boat baby cradle

[Paul Downes]

My wife and I are expecting in late March. I have been thinking about building a boat cradle and was wondering about the forms to use. I have bead and cove router bits and was planning on building a strip type. Can I just fake it as far as the forms go , or are there certain rate of bend rules i need to be aware of? I will probably build it out of white oak.

This will be a getting-familiar-with-the -idea project with plans to build a strip boat in the future.

[Jim Creech]

For a cradle boat you can get away with "faking it". I personally would not use white oak. Too Heavy, too difficult to work. Ash might be a better choice if you want a light colour. Check out Woodenboat Magazine. They offer some really nice plans for just this sort of thing.

PS: Congrats!! Hope Mom and baby are doing well!

[Paul Downes]

Shucks, I don't have any dry ash. I have been whining these last few weeks though because i discovered that the emerald ash borer has made it into the woods I am currently cutting in. There are areas in this woods that are predominately ash trees. i could probably cut 6-8000 brd. ft. or more. The durn bugs will kill all the ash trees within a year.

I was under the impression that white oak would work well. At least it seems to bend easily when I have cut cast-offs around 1/4" thick. What other woods would work well? I have maple, walnut, cherry, and elm.

[Jim Creech]

White Oak will be fine for this project. I was just concerned over the weight. Especially with a new mom. I built a small hutch with white oak and was amazed at how heavy the thing was. It has'nt been moved since I placed it in the house. Thinking about relegating it to shop storage as it has buckled the surrounding flooring. Are you planning on finishing bright or painting?

[Paul Downes]

Ah those nautical terms. I will probably just stain and poly coat the wood. The weight may actually be a plus. It may keep the siblings from moving the crib/bed around. The boys will probably think it's a racing vehicle and try to push the baby around the house. I haven't figured weather or not to build stanchions to hang it from. i may just build a stand. I do have some glider bearings, so that may be an option. I ordered the Expectant Dads book on boat crib building.
I have only read about this style of building. There is a guy in my church who has built some strip kayaks so I have a resource for information.
I am a frustrated boat owner wanna be. I love fishing, and have a lot of sailing genes in the family history. It was a dream to someday build a real boat. Maybe when I retired. I retired last July and given the current economy it looks like the frustration may continue for a while. :D I hope this project is something like a disease.