Plans??? I want to build a first boat need some starting advice.

I love rivers and fishing. I live in Post Falls Id. Near me I have some of the best fishing rivers in the country. the Clearwater rivers, Selway, Snake, Salmon, CDA, Grand Ronde...

I would like to build a drift boat that can take a little white water action and fish real well. I fly fish but also would like to play with the steelhead.

I have a wife and three kids that the boat needs to hold (on safe river sections)

I have lots of tools and know how to use them.

Anyway what plans should I use?
what size 17'?
how come some boats are advertised as a 17 or 16 but are actually much shorter?
where is the length measured?

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Permalink Reply by paulv on June 2, 2009 at 8:45pm
well would a 16' work for my family now. It seems absurd for an oarsman and one fisherman to go down a river on an 18' boat. I'm sure if everyone loves it I wouldn't mind perfecting my craft on a future larger boat. If they didn't go for it i'd have a good boat for myself and one or two buddies.
Permalink Reply by AJ DeRosa on June 3, 2009 at 5:45am
Paul,
You are absolutely right about that. A good fishing boat for two is not a good family boat for 5. Check this image of a 17x54 and you can tell if your family would fit. They certainly would not fit in a 16x48. Not a terrible problem, you just need two boats. Decide which one to build first and you will be ready and excited to build the second. I'd build the fishing boat first and take the kids two at a time as a treat. If they all take to it you will need a really big boat like our 20x69. This boat can carry a family and all the groceries.
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Permalink Reply by paulv on June 3, 2009 at 9:24am
so those boats are a 17and a 20 in the pics?
Permalink Reply by lhedrick on June 6, 2009 at 8:24am
Quoting Randy "There aren't many straight lines on a drift boat ". When you look at a finished boat all the lines are curved. This is actually an illusion. The sides and their stem and stern angles are what create all the curved lines. When the sides are flat, in most cases all the lines are straight. The sides of a simple design built from 2 4 X8 sheets of plywood will have all straight lines. You just cut them with a long straight edge for a fence with a hand held circular saw (or free hand if you can cut a straight line). The bottom is curved.

Take a close look at all the plans in Rogers book. You will see how it all plays out very quickly. These boats mostly have a curved chine edge from stern to stem as determined by the stem/stern angles. To get a flat bottom section we actually are required to change the bottom line from being straight to having and upward arch. You will see this in Rogers book on the Rogue and Briggs designs.

Also remember that much of what determines our outcome is the fact that plywood comes in 4X8 sheets. So most of the designs have a 48 inch bottom and 14.5 length. Make it wider or longer and you will need more plywood at around 70 bucks a sheet.
Permalink Reply by Jack Billings on July 16, 2009 at 10:01am
Paulv
Like you, I am interested in building a drift boat from scratch. I have two questions you may now have answers for. First, what is your source for side and bottom plywood? And, have you found some of the books that others mentioned, such as Greg fletcher's?
Permalink Reply by Randy Dersham on July 16, 2009 at 12:59pm
Hello Jack,
It is Roger Fletcher at www.riverstouch.com. You can order the book directly from him at that address. That book contains drawings to a historic Grand Canyon dory first built by Keith Steele. It's a big long boat with a relatively narrow bottom.

We will soon have plans for our 17.5 and our 19. They each have a 56 inch wide bottom. What is your time frame?
We also sell all materials, Port Orford Cedar for frames and Fir, Hydroteck, and Sapele plywood along with glue, fasteners, etc. 541-221-5201
Permalink Reply by paulv on July 18, 2009 at 10:32am
My time frame? Thats a good question. I hope to get my interior remodel done mid winter to early spring. At that point I would like to begin getting serious about building a boat. It sounds like a 17-18' boat would be the right option.

It was mentioned that possibly having two boats would be the way to go. I would consider building a smaller boat first one that one or two adults or myself and a kid could enjoy. Most of my trips if not all will be car camping and day trips on the water so it would be possible to trade people in and out as necessary

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