Boatbuilding workshops

Lunch Break prototype on the Potomac River in March 2026. This is the final product. Read on for more information on boatbuilding workshops (below).

The model on the left is an example of a simple cardboard boat model, made to scale (1" = 1'), just under 8" long. It happens to be the second Lunch Break model. 

Full-scale now! Start with the sides and other pieces. The first pieces that go together are the two side panels and the stem (the triangular piece). 

Then, pull the after ends of the side panels toward each other, and attach them to the stern transom with glue and some screws. The corner cleats are beveled at the exact angle to fit in the corner and hold the side panels to the transom securely. The hull is very narrow until the frame molds go in!

At the start, every step brings it the panels closer to the shape of a boat. Carefully squeeze the after frame mold in (the location is marked on the side panels) and tack it in place with four nails (temporary). The side panels bow but don't break.

Then add the forward mold. The side panels really push back for this one. They don't want to take that bend, but once the mold is tacked in place that pile of lumber has turned into a boat! 

This is a good time to step back and admire the hull (and check for anything that doesn't look symmetrical or fair (smoothly curved).

Next, add the gunwales, which are the pieces of natural wood (cut from spruce, pine, or fir 2 x lumber) on the outside at the top. Because there are no permanent frames in this design (compare to Pointy Skiff or Teal), we need strong gunwales, and we get them by carefully laminating two curved pieces in place. This is a messy step, because it is important to have enough (or more than enough) glue and and it drips! Wipe it up with a warm wet cloth. 

The gunwales are cut square (no bevel) but a corner is planed off later.

Lots of clamps are needed to ensure a good gunwale fit; glue and nails hold best and decay is best prevented when there are no gaps. The gunwales get a bronze ring shank nail every 4-6". These nails are extremely corrosion resistant, and the "ring shank" bit means there are little angled rings around the nail to lock into the wood grain. (Steel underlayment nails are a cheaper alternative.)

Next up are the chine logs, which ultimately hold the bottom on. Well, first, the bottom edge of the plywood side panels must be planed. This is a quick step. A long drywall square is used to make sure they are perfectly level anthwarts (across the boat from one side to the other). 

Back to the chine logs. These pieces of wood are not so different from the gunwales, but they are attached to both the sides and the bottom. This prototype had internal chine logs, which are classic but difficult to fit. Workshop boats will have external chine logs, popularized by the famous boat builder Dynamite Payson. External chine logs are so easy they are fun to install, and they probably make a stronger and maybe longer-lasting boat as well.

When the glue is dry we probably have a bit more planing to do, to make sure the chine logs and sides are aligned and level. Here they have been planed and already have glue on to accept the bottom. The chine logs in this boat have a bevel at the top and bottom. The bottom bevel matches the angle between the side panels and the bottom perfectly, for a good fit. And the steeper top bevel ensures that water doesn't sit on them and contribute to decay.

The bottom goes on next. It is nailed from above right into the chine log, with 1" nails. To protect the edge grain of the plywood bottom, a 1/4" natural wood cap is glued and nailed on. And in between those two steps there is some significant planing and sanding to get the excess bottom material off so it aligns perfectly with the sides. It is important to think about this step when nailing on the bottom, because a plane won't cut through silicone bronze and the nails are nearly impossible to remove! The plane in the photo is a bench plane, and is heavier and bigger than the block planes we will use.

Almost done! There is some planing of the gunwales to do, mainly for looks, plus a false stem to sort out for the front, some more caps to add on all the exposed plywood edges. We add an anthwarts brace to keep the shape, and carefully remove the two frame molds. Does the hull keep its shape? You bet! Plus a few thins braces on the top of the boat bottom, for strength (a boat with more rocker, like Tortoise, would not need them).

A bit of sanding here and there, and perhaps some gaps to fill, if the work didn't always go perfectly. That's OK! 

And then we are done with the building! The boat could be tested now, but it is a good idea to protect the wood before ever exposing it to water. 

Here is the Lunch Break prototype getting primed using a roll and tip method popular in boat painting work. With that method the pain is applied with a roller but then brushed. It is quick and looks great, if you take the time to keep brush strokes going in the right direction and double- and triple-check for drips! 

This boat was primed with Kirby marine oil-based primer, and painted on the inside with low luster white paint by the same company. This is excellent paint, and not that much more expensive than what you can get at Sherwin Williams or Home Depot. But oil-based paint is smelly and hard to clean up.

Latex paint is easier to work with, and a bit cheaper, but does not hold up quite as well. The prototype was painted on the outside with latex. (It is a prototype after all, and there was some red latex paint lying around.)

If you want the boat to last a long time, it is best to seal the wood with two or three coats of low viscosity epoxy first. There are a lot of choices to make when it comes to painting a boat! It is all a trade-off between expense, effort, and time on the one hand and durability, looks, and longevity on the other. But boats painted with only latex paint can last for years even if stored outside, but they need to be stored more carefully. 

All wooden boats need to be checked regularly for damage and touched up occasionally. Good marine plywood helps a lot too. The Lunch Break prototype was made with decent but much less expensive exterior yellow pine plywood, which is a good material for a first boat (reducing the total cost by about $150).

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