Cedar Strip speedboat plans?

[brownsoft]

My next boat is hopefully going to be a family runabout/speedboat and I'm also intrigued by the cedar strip construction method. It seems to be used primarily in canoes/kayaks, and small sail boats. Has anyone got any info on strip built boats that might satisfy my desires?

[Andreas Jordahl Rhude]

I don't have any plans, sorry. Cedar strip speed boats were built by the thousands up into the late 1950s. Thompson Bros. Boat Mfg. Co. of peshtigo, Wisc. built 5,000 each year! Their peak year they built 8,000! Thompson, Larson, Chetek, Tomahawk, Dunphy, Alexandria, etc... all built many models using strip construction. A gentleman is today building Tomahawk reproductions on that company's original forms-molds. I own two strip built Thompson boats. One is is a 1955 Thomboy with a 1957 Johnson 35 HP outboard on it (picture can be seen at www.thompsondockside.com (http://www.thompsondockside.com) under the "boats" icon).

[brownsoft]

I like the 55! I really want something that looks like a speedboat, but only needs a 10 hp motor or so to cruise around in, and maybe toe a board for the kids. Maybe I'm asking too much? I found plans for this boat below which almost fits the bill, but the seating arrangement seems a bit weird.

http://www.svensons.com/boats/Victory/Victory_A.jpg

[On Vacation]

You can build most any old style runabout with cedar strips. It will be lighter than the mahogany varnished boats. But you are asking a little too much with a 10 hp . Find the boat that you wish to build and purchase the engine first. This is the heart of your project. You will find that this will give you a better drive to complete your project and enjoy it with the family. The kids will go with you more also. ;)

[WWheeler]

Yes, I'm fascinated by these old timers, common on the lake when I was a kid. (Our family, with modern aspirations, had a tin boat.)

Any source of information for building techniques etc.? It sounds like one could take a relatively standard plan such as Glen-L, and strip plank it in cedar.

[brownsoft]

Well WWheeler, if you like this style, you'll love this website where all the plans are free to download:

Svensons Boats (http://www.svensons.com/boats/)

My strip building experience is only from buying and reading a book called "Building a Strip Canoe" or something like that..

[Klow]

I've had a hard time locating any decent publications on strip planking, the Gougeon brothers' book just touches on the subject. The best resource I have found is a manual by Paul Fisher of Selway Fisher Designs out of the UK. They sell the manual on their website (http://www.selway-fisher.com/SFD%20Catalogues%20&%20Manuals.htm#STRIP) , as well as the plans for various types of small strip planked crafts.

[stef]

You could look at www.compumarine.com (http://www.compumarine.com) they have several variants of cedar strip boat designs. They do look very pretty, like cedar strip canoes, since that is the construction method.

Stefan

[On Vacation]

I know some have seen these but thought this maybe a good start point for the inquiry.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid15/pd7c8e0cfa0399f83fdd4f6aa28893d71/fde67f2f.jpg

After framing your runabout up, this is a detailed view of how you can plank up your mid size runabout.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid15/p340e9a928ab11a5d2c100d2bcac0ca94/fde604c7.jpg
First frame up your boat.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid14/p4e4d5bb372c123c3cac2cb422719a9a5/fddcae59.jpg
This is the bow. Notice we plank evenly from side to side overlaping the strips. Don't do one complete side before switching to the opposite side.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid14/p17a468a232f9fc1016586d5bf79dcdf6/fddcae53.jpg
Stagger the joints of the strips on the bottom, and cut a long angle for the planking on the sides. This is for the finish work, also.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid14/p0c7d76f1748923b2166c1bb3dbb72096/fddcae90.jpg
We drive a ring shank or copper finish nail end grain to tie the strips together.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid14/pee53e509dc29a15f52fb9c054775fba0/fddcaebe.jpg
The bottom is finished out just overlapping the strips.

[ 08-31-2002, 03:49 PM: Message edited by: oyster ]

[brownsoft]

Klow, looks like a worthwhile book, thanks. Stef, the link doesn't have any speedy type boats, but still a very detailed 'photo manual' to peruse, thanks.
Oyster: what a whopping big strip built boat! In the kayak/canoe plans that I have, the frames are only temporary and are discarded. In these photos it looks like they are there to stay, correct?

[Tom Lathrop]

My first boat was a 12ft "speedboat" built by Aristocraft and marketed by Western Auto in 1952. It had none of the fifties doodads and was much better looking for it. It had a 10hp Wizard outboard and we learned to waterski behind that boat. It would make about 28mph with a high pitch prop and the engine jacked up high on the transom. It would pull a skier at about 22mph and an aquaplane (a sheet of 3/4 inch plywood) at about 25mph.

I have to laugh at how much power is considered necessary to pull skiers up today. Of course our skis were wider and we had to learn to help ourselves up instead of depending on a big engine to do it for us.

[On Vacation]

Brownsoft, the framing stays in on this construction. you had asked about runabouts. Most of the runabouts as the types pictured have the framing in them also. We build the 18 to 25 framed with cedar instead of solid planking.

[On Vacation]

Norske3
.
Member # 5418

posted 09-08-2002 08:19 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One mans opinion...mine...LABOR INTENSIVE WAY TO GO....they still leak... difficult to repair.. ...and the stink from the GOO....unhealthy fumes layering on the base of you brain day in ..day out...from beginning to end.

[ 09-08-2002, 08:24 AM: Message edited by: Norske3 ]


This is a statement of ignorance. Sorry, don't mean it personal. If you would like more info, feel free to ask the questions of 1001 ways of easy building of strip plank boats compared to solid planking. And on the issue of smell, you are invited thsi winter to our little part of the world to share a free course and receive a masters degree in invisible glues smells.

[ 09-08-2002, 08:35 AM: Message edited by: oyster ]

[On Vacation]

http://www.sunnync.com/
You can visit but please don't stay. we have enough imported guidlines from your area. smile.gif
You would not be unable to carry the book with all the info that is required. ;) Some things just can't be put into scrip like how wood finds itself or making round twisted planks. Then again we have round chime planking out of rectangle boards. Or there is choosing the proper grain to frame ribs. smile.gif

[ 09-08-2002, 09:29 AM: Message edited by: oyster ]

[WWheeler]

Brownsoft: Thanks for the info. The Svenson's site looks great. I lost track of this thread, and it just went whizzing by.

I've found that Bear Mountain boats has come out with plans for the Rice Lake skiff, which what I remember as a kid. (www.bearmountainboats.com) This is nice, but they're pushing the "canoe stripper" method, which is cedar canoe strips encapsulated in fibreglass. I find this method expensive ($1000+ for a canoe), and a somewhat tedious way to build what is really a fibreglass boat.

The original cedar strip runabouts were built without googe or expensive bead and cove strips. I'm really interested in this building method, but I haven't been able to find any information as yet. They didn't have caulking or cotton in the seams, I guess it was multiple coats of varnish and paint that did it.

Will