Kelly always gave his boats two names: one for each side, and a slogan on each end. I think it was named "Chief Justice Earl" on the other side. It has been permanently retired from sea duty and is serving as a sandbox. Children seem to like the idea of playing on a boat, and some actually recognize it as one.
The picture doesn't quite do it justice but there aren't any of it
in the water. Sorry.
Update, 2010: I had to clean
up the yard, and the Seattle P-I had to go -- I finally cut it up to
scrap and got it hauled to the dump. The kids had outgrown the sandbox,
anyway. RIP.
The
PK78 is the first boat I built that really worked right. It is about 8'
long with over 4' beam, and can carry two adults or one adult and a
couple of kids. It can be fitted with a sailing rig. It is very sturdy
and should be fairly safe in choppy water if the operator is careful.
Time to build: Around three months of spare time, which I don't have a lot of. Maybe 100 hours total.
An experienced builder could build it for less, and much faster. I made the fillets too large and kept oversanding and having to recoat, etc., which wasted a lot of time and money. Here are a few pictures of the work in process and the finished product in the water for the first time:
Click image to enlarge.
Update, 2009: The Tot Yot was useful for a few years, then sat for a couple of years, then I finally scrapped it. I needed the yard space and no one seemed interested in adopting it. RIP.
This is a much
simpler boat and went together much faster. At 14' long, it is a
one-person (or maybe one adult and one small child) boat. It has a flat
bottom and flared sides. Not really a canoe, more like a pirogue.
Suitable for protected waters, and especially good in shallow water as
it only draws a few inches. This is a really nice boat for one person
who just likes to sneak around in the wetlands and doesn't want to
bother with a motor and trailer and all that. It can be rowed or
paddled and can move surprisingly fast if you feel like working hard.
Skims along pretty good when you are loafing, too.
Cost: Around $200. The plans are free. The epoxy and glass costs about $150, and it only uses two sheets of 1/4" plywood and some scrap lumber.
Time to build: Under 40 hours.
I believe that it could be built in a few days for as little as $70 if the builder wasn't fussy about appearance and used really cheap materials (and didn't need it to last too long).
This is a slightly larger version of the CC; 16 feet long. It requires a little more
plywood and the plans aren't free, but it is a more
useable boat and no harder to build. The above three designs are by Mertens-Goossens; plans are available
at Boat Plans Online.
The Dockbox design is by Jim Michalak. Jim
introduces his
description of the Dockbox:
"Go ahead and laugh." It is probably the world's smallest shantyboat
and as such, is a bit funny-looking, but it is a much better boat than
you would think. It potentially sleeps two (if they aren't ovcr 6'
tall) and is only eight feet long with a five foot beam. Its flat
bottom keeps it stable. It moves right along with a small gas outboard, but
Joke uses an old electric trolling motor. I don't like the idea of gas
aboard such a small craft with an enclosed cabin, and I'm not in any
hurry. Two old solar panels on the roof will just turn the motor over
at drifting speed. A jumpstart battery is aboard to achieve more
thrilling speeds (maybe 3 knots).
The reality is that Joke rarely sees water. I
actually built it on a whim, as a playhouse for my two daughters, 5 and
10 years old. I have had it over at the local lake a couple of times,
and can say that it is a lot of fun for kids. It mostly lives on the Potter trailer in our backyard.
