I thought I would write down some thought I have on different material that could be used to build this boat. While there is a lot of ways to build w about there’s really only a few options open to the budget builder.
Wood
Now there are many different kinds of plywood, but for the purpose of this boat and site were talking about stuff you can get at Home depot or Lowes.
In my boats I used the cheap stuff, its technically called B/C grade. It served me just fine for my needs. Let me explain the different grades of plywood. The grade is how good a particular side is. The best grade is A going down grade C which is lowest. The Grades “grade” on how many knots are present on the wood. So a B/C grade would have a few knots on one side while the other side will have a lot.
What about exterior? Well I would defiantly recommend exterior grade plywood it may cost bit more but is well worth the investment, especially if you decide not to use fiberglass. Marine plywood is the best, but at about 75 bucks a sheet, it’s kind of out of reach for the budget builder.
Many people (including me) wanted to use OSB or particle board as some people call it. While a choice few have built with this kind of wood, the most notable would be miss OSB, it just isn’t worth it to the home builder. What I mean by that is the glue used on the cheap OSB doesn’t hold up to being wet, and sometimes it will blister, And leaving you in a sinking boat. So for 5 bucks more a sheet I would recommend plywood.
As for the frames I used left over rained on piece of crap 2x4s and hey it worked out for me. I won’t get too technical on the different wood you can use the have pros and cons but just a good straight 2×4 stud was good enough for me.
Glue/Sealer
If you’re not using fiberglass you must think of your glue as your sealer. I made the mistake and I used silicone caulk. Bad idea. It didn’t expand and it wasn’t glue it just didn’t work. My next boat I used gorilla glue. It’s an expanding polyurethane, which means it glues and seal all at the same time. My second boat did no leak at all. Good stuff.
Tightbond lll is great too, form what I have heard. Many boat builders love the stuff. From what I understand it’s wood glue that can be used on the underside of the boat where the water is. I have never used this stuff but my next boat I will give it a try.
To Fiberglass or Not
This is a really tuff question. It will raise your build cost substantially. But then again it will may mean the difference from a 2 year boat to a 20 year boat. So it’s up to you if you want this boat to last forever or if this is just something you want to try and don’t want to spend a ton of money on.
Fasteners
I used drywall screws. Simple as that. They hold great. If you wanted this boat to last forever you may look into brass screws with don’t rust. But then again this is a good cheap boat so maybe drywall screws just fit.
Paint
Rustoleum is a great bet. It’s good enamel that will last for quite a while. The first boa ti used latex and it fell off in the water. I used Rustoleum on my second boat and in never blistered bubbled or peeled. I love that paint. That’s what I would use.
So for a super cheap boa that will last a few years I would use standard studs for frames B/C plywood and gorilla glue with good old drywall screws cover it all in rustoleum.