by Don Swearingen

Created on: November 18, 2009   Last Updated: November 20, 2009

So you want to build a boat? Good. You can. Anyone who can drive a nail can. Anyone who has a little time and is willing to spend less than $200 can. Honest!

Go to http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/gavin/index.htm. This is the part of Duckworks Boatbuilder's Supply that has Gavin Atkin's free plans for his small boats.

Click on "Read Gavin's book, 'Ultrasimple Boatbuilding'". Buy the book for $17.50. It is worth every penny.

The book tells you the tools you need, the woods you will need, and exactly how to construct small boats from the 6 and a half foot Micro mouse, to the 11 foot sailboat Edge.

While you're there on the site, download the free plans for any of Gavin's Mouseboats to date. That way, when the book arrives, you will have had time to look at the plans.

This book and the accompanying plans are nearly all you need to get you started building small boats in a hurry.

My family has built 6 of the Micromouses and my great-grandchildren play in them every summer. I have promised my oldest a flying mouse next summer to sail.

There is even a plan for a Puddle Duck Racer, a boat designed by David "Shorty" Routh that is so easy to build anyone who can drive a nail can do it.

To get more plans and building tips for that boat, go to http://pdracer.com/ . The little box with a sail on it, is easy to build, easy to learn to sail in, and a whole lot of fun for next to nothing.

Did I mention these boats are cheap? You rarely need more than 3 sheets of plywood and a few other pieces to build them.

Of course you can spend lots of money, but you don't have to. PDRs as they're known have been built for $25! And they are being built world wide.

One other thing about a lot of these boats is they are not only easy to build, it doesn't take a year's worth of work. A Puddle Duck Racer can be built in 2 week ends. A Micromouse in two days.

You can build sails out of the blue tarps and duct tape you can buy at WalMart.

Once you have built any of the boats from those two sources, go back to http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans.htm , and click on Jim Michalak's book, "Boatbuilding for Beginners." $17.00 for the book. It's packed with tons of information about how to build boats with plywood, glue, nails and a little patience.

Don't hesitate, if you don't have a place to build, Puddle Ducks have been built in living rooms (Well, he was a bachelor) and a garage or car port is just fine. Most of these boats are less than 20 feet long, and can be transported on a car top, they don't cost much, they are simple to build and they are fun to sail or motor around the lake with.

Some of Jim Michalak's larger boats are seaworthy. In fact, several of his designs have entered and completed the Everglades Challenge, which is a boat rally that sails around the tip of Florida. His plans aren't free, but they're worth the price.

Being short (8 feet) hasn't stopped the Puddle Duck Racers. In June of 2009, five intrepid "Duckers" entered and completed the Texas 200, which is a sail along the Texas coast for 200 miles.

So, go to these sites, grab the books you need, the plans you want, and head to Home Depot or Lowe's and get on the water!

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