Wood fishing boat -for lakes

[Peter Elliott]

Anyone build or have a model suggestion for a wood boat suited for fishing on lakes.

looking for 2-3 people, small engine, stable enough to fish from. 2 people would be fine, not sure if a 3rd really changes the scope of the boat?

Thanks
Peter

[Jim Creech]

There are probably as many different designs as there are opinions!
My first thought would be something along the lines of a jon boat. Good initial stability and a fair amount of room for two or three people. Some questions need to be asked however. How small a motor? I know some that consider a 50 HP to be little more than a blender for end of day drinks! I assume you are talking about calm lakes. While flat bottom boats. such as jon boats,have good initial stability and do well in calm conditions, they do not fair well in a bad chop. Give us a little more info and you will probably be flooded with design options! ( and opinions!) All Good!

[Peter Elliott]

Jim,

Your right, kinda vague...

14ft - 16ft : maybe 3 seats (front middle and stern)

8-12hp Gas Motor.

I'll say freshwater but not the "great lakes".

Just unsure about what construction, etc.

Found this on Duck Trap - Mr. Simmons has answer a good amount of questions for me.

There is also thes 16' fly fisher type boats (Blue Dun??) but can't find much on them.

http://www.duck-trap.com/2002skiffs.html

[Jim Creech]

That is a handsome boat! If that is the sort of boat you are looking to build, I call your attention to the Lowell Dory Skiff. ( Building Classic Small Craft Volume 1 by John Gardner) ISBN 0-87742-065-3. She is 14' 9" LOA and will accomodate 3 easily.. Rows well for a boat of her size and "a small outboard motor can be used to push it along a moderate speeds".
(It should be noted that I am a great fan of the tried and true classic designs).
Also check out the following:
WWW.woodenboatstore.com
www.clarkcraft.com
www.bateau.com
Just a few sites that have some interesting smallcraft plans.

[Art Mann]

Peter,

The first thing you need to decide is whether you want a planing or displacement type hull. If you only want to go 3-5 mph, then a displacement hull, such as the one in your last post, will be easier to build and row, and will be more stable for the overall size. In that case, a 3 hp motor will propel the boat at virtually the same speed as a 10 hp, for reasons that are a little complicated to go into here. If you want to go faster, you must choose a design with a planing type hull. I have found the designs sold at www.bateau.com , which Jim already mentioned, to make excellent use of modern materials and engineering. A lot of the other boat plan companies sell designs that are obsolete by today's standards.

Art

[Peter Elliott]

Thanks Art,

I think I get your message. So this boat I have picture can only do 3-5 mph. Seems slow...

What do you suggest, on the style of the pic I posted from Bateau? They have a ton of boats.

[Jim Creech]

Peter,
Art is quite right. If you want a boat that is reasonably fast under power ( say 9.9 hp or more) then a planing hull is the way to go. While you may give up some inital stability, final stability will be much better. Something in a shallow V shape. Fine entry and almost flat at the stern and short of the Great Lakes during the gales of November , fairly seaworthy. I should also mention that building your own boat allows you the opprotunity to do some pretty neat things with the interior such as building in a live well, adding amenities like specialized lockers for fishing gear, customised seating ,Etc. There are hundreds of plans available for the home builder, its just a matter of finding one that suites your budget and building skills.
As I have mentioned earlier, Any SMC member will be happy to assist any way we can.

[Kurt Loup]

Below is my next boat as soon as I finish some other projects around the house. Robb White Sport Boat It may be too small for what you want, but I am looking for something light enough to car top. I have a 2 hp Suzuki outboard that weighs about 25 lbs. that I plan to use on it. More hp is recommended though.

Kurt

[Jim Creech]

That looks like a fun little boat. I have some Western Red Cedar left over from my last strip canoe and an old 5 hp Evenrude laying around. Might have to build one!
How does one finish up "around the house "projects? This could be some valuable info!

[Kurt Loup]

Yeah, I doubt I'll ever finish. I need to get enough done so that I won't hear any complaining when I start on the boat.

Kurt

[Robert Fordham]

I built the FL12 and FL14 from Bateau. I have a 9 hp motor which moves these boats about nicely. I fish lakes and ponds. Both are very stable and I stand while fishing. Mostly I use electric trolling motor and oars.

If the lake is 100 acres or less go electric troll.

A Planing hull must be stronger thus heavier.

[Bob Smalser]

Anyone build or have a model suggestion for a wood boat suited for fishing on lakes.

looking for 2-3 people, small engine, stable enough to fish from. 2 people would be fine, not sure if a 3rd really changes the scope of the boat?

Depends on the size and structure of the lakes you fish in and how you'll haul the boat around. I applaud your desire for a small engine and strongly recommend a traditional displacement hull.

Next depends on what wood you have available reasonably and how much skill you have. Dories are the easiest to build and the materials can come from a local sawmill. Cedar strips are relatively expensive even if you live where cedar trees grow. Plywood is expensive, unpleasant to work with, doesn't last as long and the final product has less dollar value than a boat from solid wood.





For large lakes and small bays I think the carvel Poulsbo Boat is the best design ever made. That's unless you prefer to lose the fillings in your teeth pounding up and down the lake in a planing hull like the Simmons Sea Skiff, which is a good design in those for the first time builder.

Both the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle and the and the NW Maritime Heritage Center in Port Townsend have plans. You'll have to learn how to spile planks to build carvel, which is the most easily repaired of all boat designs. New carvel boats also make good, leak-free trailer boats with a little care getting plank moisture contents right.

http://www.cwb.org/

http://www.nwmaritime.org/index.html



For a small lake I like the various outboard-powered freighter canoe designs from Maine. Requires building a mold and stretching canvas if you can't find a (heavier) stripper design, but the comfort and stability of these is amazing. Lotsa length means they span three waves instead of two for a more comfortable ride. You'll have to look around for plans.



Or for simple and inexpensive you can build a simple flatiron or sharpie skiff like the one on the right my family used to build 6 at a time for fishing camps. These are perfect for the first-time builder to whet his teeth and make his mistakes on, plus they go together in around 40 hours. A good plan is to build one of these for practice and so you'll have something to use during the several hundred hours it'll take to build your dream boat. The boat next to it I'm sitting on in this 1959 picture is a modified lapstrake wherry more suitable for your second or third boat.

Last, if your fishing takes you into swamps or beaver ponds a different design is best. One that is more buoyant in the bow than stern so you can easily row off of stumps or cypress knees. I build these odd-looking Dion Punts as drawn in John Gardner's first book to support cedar logging around beaver ponds. They are the cat's meow for working around obstructions. For sport use you can reduce the scantlings to make a lighter boat than these.

[Jacob Reverb]

A plywood stitch-and-glue design is good for a first-timer...it goes together fairly fast and doesn't take a lot of special skills.

[Rusty Smith]

For a simple sturdy boat, I like this design.
http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/ji...boat/index.htm

[Jim Creech]

Rusty,
A Jon Boat should serve just fine. Easy to build irregardless of the construction technique. Good initial stability and suited for calm Lake waters.