It can get a bit depressing when you check out the prices of fishing boat these days, and you realize that these prices aren’t exactly compatible with your budget. Every fishing aficionado will eventually think about fishing in their own boats, as it sounds like a lot of fun.
It’s not actually all that hard, though you do have to set aside some money for the materials you need. In fact, it’s easy enough that some students plan on building homemade boats for their school project.
It’s actually a lot of fun, whether you’re building a boat with your buddies or even if you’re doing a solo DIY project. You spend time on building something you know you’re going to use in the future, so you tend to do your best.
It can take quite a bit of time and effort though. But if you’re determined on building a fishing boat instead of buying one, you have this guide to help you out.
What Kind of Boat Should You Build?
We recommend that you go with a bass boat. It’s a bit challenging, but it’s doable if you have some experience in DIY projects in home-building.
Bass boats are shallow-draft watercraft, with an outboard engine and casting pedestals at the front of the fishing boat. They’re great for any type of freshwater fishing, and especially for black bass fishing. You’ll often find these boats on freshwater rivers and lakes.
If you buy a bass boat, you may notice that they’re often made with either aluminum or fiberglass. But you can build your own, using marine plywood.
But to do that, you will need a bass boat plan. Which is a kit with instructions and usually materials as well.
The Needed Materials
Before you start, you will have to gather all the materials you’ll need for your home-made boat. These will include the following items:
- Bass boat plans
- 4-inch-long thin wires
- 4-inch-wide fiberglass cloth
- Cleats
- Drill with drill bits
- Electronics
- Fairing compound
- Jigsaw
- Marine epoxy
- Marine plywood
- Outboard engine
- Paintbrush
- Pen
- Sandpaper
- Sawdust
- Seats
- Spatula
- Steering system
- Trailer
- Trolling motor
Keep in mind that when you get your bass boat plan, the kit may already include some (or even all) of the materials you need. But most of these kits tend to not include the trolling motor, so you’ll have to get that separately.
What To Do
Let’s begin:
- Use the ink pen and the bass boat plans, so you can transfer the needed outlines to the marine plywood. You should have the outlines for the bottom, sides, transom, and frame pieces.
- Using the jig saw, cut the marine plywood pieces along the outline.
- Drill quarter-inch holes every 2 inches, along the edge of each marine plywood piece. These will form the seam once you’ve completed the boat.
- Stitch together the pieces in place, using the thin wire pieces. Begin this by first stitching the side pieces to the bottom piece.
- After that, stitch the transom and frame pieces in place. The boat plan may have extra instructions on how you can do this.
- Mix a quart of epoxy glue, using the official manufacturer’s instructions.
- Add some sawdust to the glue. You should end up with a paste that has the same consistency as peanut butter.
- Use the spatula to apply the resulting epoxy paste to the interior seams, making a fillet that’s 2 inches wide and a quarter-inch deep at the center.
- Keep on mixing and applying the paste until you’ve completed all the seams. Once that’s done, let everything dry overnight.
- On the next day, find the exposed wire on the exterior seams and frames of the fishing boat. Cut this wire using the wire cutters.
- Get your fiberglass cloth and cut it into 3-ft. strips.
- Place these fiberglass strips on the interior seams of the fishing boat.
- Mix another quart of the epoxy glue, and use this and a paintbrush to thoroughly wet the seams.
- Turn the boat over (you may need a friend for this), and use the same technique to apply the fiberglass strips to the seams in the exterior.
- Let the epoxy glue dry overnight again.
- Now we’re at the 3rd day. Use the sandpaper to sand the seams (both exterior and interior).
- Make sure the seams are smooth. If there are still any imperfections, use the fairing compound to fill them out. Let the compound dry first, and then you can sand them again. You have to make sure that the exterior and interior of your fishing boat are all totally smooth.
- Once you’ve got the smoothness, it’s time to paint the boat. Paint the exterior and the interior. We don’t know how long you have, but you’ll need to let this dry completely. Maybe you can wait overnight.
- On the 4th day, use the manufacturer’s instructions to mount everything—the steering system, cleats, seats, electronics, and the trolling motor.
- Now get your buddy, and together you should carefully lift the front of your bass boat to the back of your boat trailer.
- Attach the trailer winch rope to the front cleat of the fishing boat, so you can (carefully) crank the fishing boat onto your trailer.
- Lift and then mount the outboard motor, using an engine stand. Now you can connect the steering system to the motor.
- Now launch the boat, and very carefully check for any leaks. If you find any leaky areas, cover them with the fiberglass cloth and epoxy.
Conclusion
We don’t really have to tell you about how satisfying it can be to build something—anything—on your own. Either you understand it or you don’t. But it’s not hard to understand once you’ve completed your DIY project.
What’s really satisfying about building your own fishing boat is that it jives with your passion for fishing. You know you’re going to use the boat, which is probably why you’ve been careful building the boat along the way. You probably too a lot of care, so that the boat you end up with will be absolutely perfect for your needs.
Launch the boat, and let the fun begin!