Wooden Boat?

[LILWVBASSER]

I have been looking at building a wooden jon boat, but I wanted to know what you guys think about it.

[TopDog]

I think it's a great idea if you have the time, skills, tools and patience to do it correctly. The satisfaction you get from the project will be off the charts. Good luck with it!

I can hurt myself with a fork, so I will just buy and go fishing.

[Devins]

I'm no expert, but I have read a lot on building wooden boats and am in the middle of building a small sailing pram right now. The most important thing is to know why you are considering building a wooden boat. There are some good reasons and (in my opinion) some very bad reasons to build one. Here's my take on reasons why people build one:

1. You like to build things and think that it would be very satisfying to build your own boat. This was my reason, and I think it is the best reason to build your own boat. In my experience, only building a boat will quell the urge to do so.

2. You think varnished wooden boats are beautiful. This is true only if you are willing to exert a great deal of care for your boat.

3. You can't find a production boat that is suitable for what you are looking for. This is another good reason, especially for small sailing and rowing boats. For bass fishing, I can't imagine not being able to find a boat that meets your needs with the selection of inflatables, bass raiders, aluminum boats of all shapes, and fiberglass boats on the market.

4. You want a boat on the cheap. For a bass fishing boat, this is probably one of the worst reasons for home building. There are a lot of cheap used aluminum boats out there, some even for free. Building a boat is more expensive than it appears, especially if you use any quality wood. Just the price of a few sheets of A/C fir plywood (what many consider the minimum acceptable quality of plywood for boat building) would pay for a small used aluminum boat. Plus, when you home build you are only building the hull, not the other associated gear such as motors, electronics, trailer, etc. So even if you save some money on the hull, you may only save a fraction of your total cost if you want it fully outfitted. Plus, you better plan on keeping your homebuild boat until it rots, because you'll never get any mony back if you try to sell it, they are worthless.

If you do decide to build one, there is a ton of information online on how to do so. Just look up Woodenboat Magazine or "Instant Boats" for starters.

[LILWVBASSER]

Well I have the patience, and skills to do it. Im an auto body tech, and me and my dad also do wood work on the side for fun sometimes. But as far as time I dont have a lot, but thought it could be a good winter project.

[sneaker]

I agree with Devin. You won't save any money, but you can have a lot of fun building and operating the boat you have built. I have built this boat primarily because i couldn't find a boat that had the features that were important to me. It had to be light enough for one man loading, launching and to be powered with a MK motor. It also provides hands fee operation with fwd/rev, stop /start, left/right and power all handled with 2 foot pedals. I only use a paddle for balance in fast water or to conserve battery power on long runs. I wanted lots of dry space for gear or another passenger and a means of moving the boat around at home or at launch without carrying it. It is easily transported with my Pickup. Been using it for a couple of years now, and usually have more fun than anyone on the water. Ended up building half dozen of these for my relatives and friends. My apologies if this image doesn't show up as I'm pretty flakey at inserting them. Send a PM and I can get one to you..