Do-it-yourself boat from improvised materials. Do-it-yourself PVC boat - how to make, instructions and recommendations

Homemade plywood boat (master class, photo, step by step)

So his hands reached the realization of an old dream, he began to build a boat. For the first time, I chose an easy project, so to speak, for training. I went to the production of similar boats in Cherepovets and spied something there and bought the missing materials, for which special thanks to the owner of the shipyard.

This is what the boat should look like:

Today I cut the sheets of plywood and proceeded to the most important and difficult process, in my opinion, is the cutting and gluing of plywood sheets. Because the length of the boat exceeds the length of standard plywood sheets, then they have to be spliced, there are many ways to do this, but I chose the most technically complex, but also more aesthetic option for gluing "on the mustache".

We mark up.

We process plywood sheets first with a planer, and then with a grinder.

This is what it looks like during processing.

This is how the sheets should fit and stick together.

After fitting the parts, I glued them together and placed them under a press.

For now, all the preparatory work on the boat, after the sheets stick together, I will start marking and cutting out the details.

At first, I worked out the connection "on a mustache" on scraps of plywood and it was scary to look at it, but the experience came when working on a "finishing" version :) I hope I will master everything further.

That's about the boat.

Basic data:

Maximum length ................2.64 m
Width overall .............. 1.28 m
Board height .........................0.38 m
Case weight ........................30 kg
Load capacity .................180 kg
Crew .................................. 2 people
Permissible power. p / motor ... 2.5 hp

Today was a day of fruitful work and great progress :)

He pulled out the sheets from under the press and removed the strips between which they were sandwiched. The joint turned out to be even and very strong (then they tried to break the scraps from the bottom, it bursts not along the joint of the sheets). Thus, blanks of the required length were obtained for the manufacture of the boat.

I start the markup with stuffing the center line, then all sizes will go from it.

Here I drew the bottom of the boat, it seems to have turned out beautifully:

I start cutting. It is advisable to take a jigsaw with high speeds, use files for curly cutting plywood so as not to tear the edges of the sheets.

We are strictly following the markup :)

Here is half of the bottom ready.

And here is the whole bottom :)

We mark one side, then we put two blanks on top of each other and fasten them with clamps, after which we cut both sides at once.

I mark and saw out the transom.

At the junction of plywood sheets, we chamfer with a grinder and proceed to sew the boat with copper wire clips.

We work from stern to bow.

In this case, you can not do without an assistant.

I also try hard to sew everything beautifully :)

Here are the seams.

Here is the boat and ready :)

Sample for yourself :)

And upside down.

Today I really moved to the final stage of the project completion :)
First of all, I stretched all the staples harder. Checked the geometry of the boat. Then, with a chisel, he planted staples at the inner joints of the sides. After all this, I cut out temporary spacers and fixed them in the places where the frames were installed.

While doing these things in the new room, I constantly felt the eyes on myself. By the way, here is a view of the straightened boat from the stern.

For a more even formation of seams, I decided to fill the lines with masking tape, it seems to have turned out beautifully.

I decided to glue it in the evening, but for now I drew out the frame templates and started assembling them.

Here are the finished frames, assembled on epoxy glue and self-tapping screws.

Finally, I started gluing the internal seams, I didn’t think that it was such a painstaking work :) For the first time, everything seemed to work out fine. The resin soaked the fiberglass normally, there are no bubbles anywhere.

This is how the seam turns out, smooth and transparent. The photo shows that the structure of the tree is visible through three layers of glass tape, which means everything is normal.

This is what was done last time: the frames were adjusted and the fenders were screwed on.

Today I installed the frames in place and fixed them with glue and self-tapping screws, cut out the reinforcing lining on the transom.

After that, he turned the boat over, removed all the paper clips from the wire and proceeded to round the joints of the seam.

And when everything was ready, I started pasting the outer seams.

The seams turned out to be even and well soaked, even I like it myself.

Seams on the transom.

Today I finished work on the formation of the hull of the boat, next time I will install benches and start preparing for painting.

The sides are fastened not only with glue, but also reinforced with three layers of glass tape on each side, this is already fiberglass. Self-tapping screws from the frames can be turned out altogether, they will no longer be needed there after gluing. Some people actually do just that. Such a boat can be assembled without a single screw in the hull at all.

Today I went to make a boat only in the evening, because. waiting for the glue to set well. I checked the outer seams, I really liked how it was done, it turned out to be strong fiberglass. After that, I decided to make planks for benches. I also cut out and fitted the stem to the bow of the boat.

Here are the slats of the front bench.

Here is the middle bench.

I also cut out slats for the back bench, but it's still too early to install them.

Apparently stretching the pleasure of the process, or maybe out of a desire to do everything qualitatively, I make the boat slowly and little by little :)
Today I bought glue, self-tapping screws and high-quality lumber without knots. All this was intended to install the keel and outer stringers. These necessary elements will give greater strength to the bottom, as well as protect the boat during mooring to the shore, protect the paintwork from scratches.

I cut the slats, sanded and installed them in place with glue and self-tapping screws.

Also today I installed a stem and a bow eyebolt for tying a rope or anchor line.

For today, the work had to be stopped, because. the whole thing should be firmly grasped, for this I used additional weights.

By the way, bench blanks have already been cut out, but they will be installed after painting the boat from the inside.

In fishing and hunting shops you can find anything you want, and boats are no exception.

But many people want to make their own watercraft, because it is interesting and inexpensive.

Do-it-yourself boats have a number of advantages over factory options:

Ease of construction. Such a plywood fixture will be much lighter than wooden or metal structures;
Water stability. For such a boat, solid sheets of plywood are used, and its shapes are ideal for launching;
Low cost. You will only need to spend money on plywood pieces, glue, varnish and boards;

To ensure the safety of the structure, you need to use only high-quality materials. Plywood must be solid, without damage. The price of the first varieties is slightly higher, but reliability is also important.

For people who have a skill in carpentry, the work will be easy. It will take a week and a half, if you make a boat in your free time, then a couple of full days.

But only a professional can do designing with his own hands, because you need to accurately calculate the carrying capacity, capacity, nose shape and other nuances.

Construction assembly

When there are materials and drawings, then you need to start work. The first step is to cut out the details from plywood. For this, it is best to use a jigsaw. It is important to accurately cut to size, otherwise the design will not converge.

Then the frames are glued to the tailgate, these parts will be very heavy. If a boat needs a motor, then the tailgate is strengthened.

The next step will be the fastening of the transom with the sides and bottom. Sheathing parts must be fixed with glue.

After assembling the structure, you need to prepare aerosil and epoxy resin. These substances are mixed 1 to 1. The resulting substance is used to seal the seams. Also for this purpose, inside the boat, the seams are sealed with fiberglass strips.

Important: this work uses very toxic substances, so you need to work on the street, or in a ventilated area, and with the use of special protective equipment.

When the glue dries, you need to put the frames. Then you need to install seats, luggage compartments and other elements. After the vessel dries, it is necessary to proceed to the final stage, this is grinding and sealing with fiberglass and epoxy mortar.

This is followed by the process of painting the structure, this will help to further protect the vessel from the influence of water and give a good appearance.

Painting consists of:

Degreasing of all parts of the vessel;
Treatment of wooden elements with impregnation;
Surface putties. This will mask all defects;
Primers. To do this, you can use boiled drying oil;
Application of paints and varnishes. To do this, you can buy any paint, but special waterproof materials for plywood will help increase the life of the boat;

Prices

Building such a craft with your own hands is an interesting and creative activity for people who like to do things on their own. The main thing is to adhere to the dimensions indicated by the drawings.

It is possible that during this process, there will be errors that need to be redone. But, the result is a great and inexpensive boat. It is best to store such a tool on dry land. This boat is perfect for use on calm lakes and rivers.

It is forbidden to go out to sea or raft down mountain rivers. You also need to carefully monitor the seams and the integrity of the structure, if there are problem areas, then they need to be sealed.

With a thrifty attitude and proper storage, such a watercraft will last a long time, and will help you have a great time fishing, or just while walking along the pond.

Not everyone can buy a finished boat, because the prices are very biting. In addition, not all designs meet the needs of different customers. If you take inflatable boats, then these are not very reliable models, since they can easily be damaged in difficult conditions. And this means that they are not very reliable. In such cases, a decision is made to make a boat with your own hands from plywood. The construction of a small boat begins with sketches, which are then transformed into very professional drawings.

This is a fascinating process and only those fishermen who are in constant creative search can do it. In addition, building a boat is like a factor of self-affirmation. But if you look at the process seriously, then there is nothing complicated.

A small boat, which is able to take on board 2-3 fishermen, which does not have a lot of weight, can be easily made from plywood, as one of the most affordable building materials. Moreover, the boat can move both with the help of oars, and with the help of a boat motor or a sail. This does not require special, professional training, which is quite feasible even for beginners.

Plywood is a strong enough material to build a small boat, not to mention expensive yachts, where plywood is also widely used in their manufacture. In addition, it is simply amenable to processing, using electrical or manual devices.

In addition, if a motor is installed on such a boat, then it can develop a solid speed with good running characteristics. In addition, a plywood boat is much more reliable than an inflatable boat.

Materials and tools

Firstly, you will have to choose an appropriate room for mercy, where the boat could freely accommodate. It is desirable that the room be heated, since all work can take place in winter. In the summer, hardly anyone will start building a boat: in the summer you already need to sail on it. Moreover, the room must be ventilated, with the ability to maintain optimal temperature conditions. Since you will have to work with wood, the humidity should be optimal.

To draw a diagram, you need to have:

drawing accessories;
the pencils;
gum;
patterns;
rulers and triangles;
T-square;
cardboard and drawing paper;
glue for paper;
calculator.

During the construction phase you will need:

jigsaw;
a hammer;
axe;
clamps (up to 10 pieces, no less);
brushes, spatulas (metal and rubber);
screwdriver;
electric and manual planer;
screwdrivers;
chisels;
stapler;
circular and hand saw.

Materials for the manufacture can serve as:

plywood (sheet 1.5x1.5 meters), 4-5 mm thick;
pine or oak boards;
fiberglass for pasting the hull of the boat;
putty for sealing cracks;
waterproof glue;
drying oil or water-repellent impregnation for wood;
oil paint or waterproof enamel;
nails, screws, self-tapping screws;
metal strip, metal for various fasteners.

The main dimensions of the boat

If you use plywood with a thickness of 5 mm, then its dimensions will be optimal:

The total length of the craft is 4.5 meters.
The width of the craft (at its widest point) is 1.05 m.
The depth of the boat is 0.4 meters.

What is the boat made of?

The boat consists of a key element - the keel, which serves as a base and to which other elements of the boat are attached. The bow of the boat is called the stem and on the reverse side is the sternpost. With the help of these components, the boat is given longitudinal rigidity. Similar structural details can be made from a single piece of wood or individual components connected by gluing, as well as knocked down with nails or twisted screws.

The shape of the hull is determined by the presence of transverse power elements, which are called frames. The boards connected to the frames, stem and stern, form the sides of the boat.

If this frame is sheathed with plywood, then you get a boat. A deck is laid inside the boat - a sleigh, which is the lower deck, to protect the bottom of the boat.

Motor boats made of plywood

Motorized boats do not differ much in their design considerations compared to boats designed to move under oars or under sail. The difference lies only in the organization of a place for mounting the engine. As a rule, a transom board is attached to the stern, where the outboard motor is installed.

Separate designs of small boats are also equipped with other elements, such as a cockpit, deck stringers, side stringers, etc. To improve stability and unsinkability, special gaps are provided in the craft, which are filled with mounting foam. This approach eliminates the possibility of flooding the boat if it capsizes.

Working drawings of the boat

All boat building work begins with blueprints, which must be professionally drawn up. If this is not possible, then you can turn to the Internet for help, where you can find ready-made drawings. The main thing is that they correspond to the main imaginations. But even here you need to be careful not to miss the main stages of assembling the boat and making additional components.

As a rule, most drawings are drawn on graph paper. This will make it possible to calculate in detail all the nodes of the structure.

A large sketch of the drawing can be drawn according to the following algorithm:

A line is drawn that conditionally divides the boat into two parts. This takes into account the fact that the two parts, left and right, must be symmetrical and exactly the same.
The drawn line is divided into several equal segments. Subsequently, frames will be installed in these areas.
Both a vertical display and a projection from above are drawn.
According to the transverse marks, the shapes of the frames are drawn.
The main dimensions of all components on the scale are checked.
The shape of the frames is drawn on a scale of 1: 1 on cardboard or thick paper.
The flexible lines of the boat shape are drawn using a ruler or template.

The resulting pattern is folded along the drawn line to check for symmetry. Both parts must repeat each other flawlessly.

Transferring a pattern to a piece of wood

After the next check of the drawings for correctness, they are transferred to cardboard. Thick and stiff paper will facilitate the stage of transferring drawings to blanks. The drawing is transferred to the workpiece, taking into account all the contours and contours exactly as it is drawn, without all kinds of overlaps, reductions and increases in size.

When copying patterns, the direction of the wood fibers should be taken into account. In this case, it all depends on the design of the elements of the boat. If the element is made of plywood, then the layers of plywood themselves are arranged in such a way that the fibers of each subsequent layer are perpendicular to the previous layer.

As for the manufacture of futoks, they can be made larger in height, since they can then be cut off.

Technological stages of production

To build a plywood boat with your own hands, you need to do the following steps:

transfer the drawing to the template;
transfer drawings from templates to wood;
install the keel and secure the stem;
fix the frames;
fix the stern post and transom board (for the motor);
sheathe the bottom with plywood;
sheathe the sides;
seal joints and stringers;
putty and paint the hull of the boat.

boat hull

The skeleton of the boat and its hull are assembled from prefabricated parts. The assembly process must be carried out carefully and carefully, in all planes.

The frames to the keel are first attached in advance, and only after the next control are they finally fixed. Moreover, the fastening must be reliable, since the boat will have to be turned over before sheathing it with plywood.

We collect the inner contour of the futoks

The strength of the structure, including the sides, depends on how reliable the fastening of the futoks is. Futoks are an integral part of the design of the frame, which consists of a floor timber and two futoks.

Floortimber is the lower part of the frame, which is designed to be attached to the keel. Futoks are the side parts of the frames to which the sides of the boat are attached. The futox and floortimber fastening points are structurally made somewhat wider, which increases the stability of the entire structure. This is especially important for watercraft, where engines will be installed, which increase the load on the structure as a whole and during movement in particular.

stem material

The stem has a complex shape, which is due to the loads acting on it during the movement of the boat. One of the most suitable materials for its manufacture can be oak, but, in extreme cases, you can use elm.

You will be lucky if you can find a piece of a suitable tree that has a natural bend. If this is not possible, then you can make a stem from individual elements by gluing. If you want to have a one-piece structure, then you need to take an ax and other tools, and cut it down according to the shape of the boat.

Keel design

The keel is the simplest component of the boat structure, and is a typical board, 25-30 mm thick and 3.5 m long.

side boards

To do this, choose healthy, even and knot-free boards, 150 mm wide and up to 5 m long.

Transom manufacturing

The transom is designed to mount the outboard motor. The transom board should be 25mm thick. If plywood is used, then it is better to glue several layers in order to end up with a suitable thickness (20-25 mm). The base for mounting the motor must be rigid, so its thickness must not be less than 20 mm. If necessary, the transom board is reinforced from above with a wooden bar. In this case, it all depends on the method of mounting the outboard motor.

Making a boat frame

The frame is assembled in the following sequence:

the keel is installed;
pins are installed;
places of installation of frames are marked;
installation of frames;
fastening of frames, stems and transom to side boards;
checking the correct installation of all elements, before their final fastening;
it is desirable to treat the joints of structural elements with a waterproof composition or drying oil.

Plywood boat sheathing

According to the working drawing, blanks are cut out of plywood for sheathing the hull of the boat.

Subsequently:

the frame of the boat capsizes upside down;
all surfaces of the keel and frames are treated with emery cloth and made absolutely smooth;
the details of the bottom of the boat are installed in their place and fixed with a stapler, after which the attachment points are pierced with nails;
the side skin elements are first tried on, and then fixed in the same way as when attaching the bottom;
when gluing blanks, you should pay attention to the direction of the fibers of the outer layer of plywood. They should be located along, not across the boat.

Working with glue

Work with glue is aimed at obtaining a solid structure, and, if necessary, filling seams or cracks with it. When working with plywood, all joints of the workpiece with the keel and frames are glued. After piercing with nails, the areas where the plywood is connected to the load-bearing elements are filled with glue if they do not fit snugly.

To improve the strength and driving performance of the craft, plywood sheathing is glued with fiberglass. Such protection of the wooden structure increases the durability of the boat. The fiberglass is evenly distributed over the plane of the sheathing, with no creases or blistering, which indicates poor workmanship. The fabric is glued from the keel, towards the side boards.

Painting

As soon as the surface of the boat dries well, proceed to the next stage - puttying and painting. Ready-made putty mixtures on an artificial basis are perfect. The boat is painted in two stages: first a primer layer is applied, and then one or two layers of paint.

Registration of a boat

To register a boat of your own manufacture, you must submit the following documents to the State Inspectorate for Small Vessels:

passport;
individual taxpayer number;
the Certificate of primary technical examination of the floating craft approved and signed by the inspector with a conclusion on its suitability for operation;
payment receipts for materials that were used in the construction process;
receipts for payment of state duty for registration;

They decide to build any kind of watercraft with their own hands for various reasons: someone just out of curiosity - will it work or not; someone takes pride in showing a boat made on their own; someone corny does not have free money to buy a ship made by specialists. There can be many reasons, but all of them sooner or later force you to take up a pencil in order to draw up drawings of a motor boat with your own hands.

From what materials?

Why can they make a motor boat? Let's take a closer look at what materials are used in the construction of motor boats.

Fiberglass boats. Sufficiently light, durable and cheap material for building a ship. Work usually does not cause great difficulties even for a novice shipbuilder.
Plywood boat. Available material, relatively cheap, it is quite easy to process: you do not need to purchase an expensive tool and have some special knowledge and skills.
PVC inflatable boats. Under the motor, you can independently make a floating craft made of PVC. Of the minuses - a more expensive material, the manufacture of such a boat requires a lot of free space. The cost of a homemade PVC boat can be higher than that of a store-bought one.

fiberglass

Before we consider how to make a fiberglass motor boat with our own hands, let's study all the pros and cons of this material.

Reliable.
Durable.
Waterproof.
Presentable in appearance.
Affordable.

A fiberglass boat can be either a keel or a punt, as fiberglass is a fairly durable material that is not afraid of a sandy and rocky bottom. A fiberglass boat will be impact-resistant, you can easily go through shallow water on it, without fear that the bottom of the boat will rub against the stones. In addition, this material normally tolerates temperature changes, so there are usually no problems with storing the boat: it can be left for the winter even in an unheated garage. Repair is also quite simple: you only need epoxy and fiberglass. Since such boats do not require air pumping, it is impossible to pierce or tear it. These boats are practically unsinkable.

The main disadvantage of such a boat is that they are quite large, so the transportation of the vessel is usually difficult. As a rule, a trailer is required for transportation.

Making a fiberglass boat

As always, first you need to prepare a drawing and make a matrix of the future vessel. This should be done before you start building a boat for the motor with your own hands. The drawing can be developed both independently and taken ready-made. When drafting a boat, it is imperative to take into account both the rigidity of the fiberglass and the fact that all sides are perfectly aligned, as this will subsequently affect the stability of the vessel.

Making a matrix, that is, a mold for a future boat, is perhaps the most expensive and complex process in self-manufacturing boats. It is important that all dimensions are perfectly calibrated, the shape of the vessel is carefully worked out and all markings are made. In order to subsequently avoid difficulties with squeezing the boat out of the matrix, and also it itself could serve in the future, it is important not to forget to build nipples into it.

In order to build a boat easily and freely made with your own hands for a motor, you need to stock up on the following tools and materials in advance:

Boat gelcoat.
Hardener.
polyester resin.
Glass mat.
Scissors.
Sandpaper.
Olocks and subkeys.

Sequencing:

Coat the matrix in four coats with release wax.
Apply a gelcoat to the outer layer of the vessel
Install the fiberglass seats parallel to the sides of the craft.
Roll the glass mat in five or six layers to give rigidity and strength to the entire structure.
Cut off the excess "fringe" and glue the seats with special glue.
Screw the oarlocks.
Sand the sides of the boat with sandpaper.
Paint the boat with gelcoat both inside and out.

It is better to make the bottom on such boats double and airtight, which will make the boat practically unsinkable even in cases where it capsizes. It is possible to strengthen the body by laying wooden blocks along the mold and covering them with two layers of fiberglass.

The main cost in building a boat with your own hands for a fiberglass motor lies precisely in the manufacture of the matrix. Its production for just one boat will be unreasonably expensive, so before building, think about how you can pay for the matrix itself.

Plywood

This material for building a boat with your own hands for a motor is usually chosen due to the fact that it is publicly available, you can buy it in almost any hardware store at a relatively low price. In addition, plywood sheets of small thickness are easily bent, and plywood can be processed with simple hand tools without large material costs. But let's see what are the pros and cons of building a plywood boat with a motor with your own hands.

They have already been listed above. We can only add that plywood boats have a relatively light weight and good capacity.

These, perhaps, include the fact that it is difficult to bend a plywood sheet at a large angle, since it can easily crack, therefore, although thin sheets bend quite well, they try not to take risks once again when building a ship and build boats predominantly triangular or rectangular shapes, avoiding strong bending of the material.

Making a plywood boat

As with the construction of any other boat, in the manufacture of plywood analogues, work should begin with a drawing. We will not repeat ourselves and remind you that you can both make drawings of a motor boat with your own hands, and purchase ready-made ones.

To build a boat, you will need standard tools for woodworking: a hacksaw, a jigsaw, a planer, a screwdriver, an ax, a hammer, a chisel, a screwdriver, and so on.

In addition, you will need to purchase:

waterproof plywood of standard size;
pine or oak board;
fabric with which you will paste over the case;
putty;
waterproof glue;
drying oil or other water-repellent impregnation for wood;
oil paint;
nails, screws, metal for making oarlocks.

A boat with a motor is practically no different from one that is intended for oars. The only difference is that when building a boat for a motor, the feed is slightly modified with your own hands: a transom is installed on it, which is made of multilayer plywood. It is important that it withstand the engine mount, so you should not save on it.

After making the drawing, you need to transfer all the elements to thick cardboard on a scale of 1: 1, that is, make full-size patterns of parts on it. With such a cardboard template, it is much easier to transfer all the elements directly to the plywood. When transferring the pattern, make sure that the plywood fibers run along the part.

After that, you will need to cut out all the parts from plywood, assemble the ship, carefully fitting all the details and structural elements.

In order to better protect the plywood from moisture, it is possible, at the end of the work, to sheathe the finished boat with fiberglass. Glue such a fabric in the direction from the keel to the sides, carefully making sure that there are no folds and bubbles. After it is completely dry, it is necessary to putty the surfaces, prime them and then paint.

PVC boat

Motorized PVC inflatable boats are perhaps the most difficult craft to manufacture. The advantages of the latter include the fact that they are quite light, they can be taken on hiking trips, and they fit in an ordinary backpack.

But there are a lot of disadvantages of such boats:

Fragile, prone to punctures: such a boat is quite easy to break, catching on a bush or a sharp stone.
Expensive: The production cost is quite high, as special material for boats is quite expensive.
You need to have certain skills: to know at least the principles of cutting material. Even if you find ready-made patterns, ignorance of the basic rules of cutters can lead to damage to expensive material.
When gluing, mistakes are also unacceptable, since you can no longer always peel the parts back, and, accordingly, this again leads to additional material costs.

Making a PVC boat

It is clear that the construction of a boat with a PVC motor, like all others, begins with a drawing. But, in addition to it, you will need to find more patterns or patterns of all structural elements on a scale, in order to then independently create life-size parts.

Materials:

Adhesive for PVC.
Scissors.
Tassels.

And most importantly, you will need a place with sufficient ventilation to make a boat.

Before building a boat in full size, we recommend gluing the same model at least from ordinary polyethylene. So you can: firstly, check the patterns themselves (unfortunately, they often sin in that gross mistakes are made there), and, secondly, you will know the entire assembly process and order, which will subsequently make it easier for you to work on a large vessel . At first glance, this work may seem pointless, but it can save you expensive PVC in case of mistakes.

After you make sure that all the patterns are made correctly, you can start making a PVC boat. Carefully adjust all structural elements and glue the seams well. After the manufacture of the boat itself, it will also be necessary to glue the seats, transom and all accessories. All this can be both purchased at the store, and with some experience, you can make it yourself.

Conclusion

With enough imagination, you can make a boat with your own hands under the motor from absolutely any material. And it cannot be said that this requires too much some additional knowledge and skills. All the difficulties that arise during the manufacturing process are quite easily resolved, since the network has a lot of information on making boats with your own hands.

Registration

As an addition to all of the above, we add that the registration of boats weighing less than two hundred kilograms and with engine power up to 10.88 liters. with. not required since May 2012. Therefore, when starting to build a boat with your own hands under the motor, be sure to consider these parameters.

Everyone who at least once in his life swam on the water surface in lakes and rivers will not forget the sensations that a natural vacation on a boat gives.

Production technologies do not stand still, and recently the most popular, practical and reliable option is PVC (polyvinyl chloride) inflatable boats. Possessing excellent driving performance, a vessel made of such material is inexpensive and accessible to absolutely everyone! They are successfully used even in extreme sports. And in ordinary fishing he has no equal.

In this article, we invite you to consider how you can build a boat with your own hands. Self-manufacturing will allow you to make it exactly the way you need it. You can creatively approach the solution of the task, and achieve the ideal swimming facility for your tasks.

Choosing the material for the future boat

Not any PVC material will do. More precisely, you can do it from anyone, only insufficient density will lead to regular punctures of the future boat. And the excessive density of the material will lead to excessive heaviness, which will be felt in the packed state.

Depending on the dimensions, it is worth choosing a material with a density of 640 to 850 g/m2. Such a density is quite enough for the vessel to withstand all the loads and serve as a reliable companion for many years.

Making preliminary cuts

We recommend that you first find approximate cutting patterns on the Internet, and print them in a small format, and try to make a small boat out of dense polyethylene. To identify all the shortcomings, and correct them in time.

You can also use this drawing:

Explanation for the drawing:

nasal preparation;
intermediate nasal preparation;
central blank;
intermediate fodder preparation;
fodder preparation;
valves;
bottom;
corners;
protective petals;
elastic jumper;
rubber supports;
mirror image of the bow blank for the opposite side;
washer for attaching the handrail;
ducks (handles);
rowlock.

By experimenting, you can fully work out the technology, and already working with PVC, you can avoid mistakes. Agree, the cost of ordinary polyethylene is incomparable with the cost of PVC. We also recommend that you try to make a small boat out of PVC, just to get a feel for how to work with such material.

Life-size curves

After that, you can proportionally increase the patterns to the required size of the future boat. And if there is even the slightest doubt, practice and make a prototype from polyethylene again to be absolutely sure that the patterns are accurate. Then you won't have to buy another piece of PVC and increase the cost of your potential vessel unnecessarily.

Let's start gluing

Here it is worth getting ready, completely degreasing the places of future gluing, and laying out the patterns so that later you don’t have to run and look for suitable ones all over the room. It is better to use a two-component glue, it will give you the opportunity to slowly engage in gluing the boat. One-component glue dries too quickly, and most likely you will not have time to glue the parts together. Take your time, and before proceeding to the next part, once again make sure that you are gluing the right part.

What else needs to be done

After making the hull, it will be necessary to glue all the necessary parts, such as an inflatable neck, glue the seat mounts, transom and other necessary fixtures. Everything is limited only by your imagination and possibilities. The main thing to remember is to observe symmetry, since the alteration will be quite expensive. And if you make a small amount of effort, then you will get an individual inflatable boat.

Also, before starting the tests, it is worth checking the watercraft under load. Inflate, and walk along its sides. If after such a load it did not allow air to flow, it means that the sizing was successful and you can go out into the open reservoir. And yet, when sailing for the first time on a boat, do not go far from the shore, an additional test of strength, in the form of ordinary fishing, will not hurt.

Our online store for the sale of PVC boats wishes you successful creativity and an unforgettable vacation!

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