How to Build Your Own Wooden John Boat

A Jon boat or John boat -- as many prefer to spell it -- is a flat-bottomed boat ideal for fishing or just wandering around the waters because of its stability. A john boat is also ideal for family  use because it can easily accommodate a recreational day out. It also is excellent to use on a river with very little current due to the small size. Because of these factors, it is good to have knowledge on building john boat.

Instructions
Things You'll Need:

    * African mahogany wood
    * Cement coated nails
    * Hammer
    * Flat-bladed screwdrivers
    * Flathead screws
    * Caulk (waterproof)
    * Sandpaper

   1.Decide on the length of the boat. Once you have decided, cut the 4 mahogany wood pieces into the size you want. Cut a triangular piece on both ends of the mahogany wood about 30 degrees in angle. You want the john boat to be wider at the top than at the bottom and when they are all affixed, it gives your john boat the ability to cut through the water and not just float on top of it.

   2.Assemble the ends and the sides. Place the ends of each wood plank -- the one with a missing triangular piece -- outside each other. Do two planks at a time. Use the flat-bladed screwdriver to mount the flathead screws on both edges of the planks to hold them together. Once attached, pour and apply a generous amount of the caulk to seal them together. Do this on both ends.

   3.Measure the dimensions of the open area at the bottom of the sealed planks. Then, cut a wood plank with the dimensions. It is not necessary that the dimensions are exact since you can use sandpaper and sand it after they are attached. Apply caulk to the bottom edge of the sealed planks and place them properly on top of the newly cut wood plank and use a hammer and the nails to secure them in place.

   4.Reinforce the boat. Cut a keel out of the remaining wood planks and attach them to the middle of the boat's bottom. Use flathead screws and caulk to do this. Attach wood strips to the edges to keep water from leaking in. Use the remaining wood to cut a piece for the chair and attach them to the boat's rear part.


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Boat Building With Wooden Boat Blueprints

You can build your own boat with wooden boat blueprints. Even the amateur builder can find what you need with the right set of blueprints and have as much fun building the boat as you will sailing it. You may find free blueprints or purchase them if you find something you prefer not available for free.

You may get wooden boat woodworking plans for canoes, kayaks, or flat bottom boats. You might want to build a vintage jet ski or a flat bottom Jon Boat for fishing. You can design boats from 1957 or a large sea skiff. You might even build an old-fashioned generic boat so that you can share the experience with another.

For instance, if you would like to make a simple wooden boat, you can construct with little framework over the course of a day if you have the time. You will need a few tools including a chisel, hammer, plane, saw, and a heavy drift. You also need materials such as the pine wood to create the sides, spruce wood to make the keel, stem, transom (or stern) and trim, pine or cedar pieces to make the bottom planking and four seats, a thin metal sheet for the mold stick and twine cotton batting or an old sheet for the white lead. You can also choose to power the boat with an outboard or oars.

A small twelve-inch inboard boat is similar but it has a V-hull for easier maneuvering. It is meant to be powered with an outboard. You will need similar materials for the inboard as you would for the small boat but also accommodate the motor. In this case, you need items like the stock for deck framing, hatch cut from a deck panel, throttle control, plexiglass windshield, fuel tank, and exterior plywood deck. You should also have, shear clamp, chine, pipe and elbow exhaust system, power head, rubber gasket, stock band sawed for the stem, keelson, gearshift control, plywood floor, exterior plywood sides and bottom. Plywood transom, stock framing or framing stock, rudder on rod, motor mount bolts, control cable and pulleys, five-horsepower Scott-Atwater lower unit and a cutout for the shift rod, drive shaft and water passage are also a must.

Of course, you can build bigger or more complex boats such as a cabin cruiser, a 15-foot sailboat, or a Biloxi dinghy. You may also find wooden boat blueprints for recreational boats such as submarines, motorized surfboards, bicycle boats or a foot pedal catamaran.

Greg St. Clair is an avid boat lover and boat building enthusiast. For more great information on wooden boat blueprints, visit Boat Plans Central.