Recommended Boat Building Sites

[Anthony Fry]

I'm contemplating building a 1939 barrel back boat as my next project. This would be the first time attempting something like this.

So any recommendations for a boat builders site/forum that can handle the tons of questions I'm sure to have?

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I am not familiar with the boatbuilding forums. Some print resources I have relied on are Wooden Boat magazine and their Wooden boat store, the offerings of International Marine Publishing, and Epoxy Works (the west system blog).

The WoodenBoat Store provides nautical gifts and gear for boaters.

Books by International Marine Publishing Co | Book Depository

Epoxy Projects from Epoxyworks Magazine, with WEST SYSTEM Epoxy

[bill godber]

The Wooden Boat magazine has a forum that has lot's of good reading.

link

http://forum.woodenboat.com

[Edward Weber]

https://sampsonboat.co.uk/
https://www.tipsfromashipwright.com/

These are the two I visit most, both sites have many good videos as well

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Those old Mahogany Runabouts are super cool! That would be a very exciting project. They have gotten extensive coverage in Wooden Boat over the years.

[Shawn Soeder]

I built my boat from Glen-L plans and they had an excellent forum community. This was about 8-9 years ago but hopefully it is still intact.

[mike calabrese]

If you are not familar with John Hacker you are in for a enjoyable discovery.
mike calabrese
https://www.google.com/search?client...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

https://hackerboat.com

https://www.abm.org

and https://www.facebook.com/antiqueboatmuseum/

https://www.thatoldboat.com/Morehouse

https://www.flbm.org/boatbuilders

https://jazzerstenhdr.wordpress.com/...oating-museum/

[Roderick Gentry]

Some good sources there. A forum that works out well for me is https://www.boatdesign.net. More serious people show up there, and more serious talk than on any other forum. There are 100 page threads there that are dead nuts serious, but as with anything, it depends on who shows up and what specialties are discussed. I don't know what forum would specialize in mahogany runabouts. I have seen stuff in Epoxyworks, and Woodboat. Pretty advanced project, and expensive, so that would narrow down the legitimate expertise. This guy seems to have tapped out.

https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/c...el-back.63553/

[Frank Hagan]

https://messing-about.com/forums has been online in one form or another since 1999. It's a smaller community of boat builders, with the most active forums those devoted to a few designers (B&B Yacht Designs, Kudzu Kayaks, etc.) But the Main Forum would be the place to connect with anyone else that has restored a similar boat.

Disclaimer: I own the site and have been running it the past 23 years. (Mods - let me know if this is not allowed and should be deleted).

[Tom Bender]

Naaaaaaa Naaaaaaa not reading this Naaaaaaa Naaaaaa Not going to any of these sites.

I once had a subscription to Wooden Boat, now I have a canoe that collects dust. Dangerous prostheletizers they are.

Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Naaaaaaa Naaaaaaa not reading this Naaaaaaa Naaaaaa Not going to any of these sites.

I once had a subscription to Wooden Boat, now I have a canoe that collects dust. Dangerous prostheletizers they are.

Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Tom, I would be interested to read more about your canoe.

[Tony Scolaro]

https://www.fishyfish.com/boards/index.php. This site is dedicated to Tolman Skiffs mostly. I built one. Also Spira International has a lot of plans and a lot of boat building content. I built a highly modified boat of his. He passed away recently but sight is still around last I checked. Lots of youtube videos

My first watercraft was a CLC kayak. Then a Cedar Strip canoe which gave me tons of pleasure building and using. Then the power boats which I never thought I would build or use on ocean. I can't remember the site for the canoe. It was Canadian and had Bear in it.

Boats building can be addictive so be careful

Tony

[John LoDico]

I watch a guy, Bob Ensler, whose YouTube channel is called the Art of Boat Building. He recently started a boat building boot camp which I think allows you to consult with him on your build. He's currently building a tender for a 36-foot boat a fellow Bay State is building on their channel Acorn to Arabella.

https://www.youtube.com/@TheArtofBoatBuilding/about
https://www.boatbuildingbootcamp.com/
https://www.acorntoarabella.com/

[Holmes Anderson]

I watch a guy, Bob Ensler, whose YouTube channel is called the Art of Boat Building. He recently started a boat building boot camp which I think allows you to consult with him on your build. He's currently building a tender for a 36-foot boat a fellow Bay State is building on their channel Acorn to Arabella.

https://www.youtube.com/@TheArtofBoatBuilding/about
https://www.boatbuildingbootcamp.com/
https://www.acorntoarabella.com/

Not to be snarky but I've seen the "Art of Boat Building" channel and it takes some big conkers to use such a pretentious name for a channel that demonstrates amateur strip plank construction. Also, his woodworking skills are scary. I can't believe he still has ten fingers. And why build a strip plank (wood-cored fiberglass) dinghy for a carvel planked solid wood boat? I also watch Arabella on Friday afternoons. It is fun to watch but would say that it is obvious that the owner hasn't spent much time at sea. Loading up a small boat like that with power-hungry electronics and power and resource-hungry comforts like pressure hot water for showers is begging for headaches. Long term living/cruising on a boat under 40-50 ft is basically camping/glamping, and plenty of noobs give up the dream without getting farther than the Bahamas - often because the wife buys a plane ticket back to the US. A better YouTube watch IMO is crazy Lou Sauzedde in Tips From A Shipwright. He builds traditional carvel planked workboats. He also does some scary things with power tools but is far more experienced than the amateurs on the other channels. It's worth watching just to see his big bandsaw in action.

Boatbuilding forums: Woodenboat Forum, Boat Builder Central, The WoodenBoat Forum.

[John LoDico]

Ensler recently completed a carvel planked boat. He's doing the down and dirty strip plank to meet the deadline for the Arabella project. His woodworking skills aren't bad; maybe a noob may think so. The OP asked about people providing a forum/feedback on his project; Ensler does. As for Arabella project, the builder admits he's not a sailor but you have to admire someone who is building a boat from lumber he harvested and milled on his own property. And I'd hardly call his boat being loaded with electronics. It's no different from the battery packs/solar arrays seen on any blue water boat. And, yes, Lou Sauzedde is great. And you are snarky.