how would u build a boat ?

[Sonora Iron]

I use to have a neighbor who could come home from work on a Friday night with materials in his pickup, build one of these from start to finish. By the next morning he would be setting in the swamp with his 12-gauge waiting for daylight!

http://www.unclejohns.com/boat/

[FusionKing]

Yup you are right but when you put "U" and "cheap" in the same sentence thats how "I" would do it with what i have the resources for. Now if he said how should "I" build a good boat for x amount of bucks i would have a different answer. I worked in an old plant that made small steel boats many years ago and i saw how they were made so i could do one and it would be made from Galv sheet just like the duct work i welded for 12 hours a day at one time. Just my thoughts yours will be different.
Of coures mine wouldn't be this pretty but some good reading here... Bob
http://www.speedboatclassics.com/mul...teel_boats.htm

Man......that's freekin' Sweet
I'll need to read that over again real slow. Thanks

[captkipp]

GOOD

FAST

CHEAP

You can pick any two. But the other one won't fit in the equation. I wish I could say I made it up. But somebody else told it to me and it's been printed on thousands of placards for display in many an office. Needless to say it's still true.

How "cheap" do you want to make a boat that you would ride in? Or your family members? Better you make this one pretty well, I think.

Some one spooling up for the first time on aluminum and attempting to make a safe boat in the process of learning to weld aluminum....well that seems to me a bit of a stretch. Good luck with it, though.

[Winger Ed.]

Cheapest?
Put the word out that you're looking for a old boat that doesn't run,
be patient, and people will give them to ya just for hauling them out of their yard.

Most will be fiberglass with a rotten floor & transom, and on trailers that have sunk into the ground.
But a couple sheets of plywood, new tires & a paint job-- ya got a boat.

I've also seen decent looking Alum. boats in the scrap yard.
They normally sell for about 1 & 1/2 times what the scrap dealer paid for them.

Another source is the auctions they have at the larger Goodwill stores.
I've seen old but quite 'fixable' boats sell for $1-200, trailer included.

.

[Jerel]

RGO,

I think this is a larger aluminum boat than you are asking about, but I think this is an interesting read.

http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=29094

Have a good read,

Jerel

[aametalmaster]

WOW that guy has a project. It will be cool when its done. It must be nice to have that much free time to play and just think what the alum plate would cost...Bob

[Fred Smith]

The best way to build a boat ?

Water proof of course!

[m.k.swelding]

if i were you i would buy a used boat.

I 2nd THAt

[aametalmaster]

Some links so they don't get lost or burried...Bob

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources...d=1#post223505

[Fred Smith]

With out the Smart donkey reply,

there was a guy here a couple years ago that built a semi-flat bottom boat about 12-14 ft out of aluminum. He did a great job.

Boat hulls are actually a complex shape, in the class of airplane wings, maybe even more complex as they always curve in multiple directions.

I would suggest that a place to start would be find a boat you like and start from there.

Maybe as thought you may consider a steel frame with wood covering as wood is much easier to shape. With steel you'll have the age old rust issue though.