To Build Your Own Boat is a big decision to make and it would be great if this enthusiastic praise

-          “ When I got the plans… I just started at the beginning and made the frames and it just took shape from there. It was the first boat I had ever built from scratch… I just started and it just worked.”  -

of one successful wooden boat builder was the result every-time someone made the decision to proceed with their dream project.  Unfortunately too many people think that the above happy boat builder just bought the plans and got started.

Not so! Many hours of careful thought preceded the decision to build and the purchase of the plans only came after much soul searching.

Does this mean that you shouldn’t build your own boat? No, You certainly can build your own boat, people from all walks of life with vastly differing skill sets build boats.  Scout troops build boats in weekend camps, kids with their dads build boats, retirees looking for a hobby build their own boats. People (women included) who want to use a boat for fishing or sailing or just mucking about on water build their own boats. There are wooden boat builders who are competent cabinet makers and some who are weekend – bush carpenters and;  even those  who have never lifted a hammer or cut a piece of timber build boats. So yes, You, can build your own boat.

Building your own boat can be a very rewarding pastime in its own right and  the pleasure you will receive seeing the finished product is  only exceeded by the fun you can have when you get it launched and start mucking about on the water.  Wooden Boat Building is a wonderful way to spend your free time and the boat itself (if carefully constructed and finished) can become a valuable asset. Each wooden boat is different and is like a mobile work of art, unlike other workshop projects such as furniture a wooden boat can be a functional practical thing of beauty.

But just like any project there needs to be some careful consideration before you start, in order to avoid disappointment later. The things you need to consider are listed as follows and I will expand on each topic a little later.

1. What do you want to use the boat for? Fishing , sailing, rowing around, etc, each require differing hull designs and  whatever you desire to do with your boat will determine its shape, design structure and size.

2. How much money are you willing to spend? Any boat building material is not cheap and neither is  timber, you might like to consider the cost factor before you decide on a shape and size for your boat.

3. How about starting with a small project first? Learn a little more about the whole process by building a wooden boat which you can complete within a reasonable time frame before venturing on to some ark like yacht which will consume many years of your spare time.

4. Where are you going to undertake the project? Is your existing garage, backyard  large enough to accommodate this wooden boat building dream? Remember you may have to turn the boat over in order to complete various parts and that when complete you need to be able to get it out of your shed and yard and down the local streets to the water.

5. Do you have the skills and tools to undertake the project you are contemplating?  Consider enrolling in some classes to catch up on those skills you lack or to learn how to use some of the tools you may be contemplating buying for the project.

6. Do you have the support of your family and friends neighbours and relatives? They will all be impacted by your wooden boat building project and best to have them onside.

7.  Where are you going to get some decent plans for your new boat? DON’T even consider beginning the project until you have sourced a decent reliable set of plans which come with some sort of recommendation and evidence that they work?

Buy some Books , look on the internet, talk to other boat builders, join a local boating club, talk to the kids shop teacher, ask questions (lots of questions).

Every step of this new venture is exciting from buying and reading that first build your own boat book (or blog), buying the plans, equipment and materials; to the end result ; sitting in your own boat enjoying the full fruits of your labour.

While the prospect of starting from scratch and completing a wooden boat building project may be daunting for a new-be boat builder there are plenty of people like you who proudly complete such projects. It just requires some thought before hand and the use of some patience, determination and helpful hints from more experience builders.  Wooden Boat Building is alive and well, in workshops and back yards all over the world, home builders are building wooden boats, from tiny surfboards to large yachts, you can join them and Build Your Own Boat.