. Clamp down the sidewall,
result will be a very unusual and individualwhich has not yet been screwed tight,
boat. A tin-can raft can be made in the sametemporarily  with
way as the tube-boat, with large cans such as
oil  drums  instead  of  the  tire  tubes.C-clamps. Then place the whole boat on top of
the flooring and trace the outline along the
If you're even more ambitious, you can buildinside.
a regular boat, much like the ones built by
some boys in Switzerland, who made a wholeNOTE: YOU must set the flooring in with the
fleet. This boat has room for three or foursidewalls overlapping it. Only in this way
boys.will the boat be watertight when the wood
swells in the water. Cut the floor boards out
Measurementsalong the traced outline and screw the
flooring tightly to the frames and the
Length:  about  16  feetendblocks. Now you can also screw the second
sidewall down permanently. For stability,
Greatest width (must not be in the middle;insert an auxiliary frame at the middle of
rather than at the 8-foot mark, have thethe  boat  (Diagram  3).
widest point about 71/2 feet from the bow):
about  32  inches4. To make the boat watertight; before you
nail the flooring to the sidewalk, you must
Width  of  bottom:  about  24  inchescalk the crack (pack it with oakum). The
cheapest outside protection for the boat is
Height:  about  12  inchestar, and you can paint the inside with an
inexpensive  oil-base  paint.
Materials
5. You also need paddles. Canoe paddles
Pine or fir boards as free from knotholes as(Diagram 4) work out the best. Make them long
possible:enough  to  reach  your  waist.
2  Boards:  3/4"  x  12"  x  16'Whether you want to build an individual or a
regular boat, be sure to collect the best
3  boards  tongued  and  grooved:materials and take proper measurement to make
your dream into reality and perfect.
3/4"  x  24"  (total)  x  16'



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