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How to Build a sail boat that is much cheaper than retail ones.
by When in doubt, duct tape! on August 30, 2012

Table of Contents

How to Build a sail boat that is much cheaper than retail ones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: How to Build a sail boat that is much cheaper than retail ones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: Boat terminology and how basic sailing works. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Step 2: Materials and tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Step 3: Making the frame (skeleton) of the boat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Step 4: Making the mast installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Step 5: Making the hull. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Step 6: Making the sail and the sail supports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Step 7: Making the rudder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Step 8: Side pontoons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Step 9: Paint Job and lacquer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Step 10: Rigging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Step 11: How to sail the boat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-sail-boat-that-is-much-cheaper-than-retail/
 Author:When in doubt, duct tape!
Hey guys, I'm a dude that likes to build pretty much what you see in my instructables. Armor, Igloos, and many many more.

Intro: How to Build a sail boat that is much cheaper than retail ones.
WARNING: WEAR PROTECTIVE GEAR AT ALL TIMES. GLOVES, BOOTS, AND WHEN PAINTING A GAS MASK. DO NOT TRY TO SAIL THIS ON THE SEA OR
IN DEEP WATER WITHOUT A LIFE VEST.

Hi guys, I'm publishing yet a new instruct able of something made last May (Like the year 2011) Its the project i did right after the Gondorian armor you can view at this
link: http://www.instructables.com/id/Gondorian-Armour-Made-of-steel-with-chainmaille/
This is in a way more simple to make than the armor, but also requires bit space. This time i moved out of my room into the garage to build this, partly because my room
was too small, and because it created a lot of chaos. The amount of tools required here is surprisingly low. I had a saw a drill and a measuring tape (as well as painting
tools and protective gear and pliers etc the usual small tools) The boat was built entirely from my head (I drew stuff down ofc) without any marine knowledge of any sorts.
The only thing i knew how to do was sail a boat. The rest came as i went and fortunately, i encountered few hiccups.

Most boats cost in the thousands of dollars to buy. I am offering you an instructable that lets you make a boat that is perfectly water worthy, for under 1000$. However
there is a down side to this instruct able. Once again i had no as-i-went photos and neither do i have videos, so ill do my best to pass the info along.

However, this will not be as cheap as other stuff on instructables, and will stack up a couple of hundred Dollars.

Image Notes
1. This has to be absolute boss. If this is not completely tightened and has play,
you are in for a very bad time. The aluminum railing is held firmly between two
planks of wood, as well as firmly screwed in with a 12mm threaded rod and
awesome bolts.

Image Notes
1. VERY VERY little wind. So this excursion was a bit slow.
2. Snow shovel. Because of lack of wind, i rowed quite a bit.

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 Image Notes
1. Another view of the place where the mast joins the skeleton of the boat.
Again, observe how secure everything is held.

Image Notes
1. A metric ton of wood glue/paste used to keep the water out of the boat.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Top of the mast, where all the wires and cables attach. 1. Gooseneck.

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 Image Notes Image Notes
1. Gooseneck, made from a shackle and a stick of aluminum jammed into a 1. Fabric material tied around the boom mast to support the sail.
hollow aluminum rod. 2. Loop bolt.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. These are the channels in the thin strip of wood that support the plastic 1. This is what i mean by make a loop around the mast to create a sock. This has
strips. Make these using a chisel or drill. to be pretty tight.
2. Pocket for plastic strips. 2. Install here. This is where the thing piece of wood must be sewed in with a
piece of cloth.

Image Notes
1. Front sail loop hole for rigging.

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 Image Notes
1. This is the rectangle im talking about. As you can see i added bracing to
help it a bit. Its optional, but highly recommended.

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 Image Notes
1. Bottom part of the mast, sculpted to fit the mast support.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Simple rudder. 1. Plexi glass sheet for viewer enjoyment. additional wood to support the plastic.

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 Image Notes
1. Styrofoam

Image Notes
1. get something with a more square cross section, but not perfectly square.
This is something similar to what i used.

Image Notes
1. mast wood

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Step 1: Boat terminology and how basic sailing works.
Ok guys, you need to know this before we begin. I googled most of this as i went along building the boat. Ill try to summarize as much as i can.

Relate to pictures to see what i mean. The picture is well labeled and should be easy to read. Ill give simple translations below.

Jib=Front sail
You do not have a centreboard, instead you have side pontoons.

Image Notes
1. Side pontoon. There is one on the other side too

Step 2: Materials and tools.

Materials you will need. Most of this can be acquired at hardware stores : In the US Home Depot, in the UK B&Q

A drill
Long wooden beams about 1-2 meters long and to measure about 20x20cm approximately.
Duct tape (as always)
A wood saw
a measuring tape
wood glue
wood screws
plexi-glass
compressed cardboard drywall
Oil Paint
Laquer (Boat laquer to be more precise)
Waterproof silicone (The stuff used in the bathroom to seal off large spaces, its black, and i think its also used on drainpipes)
A hollow aluminium pipe thick enough so that the Wooden railing can fit into it (i just used another shorter aluminum railing)
Paintbrushes and various items to spread the liquid components
Basic workshop tools (Screwdrivers, pliers etc etc)
One 3-4 metre long circular railing made of wood (this is for the mast) This can be any circular long thick piece of wood. Diameter aprox 5-8cm
Threaded rods (12mm and 16mm with nuts to fit the rods as well as washers)
wood slabs or table tops.
Rope
Cable (3mm thick is enough, and cable clippers, like the things that stop the cables from moving)
Thick material (I used window curtains)
Styrofoam
styrofoam glue.
a gas mask
A sewing machine
screws and bolts with a ring/loop attached to them
Silicone (for bathtubs)

BRING A SNOW SHOVEL. IF THERE IS NO WIND, YOU MUST ROW YOUR BOAT.

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 Image Notes
1. Styrofoam

Image Notes
1. mast wood

Image Notes
1. get something with a more square cross section, but not perfectly square. This
is something similar to what i used.

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Step 3: Making the frame (skeleton) of the boat.
The skeleton of the boat is the most important part of the build. I made a slight error here due to inexperience, but quickly found a solution to it later in the build. The error
was that i made the bottom of the boat pointed, something you do when you have a heavy fin on the bottom of the boat, which i had no way of making. The way you
should do it (but i won't explain since i haven't done it) is make the bottom of the boat flat.

Begin by cutting your wooden beams (Check the photos for what wooden beams look like) and line up 3 together. Screw them together with screws (Screw them in with
the drill) You now have a fat piece of wood. Make it about 2.5 meters to 3 meters long. This is the keel of the boar and has to be the sturdiest part of the boat. Add more
wooden beams on the inside to reinforce it if needed.

After the keel is done, make some equilateral triangles out of the wood beams (refer to photo) but done screw the triangles together yet. Once you have the triangles,
make the top side, about 20-40cm longer than the other 2 parts. This long part will be the top face of your boat (That part that faces the sky) Screw the triangles together
and then screw them to the bottom (The thick beam) of the boat.

After the triangles are screwed in, add wooden beams to the top to connect all the triangles on all their corners (The bottom beam connects one corner, you gota do the
other 2) Once that is done, you should have something looking like a toblerone bar.

Now pick one end to be the tip of the boat (the Bow) now, add lengths of wood to each corner of the final triangle and link them so that the wooden beams meet at level
with the deck of the boat (check the pictures)

Add wooden beams halfway down the frame of the boat so that the hull of the boat can be screwed on to it.

Image Notes
1. Reinforced keel of the boat. this is where most of the impact falls when the
boat lands on shore, so this has to be strong.
Image Notes
1. Triangle sections. As you can see there are 4 of them. As well as a smaller
one in the front.
2. Tapered point of the boat, on the same level as the deck.

Image Notes
1. Plexi glass sheet for viewer enjoyment. additional wood to support the
plastic.

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Step 4: Making the mast installation.
About one thirds into the boat from the tip. Add another beam so that there is a small gap near the place where the triangle mets the keel. This is where your mast will be
secured.

Get your aluminum bar, the fat one. And then screw it into one thirds of a way from the tip of the boat (approximately) Secure it into the bottom of one of the Triangles
with threaded rods and nuts. It should be held in place as tight as possible to the bottom of the boat, so that the mast does not break from the boat structure.

After this aluminum bar is installed, you have your mast socket. This allows you to remove the mast from the boat and park the boat in a garage (check photos)

Now take your wooden rail, and sculpt the bottom 20-40cm of it so that it fits into the aluminum bar. Then stick it in. Now drill 2 holes 10cm apart into the aluminum bar
AND into the wooden bar at the same time. The hole should fit a 12mm threaded rod. Stick your threaded rods in and secure them with nuts. Add a ring headed screw to
the tip of the mast. This is for the wire.

Now, i have, frankly no idea how to explain this next step to you, but i will give you a photo that shows you what i mean. I invented a piece out of some metal shackles
and a bar of aluminum that i modeled in my forge.

The piece i invented is called, by sailers, a gooseneck. It holds the boom to the mast. If you can buy one great. I just connected my shackle to the bar of aluminum and
then bolted that into the mast. Then I tied another much longer and thicker aluminum bad to the shackle to make my boom mast. The boom mast and gooseneck should
be attached to that mark i asked you to make 40cm above the aluminum bar.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Gooseneck, made from a shackle and a stick of aluminum jammed into a 1. Top of the mast, where all the wires and cables attach.
hollow aluminum rod.

Image Notes
1. This has to be absolute boss. If this is not completely tightened and has play,
you are in for a very bad time. The aluminum railing is held firmly between two
planks of wood, as well as firmly screwed in with a 12mm threaded rod and
awesome bolts.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-sail-boat-that-is-much-cheaper-than-retail/
 Image Notes
1. Bottom part of the mast, sculpted to fit the mast support.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Another view of the place where the mast joins the skeleton of the boat. 1. Gooseneck.
Again, observe how secure everything is held.

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 Image Notes
1. This is kinda where the mast has to be. That is the mast socket.
2. Basically a table top screwed into the skeleton of the boat.

3. Top of one of the Triangles.

Image Notes
1. Professional gooseneck.
2. This is optional. I didnt use it because i had a looped bolt about 5cm from this.

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Step 5: Making the hull.
Get your cardboard drywall, and cut pieces that fit the walls of the boat. Then simply screw them one like you would screw drywall to a building frame. Do this to 2 of the
boat sides. The drywall should be able to bend and flex so you can shape it around the tip of the boat easily (check photos for reference about shaping)

Now, take your wood glue or paste. Its a thick paste that hardens to the hardness of like stone and sticks very well to glue. Use it to fill every existing gap between any
piece of wood or drywall you can find not the boat. On the inside and the outside. This will be your first barrier against water, and it has to be the strongest one as well.
ADD A LOT OF THIS GLUE.

After the hull is done. Flip the boat so that the deck faces the roof, and cut out table tops, or wooden planks to make the deck. make the deck a bit lower (Check the
photos for what lower means) than the skeleton of the boat so that you have a space to sit in.

Wood glue up the top of the boat as well. drill a small hole in the deck of the boat so that air pressure changes can happen so that your hull is not pressurized when put
into the water.

Image Notes
1. A metric ton of wood glue/paste used to keep the water out of the boat.

Image Notes
1. This is kinda where the mast has to be. That is the mast socket.
2. Basically a table top screwed into the skeleton of the boat.

3. Top of one of the Triangles.

Image Notes
1. Plexi glass sheet for viewer enjoyment. additional wood to support the plastic.

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Step 6: Making the sail and the sail supports.
This is so difficult to explain, i will probably ask you to use the photos as reference a lot.

This is where i had to go quite far out of the box and use some strange unconventional methods to reach the goal required (a sail that doesnt flop around) The problem
was that the sail would droop under its own weight because it was so huge. I had seen various sticks get planted into sails of larger ships but had no way to create such
sticks due to lack of equipment and material. I eventually came up with a way that allowed me to do it for nearly nothing. This way involves sticking plexi glass strips into
the sail to keep it proped up.

However, the sail needed to bend and flex around the mast, which was fixed. This had to happen without the strips of plastic breaking, so i added a secondary "Mobile"
mast into the sail that sole role is to hold the plastic strips. This piece of wood had to be as close to the orignal mast as possible because it had to use the mast as
support so that it wouldn't bend forward.

Now where i mark on the sail in the photo (Photo with tag labeled "install here") you must add a thin piece of wood. In this piece of wood you will cut some holes for thin
strips of plexi-glass to enter. These thin channels in the wood must be exactly where the marks on the mast are or where the pockets on the sail meet the mast. The
channels must be about 0.5cm wider than the strips of plastic you cut above. To install the piece of wood, simply place it as close to the mast, then drape a piece of cloth
over it. Hand sew the cloth into the sail so that it stays there when you move it. Remove the sail from the wooden piece and properly sew it on a sewing machine.

The reason this piece of wood does not connect to the mast is because the sail must be able to turn, however, the mast can not turn. If the mast can not turn, the plastic
bits you cut earlier will snap and become useless.

On the wooden strip you just installed, measure about 20-50cm upwards form the gooseneck. Mark this distance and consider it as "X". Keep marking upwards this exact
distance until you hit the top of the mast. You should have about 5-9 marks on your mast, no more no less. If you have less or more, change the value of "X".

Begin by cutting your curtain into a right angled triangle. After you have your triangle (it has to be as long and tall so that it fits the triangle created by the mast and boom)
Cut strips of curtain and then sew them onto the curtain "X" distance apart from the bottom of the sail. The pockets should be a bit wider than 5cm. Refer to pictures to
see what i mean. These pockets should match up with the marks you made earlier in this step.

Do the same for the front sail (but without pockets or marks) , however this should be an irregular triangle that has its longest side (Hypotenuse) From the tip of the boat
to the top of the mast. THen the other 2 sides should meet near the deck of the boat (refer to pictures again)

After your sail is done, cut strips of plexi glass using a hacksaw. These strips should be 4.5cm wide at the most, and as long as the pocket you are making them for.
(Reffer to pictures again) Once those are done, make 3 more identical ones, and stick them together with their corresponding partner (That is if your plexiglass is thinner
than 2cm thick) ONce that is done, duct tape each individual set of these plastic strips. This helps them flex better and if the plastic breaks (which it will) It will not affect
the structure of the sail because the duct tape will hold it all together (YAY duct tape)

To attach the Main sail to the mast, you must create a tight loop at the end of the sail. Wrap the last 20cm of the sail around the mast, and mark the point where the sail
closes in on itself. this is where you have to sew using a sewing machine the seam of the sail so that you can slip it onto the mast like a sock. It should slide on easily
without difficulty.

To attach it to the boom mast, screw in looped bolts into the boom at regular intervals, and just sew on strips of fabric onto the mast, then tie this fabric into the loop. This
allows you to wrap up the mast when you want to pack it up as well as making the joint flexible.

To attach the front sail, you must run a wire from the tip of the mast, through your font sail (same sock method as with the main sail) and then tie the end of the wire to the
tip of the boat.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. This is what i mean by make a loop around the mast to create a sock. This has 1. Fabric material tied around the boom mast to support the sail.
to be pretty tight. 2. Loop bolt.
2. Install here. This is where the thing piece of wood must be sewed in with a
piece of cloth.

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 Image Notes
1. Plexi glass reinforcing strips that go into the sail.
2. Those are the channels that the nearby plastic strips go into. As you can see,i
am sticking one in in this photo. I have about 6 of these channels, you can have Image Notes
more (but not too many) in your sail. 1. These are the channels in the thin strip of wood that support the plastic
strips. Make these using a chisel or drill.
2. Pocket for plastic strips.

Step 7: Making the rudder.

This is easy, add a threaded rod into the back of the boat from the deck sticking upwards. Oton this threaded rod will go your rudder

Atatch any flat hard object to any stick you can find that is sturdy. Then drill a hole into that stick and place it over the threaded rod. You now have a rudder.

Image Notes
1. Simple rudder.

Step 8: Side pontoons.

This is complicated.

You need this because it helps with boat stability a lot when the wind is a bit stronger.

Measure about 50cm from the back of the boat and mark the side of the boat (on both sides) Then measure about 80cm to a meter in front of your mark and mark that
place again on both sides of the boat. This is where you will drill a 12mm hole into the body of your boat (The skeleton) and will glue in using epoxy 12mm threaded rods
which will ultimately hold the frame of the pontoons.

Now, get 4 lengths of wood that you used for the frame of the boat. 2 will go on each side. Connect 2 together to produce 2 long lengths of wood. These should measure
about 4 meters in length each. Now, connect them in the ends and produce a very long rectangle shape. Now, measure out the spaces on that rectangle where your
threaded rods will screw in. Measure so that the rectangle spans equal lengths on each side of the boat.
Bolt in your rectangle.

Now, you will need some 16mm threaded rods. Go to the ends of your rectangle (the bits paralel to the boat hull) and drill 16mm holes into the ends, drill 2 holes on each
side. The holes should be close to the corners of the rectangle shape. Bolt your threaded 16mm rods into these holes.

You now must get your huge styrofoam blocks and cut them using a knife (or as i did, a modified solder gun that would hot wire through the styrofoam) Cut them so that
they are about 50-1m longer than the shortest length of the rectangle, but not longer than the boat itself. ONce you are happy with your shapes, stick them together (If
they are too thin) and then drill 16mm holes through the styrofoam.

Bolt the 16mm bolts into the styrofoam and fill the excess holes with styrofoam glue.

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 Image Notes
1. Side pontoon. There is one on the other side too
Image Notes
1. Styrofoam

Image Notes
1. This is the rectangle im talking about. As you can see i added bracing to help it
a bit. Its optional, but highly recommended.

Step 9: Paint Job and lacquer.

Painting and laquer.

WARNING: WEAR A GAS MASK AND WORK OUTSIDE. STRONG FUMES MAY CAUSE DIZZINESS AND NAUSEA, AS WELL AS RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS

This takes a while because of the long dry time of oil paint. This is why its best to do this in a warm environment. Firstly, flip the boat upside down. And support it on
something.

Now, put plastic sheets on the floor to protect the floor from paint and other hazards.

Begin by giving the boat 2 coats of Blue paint. Let each coat dry before the next one goes on. Also, On any coat of paint, sand with 300 grit sand paper to remove the
gloss so that the next layer can stick on nicely.

Now, give the boat 3 layers of blue paint. Let this dry completely, and then wait another 3 days. This is because lacquer has a strong solvent inside and may destroy the
paint job if it is even slightly wet.

Once all of the above steps are completed you are then going to start the most important step of all. Lacquering the boat. This protects the hull, as well as making it
completely water proof. Lacquer dries fast, so this wont take as long as paint.

Add around 5 coats to be safe. Wait before each coat is dry, sand, and then stick the next one on. Dry lacquer is when you touch it, it is not tacky at all.

Once that is done, your boat is almost done.

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Step 10: Rigging.
This part is easy.

Tie 2 ropes to the end of the boom, and then tie 2 ropes to the corner of the front sail by sewing on a loop hole made from fabric.

There , rigging is done

Image Notes
1. Front sail loop hole for rigging.

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Step 11: How to sail the boat.
Now, i will give you an absolute crash course on sailing in this instructable.

WARNING: Do not take me as a sailing professor. I STRONGLY advise you go to a sailing instructor and properly learn how to sail on a liscenced boat. This is
just for fun and for sailing on a small pond if you are a complete beginner.

As i wrote in the first pages about sailing terminology, you have a front sail and a main sail. The main sail does the moving, and the front sail does the turning. Thats how
it basically works. There is more to all this, but for now, this is whats its like.

The basic rule with sailing is, get the wind behind you. That means that when you are sitting on the edge of the boat (on the boats sides) the wind should be blowing in to
the back of your head. Again, this is extremely basic.
Tighten the front sail (Pull the rope towards you) and the main sail to go faster. Loosen the front sail and main sail to go slower. If your sails are flapping, either there is no
wind, or the sail is too loose, or you are not with the wind to your back.

This will make you move forward. To steer move the rudder. Move the rudder stick right to move left, and left to move..... Right.

Now, you know how to steer and move the boat forward. Let me teach you how to turn.

I recommend turning towards the wind (into the wind) Its safer for your boat. Build up a bit of speed and then sharply turn left or right (Depending on wind) As you do this,
pull the main sail towards you and tighten the front sail. Once the sails start flapping, release all the strings, and keep turning. Once you have turned, go back to normal.

Troubleshooting:
Q: I am not moving fast enough or at all
A: Either there is no wind, or the sail is too loose, or you are not with your back to the wind.

Q: The rudder doesnt work fast enough

A: Get a rudder that sticks deeper into the water and is wider.

Q: I tried the above and i am still moving slowly

A: The main sail is too small, get a bigger mast and a bigger sail.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-sail-boat-that-is-much-cheaper-than-retail/
 Image Notes
1. VERY VERY little wind. So this excursion was a bit slow.
2. Snow shovel. Because of lack of wind, i rowed quite a bit.

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http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-sail-boat-that-is-much-cheaper-than-retail/