# Yay! My homemade wooden boat floats! And it doesn't leak! I'm so proud! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 8, 2012, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576 "2012-07-08T03:11:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frosty\_Camel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c67d28/32.png) [@Frosty\_Camel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frosty_Camel)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/1 "2012-07-08T03:11:24Z")
I began construction of a wooden boat in 2005. I worked on it off and on, sometimes making huge progress and other times letting it sit untouched for months at a time. Well, it’s finally finished, except I still have to find a mast and sail. I took it to the lake today and there are no leaks! Yay! It floats perfectly straight, not lopsided in the slightest. Looking at it, nobody would ever guess that it was constructed by a total amateur! I couldn’t resist bragging when it attracted scores of onlookers at the boat ramp. Here are pictures of construction! The password for the album is “myboat”. Go ahead, tell me how awesome it looks! ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/2 "2012-07-08T03:44:18Z")
That is really cool, and it looks like it took a \*lot \*of work, especially getting the boards to meet so nicely along the midline (is that the word for it? the middle of the bottom, before you put the keel on). It almost looked as if you were pulling a zipper up the middle. ---
**Author:** ![DadWagonDriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@DadWagonDriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DadWagonDriver)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/3 "2012-07-08T03:46:33Z")
That is beautiful! I’m envious of your ability to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/4 "2012-07-08T03:49:47Z")
Pretty darned awesome, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_Kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Capt\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_Kirk)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/5 "2012-07-08T04:10:28Z")
Nice pics, awesome boat. That is just beautiful Nice to see you back **CAPT** ---
**Author:** ![Frosty\_Camel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c67d28/32.png) [@Frosty\_Camel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frosty_Camel)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/6 "2012-07-08T04:40:59Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > That is really cool, and it looks like it took a \*lot \*of work, especially getting the boards to meet so nicely along the midline (is that the word for it? the middle of the bottom, before you put the keel on). It almost looked as if you were pulling a zipper up the middle. Although this is the first boat I have ever built, I have to believe that the method I used to build the hull (strip planking) has to be the most difficult. Especially as you reach the middle. The strips become harder and harder to bend and there is less and less room to work in. But the beauty of the finished boat makes it more than worthwhile! > [@wmulax93](#): > > That is beautiful! I’m envious of your ability to do that. > [@Sailboat](#): > > Pretty darned awesome, I think. > [@Capt\_Kirk](#): > > Nice pics, awesome boat. That is just beautiful > > Nice to see you back > > **CAPT** Thanks for the complements! ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/7 "2012-07-08T05:13:38Z")
Wow! that is a beautiful boat! Congratulations! ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/8 "2012-07-08T05:14:26Z")
Holy CRAP that’s cool! I admire your determination, you have a beautiful boat! ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/9 "2012-07-08T05:21:22Z")
JEEBUS! wow, too cool. I’d love to see it on the water! Welcome back. ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/10 "2012-07-08T10:27:14Z")
Beautiful boat! Very impressive that you built it yourself. …um, it’s not going to rain anytime soon, is it? Are you gathering up animals? ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/11 "2012-07-08T12:05:34Z")
I am most definitely impressed. that’s a gorgeous boat! Our one and only boat building attempt was a nutshell pram, which is made from marine plywood, so it went together a lot faster and more easily than yours. Plus we just slapped paint on it, because while we love the look of bright wood, we used to own a vintage wooden boat and we know what’s involved to keep the wood looking good… Sorry, got off on a memory tangent. You do good work - I can see why it took you a long time, altho I admit I was expecting to see the work done in the basement like on NCIS. 😉 The fit and the finish are top-notch - you have every right to brag a lot!! Are you going with a wooden mast and boom? Tanbark sails? ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/12 "2012-07-08T12:09:43Z")
That’s really cool! How big is it? From the pictures, it looks maybe [Snipe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snipe_%28dinghy%29)sized (15 foot)? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/13 "2012-07-08T12:11:21Z")
That is truly a thing of beauty and must be a source of enormous pride. However, of course it floats. It’s made of wood - surely if you had simply chucked the wood in the lake it would have floated anyway. Think of all the extra time you could have had to watch mindless crap on TV. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/14 "2012-07-08T12:23:55Z")
Why is it everyone else can see it and all I get is a log in page saying it’s a private album? ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/15 "2012-07-08T12:26:37Z")
> [@PapSett](#): > > Why is it everyone else can see it and all I get is a log in page saying it’s a private album? I missed this on my first (and second, and third for that matter) reading of the OP 🙂 : > [@Frosty\_Camel](#): > > Here are pictures of construction! > > **The password for the album is “myboat”**. Go ahead, tell me how awesome it looks! ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/16 "2012-07-08T13:45:20Z")
**Frosty** , that is two…no, three…no, ALL kinds of Awesome! -D/a ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/17 "2012-07-08T15:00:43Z")
She’s a beauty! What are you calling her? ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/18 "2012-07-08T15:48:46Z")
Thak you Lsura! I missed that too. (obviously) Gorgeous boat! I am totally in awe of your skills! ---
**Author:** ![fifty-six](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fifty-six](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fifty-six)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/19 "2012-07-08T15:58:06Z")
Yea, What is her name? Fantastic work. There is a wooden boat festival every year were I live. You have a fine piece of work that would match nearly every boat there. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576/20 "2012-07-08T15:58:13Z")
A very nice piece of work. Always been a dream of mine to tackle a boat-building project (specifically a [McKenzie Drift Boat](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKenzie_River_dory)), but haven’t had the right combination of resources - time, tools, money etc,). Yours, I’d say, calls for a full champaign christening…and don’t forget the pics. SS [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-my-homemade-wooden-boat-floats-and-it-doesnt-leak-im-so-proud/627576.md?page=2)