If you'd like to support this free boat building info.
consider purchasing a music CD ...thanks.

 

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This site is my attempt to offer some inspiration and information, for it was a hand full of inspired amateurs who most encouraged me to take the plunge and build my first boat.
If you've been toying with the idea of building a boat, don't wait. 

DO IT NOW!                                          David Beede

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GAFF KETCH CHAMELEON
For ages 5 to 95...

Dream Catcher 
Pond Skiffs
... 

I'm no longer building these pond boats,but I'm leaving the page up to inspire home builders.

A Celebration 
of Traditional Sail...

3 Models and many rigs - 
I have a book in the works with full sized plans!

 

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BLUE HERON SHARPIE

Projects...
SBsail1.jpg (55340 bytes) Summer Breeze Wins Design Contest!
Click the duck!

This is an 11'8" skiff from two sheets of plywood inspired by Phil Bolger's Teal. I was gratified to win best overall, and best use of materials Duckworks 2001 contest. 
All drawing and most current build notes here.
  
Prototype build diary   Maiden voyage
All the entries were very  impressive so I won by a slim margin. Please check them out. 
 Summer Breeze sea trials at the Cedar Key mess about 2002! 

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  Steve Bates , of Australia, did a bang-up job on his mini-sharpie - then turned her into a double ender and had a ship wreck! Check it out!

Mini Sharpie  

Here's a one sheet high bowed sharpie skiff of my own design. A Family builds her.

She gets a sail rig!

Daydream...

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A.K.A. Least Cuts Boat This is a 15' Sharpie Skiff made with all straight saw cuts!

Rob Smith and 2 nephewsbuild her in 22 hrs in South Africa!

  Brian Schmittling's Daydream!

 

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A couple of One Sheet boats  with capacity for 2 Adults! (click the pic)

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Wackless Lassie - A double paddle canoe. 

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Cygnet - A One Sheet Skiff designed by Herb McLeod.

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Featherwind -  actually Dave Carnel's $200 sailboat  

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Alternative Methods and Materials for boat building! 

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Yuloh info... - a collection of resources on the oriental sculling oar. $10 Yuloh!!  
Shantydock!- This is an 8' x 16' swim platform with an arched canopy roof. 

Dream Catcher 
Pond Skiffs
... are here!

"Coolwater" a shoe string shanty boat! Also....

Shantyboat Dreams - sketches and resources...

 

Model making - this one is a one sheet skiff of my own design superceded by my Mini Sharpie.

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Local Builders See what the local (North Florida) boys are up to. 
Old Boat Plans from the 40s, 50s & 60s     P4220167.jpg (68904 bytes) This is a cheap and quick boat shelter that can be easily broken down and moved. PVC and poly tarp to the rescue again!



Alternative Methods and Materials for boat building!

Miscellaneous...

Resources - informational and inspirational stuff like 
Gavin Atkin's Free Design Page  - Gav, in addition to starting the Boat Design group on Yahoo,  won the Duckworks design contest in 2000 and originated the "Mouse" line of boats, which are being built all over the globe!
   
(Good starting point... less overwhelming than the links page.) 
Links 
from my bookmarks for the last year, loosely categorized.  

A Rant  Ravings about boat building, music, and life as spectator sport.

[the above email link is NOT clickable - thanks to the spam web bots - please type it in]

member of the Boatbuilding Ring Previous Site Random Site List Sites Next Site


The truth about Acorn

of boats, row boats, sail boats, skiffs, john boats, canoes, paddle boats, motor boats. You name it. Now that I'm grown I still love them. Kids boats hold a special fascination for me, as well as small simple plywood boats. Particularly ones that can be made with one, two or three sheets of plywood. Boatbuilding is way too fun an experience to wait a few decades to try it. Which is why I created this site. Amateur boat building can be easy boat building and simple plans can help make it happen. There are many cheap plans or free plans available on the web as well as here on my site.Also lots of help if you'd like to design boats. Boat designing can be a life long pleasure. In fact it can very easily turn into an addic

ail freesailor line sailing pond skiff model sailboat model boat model sailboat toy sailboat toy boat model sailboat pond sailer model boat  sailboat pond sailer  pond boat pond boat model yacht miniature yacht toy boat toy boat toy boat pondsailer pond sailer pond boat model pondsailor pond sailor sailboat model sailboat models sail sail sail sail sail toy toy toy boats sailing sailing model sailing model miniature sailboat model sailboat boat kit sailboat kit ship model sailing model scale model scale model scale boat scale boat scale sailing model ship model fun yacht  sloop model sloop model yacht sailboat model sailboat radio control model sailboat modelsailboat pond yacht

 

tion. Boat design addiction may lead to a new 12 step program.