Building a 16 ft. grand banks dory

As a kid I did a lot of boat building, mainly scale models that were not able to sail, although I did actual build a few boats that were, more or less, capable of sailing. I even once build a 10 feet boat, or shall I say raft. I accomplished this with a few friends and we had great fun sailing it on the local river. It was not really water proof and while one person was rowing, the others had to make sure that they removed the water quicker then it was entering our boat.

Then sadly one day we failed. I was rowing at the time, and we were in the middle of the river when it was clear we were sinking. I stopped rowing to assist with the hosing, but this only slowed down the process of sinking, it did not stop it. So I started to row again in on effort to reach dry land before we sank, thus avoiding having to swim to safety.

And guess what: We made it! Just before the boat really started to sink we managed to jump ashore. Here we watched as our pride and joy slowly sank to the bottom of the river. It was then that we realised we were at the wrong side of the river and this left us with a problem. We either had to walk to the nearest bridge, 10 kilometers upriver, so that would have been a 20 kilometer walk, or swim to the other side.

We decided on swimming. We did not see anyone around, so we quickly undressed, and with one hand holding our clothes above the water, we managed to get back to our own side of the river. Just as we were struggling to get out of the water a group of girls from our own school were passing by, and I can tell you we were not happy!

This all happened a long time ago and a few times in my live I have had plans of building a boat again. I have spent a good amount of time looking at boat building plans, but with boats size does matter.

I usually looked at boats between 30 and 40 feet, but the sheer volume of work involved has always stopped me from going ahead with my boat building plans.

Now I have decided to start small. I am going to build a 16 feet Grand Banks dory, which I want to fit with a small outboard engine. I boughtl the boat building plans, I got the working space, and by the time you read this article I might be finished already.

Later, who knows, I might build a 40 feet cabin cruiser, and tow my Grand Banks dory behind me. Then, if my cabin cruises sinks, I can always row to safety in my Grand Banks dory, dry and with my clothes on.

A little care will keep your boat in top notch condition

The story of boats is as old as the human civilization. There’s reference of a boat “Noah's ark” in the Bible. Noah's ark was the boat built by the Biblical character Noah to save his family and animals from the Flood. Gondolas were the traditionally used boats in Venice.

Today, a boat is considered as one of the major tools of watercraft. A boat is a small vessel for traveling on water. It comprises of one or more buoyancy structures called hulls, and some system of propulsion such as a screw, oars, paddles, a setting pole, a sail, paddlewheels or a water jet.

The front of a boat is called the bow or prow and the rear of the boat is called the stern. The right side is starboard and the left side is port. The boat toilet is called the ‘heads’.

A boat with a housing compartment is called a houseboat or barge. A pontoon boat is a flat-bottomed boat that serves as a dock or as a floating structure to support a bridge. The pontoon boat is also known as a party boat. It is constructed of round tubes (called sponsons) that are attached to the outside, bottom edge of a large flat deck. It has a safety railing that surrounds the deck from all sides. The helm station is placed either in the middle of the deck or off to one side. Pontoon boats may be furnished with lawn furniture, and some deluxe pontoon boats may have upholstered seating, a dinette table, a roof, a cooler, and maybe even a head (toilet).

A recreational boat is used for water sporting activities or other recreational purposes.

Boat Maintenance:

People fond of water sports or water adventures keep their own boats. Taking good care of one’s boat is very important. Good care and maintenance enhances the life of a boat and saves a lot of money also.

The following are some boat care tips:

• The boat engine should be flushed each time after it’s used in salt water.

• The underneath of the boat should be washed to prevent salt buildup.

• The entire boat should be washed using soap and water, after every single use.

• A non-skid cleaner should be used to scrub the deck.

• The boat should be completely dried after washing.

• The boat should be covered properly with a boat cover.

• The boat should be waxed every few months to protect the finish from stains and UV damage.

• Boat parts and accessories should be checked regularly, and defective parts should be replaced.

A boat cover is a very important accessory. When your boat is not in use, a cover will keep it protected from harsh weather and wearing. People use various boat covers and boat tops to protect their boats. Custom boat covers, bimini tops and canvas boat covers are some quite commonly used covers.