Dave Gentry Custom BoatsWhat??
Skin on Frame (SOF or skinboat) boats have thousands of years of history proving their ability (they have crossed oceans and rounded Cape Horn!), and are constructed of a wooden skeleton, covered with a skin of fabric. The fabric is waterproofed, and tough, and the frame is made of lightweight wood, resulting in a responsive, quick and easy to build boat that typically weighs half or less than what a similar wooden, fiberglass or plastic boat weighs. Not only that, it's easily the least expensive and fastest way to build all but the crudest of hull shapes.
Won't it puncture and sink?
Not likely:
SOF boats can be very tough indeed, and are basically impervious to rips and tears under normal use. It is possible to puncture the skin, but it typically takes a very sharp object and a lot of force. Even then, the tear would not spread or likely be disastrous. Check out this shorter video if you're still not convinced:
Non-traditional construction?
Non-traditional SOF construction was developed well over 100 years ago, and in the 1950's it was popularized by prolific author Percy Blandford, and then came back into favor again in the latter part of the century under the influence of designers George Dyson and, later, Tom Yost.
All of my designs available for the home builder feature non-traditional construction. The difference? Traditional skinboats are made with many steam bent ribs, each cut to size, then pegged into mortises carved in the gunwales. But, non-traditional construction uses just a few marine plywood frames instead of the numerous ribs. This results in a boat that is vastly simpler and quicker to build, but which performs virtually the same as historic examples.
Learn more about the building process Here.
And, here's a short, time-lapse video of the building process:
What's in it for me?
Free beer! Well, maybe not. But, if you are interested in building a boat, non-traditional skin boats are the easiest, quickest and least expensive way to create a superb handling, uniquely beautiful craft - whether you want a kayak, canoe, rowboat or something more!