New Free Plans .. 12' pram.. response

[Cracker Larry]

Dang man, the GF12 is a great 12' pram. There ain't no better. I've built 2 of them. Plans are $50. What's $50 in boat money

[peterrivers]

Gv10 or Gv11 are also magnificent boats!

[Jaysen]

only because I'm a cheap bastard...

I get the idea the $50 is trivial when compared to the cost of building and fully outfitting most of the designs. But if you think about it, the small boats are so economical to build "throw away" (HD/Lowes lumber with only FG tape seams) that folks with really tight budgets would be drawn to them. If your largest expense is the FG tape and epoxy, the plan price is going to more than 50% of the cost. I've actually considered building my v12 as a throw away as it would be cheaper to make a new one every two years than "build it right" once every 6 years. And if you are going to cheap out on a build you might as well cheap out all the way...

That's my devil's advocate limit for the month. i will now do nothing other than agree with Mr Cracker for the remainder of the month.

[jacquesmm]

The cheapest you can build a 4 sheets boat, about 10' long made from 2 sheets of 1/4" and 2 of 3/8, will be $ 200.00.
That is with plywood from Lowes, polyester resin, Bondo, cheap paint, free plans.
If you switch to epoxy, it is going to cost you $ 80.00 , maybe only 50 more if you use super cheap one to one resin that is not better than polyester.
Let's say 280. Plans for our boats in that size = $ 45.00, Total 225, plans are less than 25% of that.
If you add the cost of a used outboard, the plans cost is about 5% of the total expenditure.

5% for the plans is a good investment.

As Richard Woods wrote in another thread: you can always buy a new engine or electronics but you can't change the plywood in your hull.

If someone has a very limited budget, he can, for a small boat, use carefully selected inexpensive plywood but he should not use super cheap resin. This does not mean that I recommend the cheap plywood, I have seen too many small boats fall apart but if you take very good care of the boat, dry it out, store it inside, paint it every year, it may work for some.

[Jaysen]

5% for the plans is a good investment.

Personally, I abandoned the "cheap build" after reading a few build threads. I'd rather save $1k to build a v12 right ($2k once I add sail and FG for both sides of the hull) and know that a grandchild will enjoy it after I'm gone. 2.5% is nothing to have the Bateau crew there to bail me out when I screw it up.

Which is the long way of saying "I agree". The plans are cheap. Folks need to stop being so greedy and pay you for the work you've done.

[Cracker Larry]

If you build them right they may last the rest of your life. My OD18 is 8 years old and as solid as the day it was built. Needs a little paint work, but that's all.

[jacquesmm]

No problem with you, you did purchase plans but I wanted to make the point that some savings can cost you more in the long run.

Besides that, I will show a couple more free plans.
The ones mentioned in the thread were drawn by my step grandson Thomas. He was a very qualified designer starting his own design business and the purpose of the free plans was to show the quality of his plans and his approach to the building of a small boat.
Thomas disappeared at sea last year.
I will adjust his design to our method of building and draft a new version of the plans.
The free plans are a good introduction to our method of boat building. The Free Canoe plans convinced many of the ease of our building method and gave new builders the confidence to start a larger project.
Many used cheap materials for that boat. Free plans and cheap materials are just fine for a practice project, when you know that you will make some mistakes.

BTW. we are also putting the finishing touch on a new plan for a "lumber yard" boat. One that can be built from exterior ply with LP glue but still coated with epoxy.
That plan will not be free but very inexpensive.

[jacquesmm]

Larry posted at the same time.
A well built boat will last much more than 6 years, it can become a heirloom

[Jaysen]

How many "budget builds" would be well built?

My experience is that shortcuts will be taken in the name of economy. for S&G building it will be lighter glass, cheap epoxy, thin or no paint and downsized wood. This isn't to say that budget builds are inherently inferior, but that folks looking to skimp will almost always skimp somewhere.

I'm hoping to get a bit of "show me how" time before I official start mine. Budget is out the window at this point. just going to save a couple of K, take a few weeks off work, and bribe Mr Cracker with strong liquor. This girl will last well past my expiration date.

[Cracker Larry]

take a few weeks off work, and bribe Mr Cracker with strong liquor

Did I hear my name mentioned, along with good whiskey? Do you know how much whiskey it takes me to build a boat About 1 gallon, per every gallon of epoxy

I'll help you any way I can, Jaysen. I've also got some leftover materials I'll give you. I've got a lot of wood flour, some fairing fillers, some tape and glass and other stuff, probably enough primer and paints for that boat, probably enough Kiwi-Grip too. I've got lots of "stuff", come see me. Remember the whiskey