How to Make Flat-Bottomed Boats from Planks

Flat-bottomed boats carry passengers and goods through shallow water or marshy areas. As the name implies, the bottom of the boat is flat, enabling the craft to slide over mud and water plants. Like keeled-boats, flat-bottomed boats displace water to remain afloat. However, a flat-bottomed boat doesn't displace deep water. Instead, the boat displaces more surface area. This gives anglers a wider and longer boat. Even distribution of weight is key to the boat's stability.

Things You'll Need

  • 1-inch by 2-inch pine planks, 30 feet long
  • Tape measure
  • Table saw
  • 200 1 1/2-inch Phillips head wood screws
  • Drill with Phillips head screwdriver bit
  • 2 sheets of 4-foot by 8-foot marine grade plywood, 1-inch thick,
  • Silicone caulk
  • Handsaw
  • 1-inch by 2-inch marine grade oak, 60 feet long
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut five, 36-inch pieces of 1-inch by2 inch pine on the table saw. Cut 10, 12-inch pieces of pine. Angle the blade of the table saw to 45 degrees. Cut eight more pieces of pine 12 inches on one side. Both ends are at a 45-degree angle, creating a trapezoid.

    • 2

      Lay the 36-inch pieces on the work surface on the 1-inch edge of the wood. Place a 12-inch piece on either end, creating a low U-shaped piece. Place the trapezoid on top of the area where the two pieces join, bracing the corner. Drive wood screws through the trapezoid and into the body of the boat brace. Repeat for three more braces. Set all four braces aside. You will have a single, 36-inch and two 12-inch pieces, left over. Set them aside.

    • 3

      Put the blade of the saw back to a 90-degree angle. Measure and cut a 1-foot section from both sheets of plywood. This leaves you with two 1-foot by 8-foot sides and one 3-foot by 8-foot bottom. Set the remaining plywood aside.

    • 4

      Lay the bottom section on the work surface. Measure 2 inches from one end of the bottom and make a line of caulk. Place a brace on top of the caulk line. Screw the 36-inch bottom of the brace to the bottom of the boat with wood screws every 4 inches. The sides of the brace point straight up. Measure 2 feet from the first brace and caulk and secure the second brace. Repeat with the final two braces, spacing them 2 feet apart.

    • 5

      Place a line of caulk on one set of side braces and the bottom edge of the boat. Press a side into the caulk. Screw through the brace into the side. Secure the bottom with wood screws every 4 inches. Repeat with the other side.

    • 6

      Cut three 12-inch by 36-inch pieces of plywood. Place a line of caulk on the edges of the side and bottom of one rectangle. Slide the piece into the back of the boat. This is now the stern. Secure with wood screws through the sides and bottom of the boat. Place a second rectangle on top of the stern piece so that it aligns with the sides. Secure the piece with screws.

    • 7

      Draw a diagonal line from opposite corners of the other rectangle with a pencil. Cut on the line creating two right triangles. Place a line of caulk on the 12-inch side of the triangle. With the boat on its side, slide one triangle so that the 12-inch side lies against the 12-inch end of the side and the diagonal portion angles upward from the bottom of the boat. This creates the prow. Squeeze so the caulk fills the joint. Cover the joint with one of the last two 12-inch pieces of pine. Place a line of wood screws on either side of the brace so that both parts of the boat side are secure. Repeat with the other side. Use the handsaw to trim any portion of the brace that extends beyond the triangular side of the boat.

    • 8

      Turn the blade of the table saw to a 30-degree angle. Cut along the length of the remaining 36-inch piece of pine. Cut a piece from the 36-inch plywood that is 38 inches long. The angled cut is on one of the 36-inch ends. Place a line of caulk along the diagonal cut and both sides. Slide the front piece between the two diagonal sidepieces. Secure with wood screws every 4 inches. Place a line of caulk over the joint of the prow where the bottom angles upwards. Place the last 36-inch piece of pine so that the angled side matches the prow. Secure with wood screws. Turn the boat over.

    • 9

      Cut five pieces of 1-inch by 2-inch oak that are 11 feet 2 inches long. Lower the blade of the saw to 3/8-inch and cut a groove down the center of the 2-inch face of two oak pieces. Raise the blade to 7/8-inches and cut down the center of the 1-inch face of the same two oak pieces. You will have two ,long, L-shaped pieces of oak. These are the chines and protect the corner edges of your boat. The other pieces of oak will serve as runners.

    • 10

      Place a line of caulk on both faces of the interior L-shape. Place the wood over the corner between the bottom and side of the boat. Secure the chines with wood screws every 4 inches to 6 inches. Space out the last three runners evenly along the bottom of the boat from the prow to the stern. Secure with a line of caulk and wood screws every 4 inches to 6 inches.