Instant Boats Message Boards

hey ALan, my evil henchman is reading the GLD booklet this evening. Might not even wait to photo copy the plans, might just take a stab at making the molds and doing a 1/8 laydown with the scale rule. Have to see what tomorrow brings in the way of travel ( or not )

At this point, I am really wishing I had read 'Instant Boats' before building M.M. Better late than never

Reading through the first few chapters there were countless 'wish I knew that back in July' moments.

This should be interesting...

Alan

Well, my heart is definitely set on the GLD. I am stuck though early on in this iteration of the 'armchair build' figuring out the exact dimensions and placement of the station molds. More study is needed.

I believe that the trick is to take the width of the top of the mold and height from the plans then take the angle of the sides with a bevel off the plan. If anybody has done this please chime in

EDIT- I just looked at all three instant boat books. While Dynamite is a staunch advocate of taking one's scale rule, and the plans, and finding a quiet comfortable place to 'build her in your head' he NEVER ONCE mentions doing so whilst medicated . Nonetheless, I think I figured out my puzzle over the dimensions and placement of the molds and a few other "AHA!" moments.

So I am going back to the 'dreaming chair' with my scale rule and those builder's plans. There will be no sail on the expedition boat for the next build anyway. I'm done here, thanks to all who gave input. Choosing a plan is one of the more enjoyable things in life IMO. We'll have our next look at this project in the model building section. Hopefully within a week.

THANKS AGAIN GANG!

Regarding your question about anyone lofting a small boat before building it.
Yes, I've done that. I needed to loft the design and draw full size plans for the 12' Ace runabout that I built. Since this boat was designed in the 1950"s, and there was no one to ask questions of, it certainly was helpfut that I lofted the plans full size. It eliminated or corrected a few mistakes in the plans. Of course, the instant boats were designed so that you didn't need to go through this process. In fact, many of the instant boats plans don't give enough information to loft them, as this step isn't needed. I don't know anything about the GLD, so I can't comment on it.
If you're interested in learning how to loft boat plans, the best book on the subject that I've found is: "The Boatbuilder's Apprentice" by Greg Rossel. Some very good information on just how to loft a number of different types of small boats.
Good luck,
Boatmanpaul

Hi Paul,


Having muddled through a 1/8 scale laydown from a t/o published in a book, I also got a lot out of Dynamite's first book in the series 'Instant Boats'. I will have to put the boatbuilder's apprentice on my list.

I sort of have my heart set on a Alpha Beachcomber for an open day sailor trailer boat.

Hi,
Nice to see folks talking about the Surf...I built one a three winters ago and love it (if you search for "Surf" on this site you'll find the thread). It sounds like your heart is set on a GLD, which also looks like a great design, though you're bound to be rowing. I'm surprised that it doesn't seem to be built more often. Great rowboat and a quick sailor. Crew space is pretty limited (2 adults is about the maximum she can handle and you're sitting on the bottom). She actually sails best with with a second person to balance out the weight a bit. I am making tentative plans to do a 2-3 trip along the Maine coast this summer, which would be my first attempted overnight in the Surf. Sleeping would be a bit problematic, with the center thwart/bulkhead, but you could probably rig something up with the tiller/leeboard and some blankets--that remains to be seen!

Well best of luck with whatever you choose.

Regarding cartopping, I'd say the surf is barely cartoppable. I bought a goalpost style trailer hitch rack, which made it a bit easier, but am thinking about investing in a lightweight trailer this summer to avoid having to pick the boat up, which is awkward and difficult even with two people. Any suggestions on lightweight trailers without breaking the bank? I've been looking at http://www.discount-trailers.com/fishin ... ailers.htm, and there are some nice looking options, but some look a bit wimpy whereas regular boat trailers seem like way too much trailer for an instant boat. There could probably be a whole post about trailers...!

Glad to see this site is still busy and has many "regulars" that are so generous with advice, support, and good information!
-Trevor

Harbor freight has a small boat trailer that's probably as inexpensive as you'll find new. I suspect that it's not all that sturdy? I've never seen one in person. It should probably hold up to use trailering an instant boat and used in fresh water.
Here's a link http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... umber=5002
They also sell flatbed trailers that could be used for an instantboat.

Sometimes you can find a used trailer on craigslist.com Most of the ones I see listed are too big, but sometimes little trailers do come up.

Good luck!

Trevor,
When we moved to the country, my practical-minded father gave me a used utility trailer - definitely an inexpensive item about 4' by 7'. I pull it with a Nissan Sentra. Anyhow, I now use it to pull my Gypsy as well and it works fine. I can launch it myself from a boat launch (I'd guess the Gypsy weighs about 175 pounds) and pull it back on from the water as well. So a shorter utility trailer would be fine for a somewhat smaller boat, and unlike a boat trailer it can do double duty moving stuff, such as kids off to college, sheets of plywood, Amish lumber from out of town...
Brian G.