fuzzyvulf

Thanks for the reply. Well the main material that they used was a fabric which was a lot like tent material on steroids. They said that before they had used that fabric they had used a number of different things including something called "duck" *(spelling?) They said that a lot of the other things they had used would either rot or become brittle. This newer stuff was a polyester fabric with fiberglass inside the strands of polyester. As far as I know it was used to reinforce everything from certain types of tires to saw mill belts. It was such a tight weave that it was nearly waterproof right off of the roll. After they stretched it over the ribs of the boat they just put on a coat of marine grade paint and it was good to go. I don't know any name for it. I know the small tire manufacturer that used to use it near here quit using it years ago and they have since shut down. I am searching through old photos to see if I can find a picture of me in my little 12 footer.

Love the wind in the willows ref. Hello everyone. I love boating and the idea of boat building but am afraid I am a (nearly) complete idiot when it comes with where to start. Being disabled throws a curve into a lot of possible projects but I'm excited about finding this site. As a very small kid my father and grandfather and from what I understand my great grandfather built boats. My great grandfather died long before I was born. When my grandfather died when I was 4 my dad just ditched the whole thing because it made him sad to not be able have his dad with him anymore. I don't think he ever got over it really. Over the years, by looking at the few boats that they built which still remained and finally about 3 years ago I got my dad to talk about it enough to draw up a set of plans of the main type of boat they built. The boats were light enough that when I was 10 I could portage my little 12 footer by myself, also carrying my sleeping bag, water and food for a couple of days. While I was in the military, a couple of little jerks vandalized my small boat by repeatedly throwing bricks at the bottom until they had broken every rib. The main problem is that some of the materials which my dad and grandfather used back then don't exist now or are so expensive they are simply beyond my budget. I am not familiar with all of the options, materials available to me now. I want to stay true to the "skin" over rib design, but will go another route if it will just get the same curves and performance of those boats. I have tried a number of boats and have never found one which was as much a pleasure to be in "to mess about in" as the ones the patriarchs of my family used to build. I think the desire to build boats is in my blood. Over the years I have searched for a design which matched our family's and I have found bits and pieces here and there. Some I found in the watercraft of the far northern Native Americans. Some I found in the Cajun bayou alligator hunting boats which had some of their influence from the natives of that area. The general outline echoes a little of the Polynesian reed craft. There were a couple of stories of origins which were told which I have found some support for which I'll either include in a later post or if I can figure out if this place has a bio page I'll post them there. I look forward too learning from all of you folks and hopefully some tidbit of what little I know will either help or at least give some of you creative and craftsman minded folk an idea which will help as well. Thanks Fuzzy