Boat Plans and Boat Building

By Capt. Dan Berg

Building your own boat may not be for everybody but the satisfaction of completing a seaworthy craft is hard to beat. My only experience of building a boat was as a child. Jimmy D'alessio and the Jonassen brother and I got plans and built a little 8' speed boat. The boat was fiberglass over wood and was powered with a little 9 hp outboard. We even built a little trailer that could be towed with a bike. Anyway, we had a lot of fun and learned a lot during the construction. For example, if you wrap the cable around the steering pulley in the wrong direction your boat turns to left when you want it to turn right. That was a lot of fun. Try docking a boat when you have to turn the wheel in the wrong direction to get the boat to go where you want it to go!

Since then I have worked on quite a few boat projects but have never completely built my own boat. Many manufacturers (especially down east style boats) will sell a solid fiberglass hull. You just do the work build the decks, wheel house, add engine and gear etc. Its still a lot of work but the end result is a large saving of dollars and the satisfaction of building your boat exactly the way you want it.

On this page you will find a variety of kit boat plans. Look at the different options before starting out on a project.

We are constantly updating this page and request that you send any boat building digital photographs to the below listed e-mail address. If we use any of your photos we will provide credit.

Boatplans-online.com Boat plans for power, sail, and small boats.  Free Boat Plans. Kits and supplies, plus the best technical support

Affordable Power Catamaran Boat Plans  
A kitset comes complete with pre-cut composite panels, glass tape, resin, glue, and temporary frames ready for assembly. The parts are numbered and have reference marks indicating their location in the construction process. We recommend that the builder should have a firm grasp of general boatbuilding procedures. Although the kitsets are pre-laminated, and precut, the rest of the procedures fall into boatbuilding methods. 

Each kitset is tailored to suit the individual customer. We have several stock kitsets available below to choose from. Other designs featured in this site may be specific to a builder. We are unable to sell specific builder designs to DIY builders. 

However, we do custom designs based on featured vessels. Please contact us about a kitset to suit your applications. 

AquaSub  
Plans for a one-man sports submarine. The was designed for cruising the near-surface underwater world in a dry, safe, shirt-sleeve environment. Unlike other sports submarines, AquaSub remains completely dry inside, and no scuba gear is required. To accomplish this without resorting to the expense of a highly stressed hull, AquaSub remains at a relatively shallow depth. Submerged, she is down only 40 inches, but it feels as deep as 100 feet. In reality, however, the near-surface environment is where most of the underwater beauty lies. The best underwater photography is normally done at a 3 to 5 foot depth because the colors are most brilliant, the lighting is best, and the sea life is abundant. Even in the clearest water, colors are dull and muted by 100 feet.

Art's Nautical Wood Works  
Plans & kits for cedar strip canoes, kayaks, rowboats. AMERICAS'  FAVORITE  HOMEBUILT  CANOE  Sign up for the next canoe building class by calling (360) 220 7739

Having providing three generations with practical, well-proven designs, our Catalog offers more than 200 designs including famed Atkin double-enders, traditional offshore and coastal cruising yachts, rowing/sailing dinghies, utilities and houseboats. Many of the designs represent great simplicity and make excellent projects for amateur builders. Superbly drawn study plans will help you choose the boat best suited to your level of boatbuilding skill

Bill Upfold Power Boat Design  
Home of the Elite Motor Yachts.

Bill Upfold Powerboat Design pride themselves on the ability to take an individuals requirements and dreams and put together not only an aesthetically pleasing and functional vessel, but one that is fuel efficient with unsurpassed sea keeping abilities.

Consultation is a regular part of Elite Marine and important to Bill as all care is taken before any change or modification is made. Wherever possible Bill tries to incorporate the client's ideas and wishes to give each vessel their owners' personal touch. Bill still has regular contact with most of his pervious clients, many of whom are now coming back for their 2nd & 3rd boats