Step #1 – The Plan

I realize that I’ve gone off on many tangents, but seeing that my one follower is the biggest LOST fanatic ever, he should be quite accustomed to following the rabbit as they say.  Don’t worry, I will begin to get into the building process right now…after a few more words. 

Being someone of haste, I like to jump right into things without seriously considering all possible outcomes.  I do it all the time.  In this instance, however, my pride is in the way of failure.  I have too many skeptics and I’ve made my three-week-long dream too public to let anything shatter it.

In an effort to keep my boat afloat, I hunted for the best boat plans available.  At first, I came across some downloadable software that shows you how to build over 250 different boats.  I was like, O hell ya!  The more Googling I did, however, the more I saw this “software” pop up under different domain names.  Each time it suspiciously said the item was marked down from $97 to $49.  Seemed a little too hoaxy to be real.  So I scratched that idea.  Next, I read Ultrasimple Boat Building.  It had 17 different plans for plywood boats.  It actually gave me some good tips, though not as many as Devlin, and it didn’t have any boats that I fancied.  Scratched that one for now too.

Then, I came across something I could work with—an SK-97, designed by Uncle John (http://www.unclejohns.com/).  It’s a 9’7” two-person skiff (three seater available in SK-115 design).  I emailed Uncle John to make sure this boat wouldn’t take me and Katy down with it (it is a small boat after all).  The man was real nice and responsive.  He provided me with some more information about the different models.  He even has a preview of the plan on his website, which was really nice (I am a hesitant shopper).  A number of builders have posted their results (http://unclejohns.com/skiff/builders.htm). It looked good to me  ...And sold!  I paid $32.50 for the plans (not bad from what I've seen online, and I didn't mind helping the guy out).  Uncle John emailed me the plans in a PDF (hard copy available for $37.50).  The instructions are very clear with pictures, descriptions, and measurements.  The best thing about the sale, however, is that if I have any questions, I know Uncle will help me out.  Best Uncle I never knew.

That completes step #1—choosing a plan

FYI: I did see some free plans online, but none were as simple and clear as Uncle J's.

Photo courtesy of http://www.unclejohns.com/.  Click the image for boat specs.