Kenneth Gourlay

Building a Powerboat

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Kenneth

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This small boat under construction is resting on a table outdoors. The hull is not quite complete, but parts of it have been roughly sanded.

After building a cedar strip canoe in 2020 and enjoying it in 2021, I realized I wanted to build another boat. According to my design specifications, it had to be electric powered, fast, classy, and fit in the back of my car. After some long hours with Google, I came to love the lines of classic wooden barrel back boats, and when I found a design called the Belle Isle (a full-size 23-foot design is available from Glen-L) I decided that would be my inspiration.

The Belle Isle

I took the design and scaled it down to six feet long. It was still big enough to hold one person (me) or maybe two small children. And it would fit in my car. I also found a supply of beautiful cherry wood, which happened to come from a tree in my parents’ backyard. I didn’t mill it myself, but I am thrilled to say that all the cherry in my boat came from this single tree.

Construction was not easy, especially since I didn’t have any guidance except for the canoe I built a couple years ago, but I managed. I think.

Stacks of rough-sawn planks of cherry wood
I was able to procure a selection of cherry wood from a large tree that was once in my parents’ backyard.
Stacks of rough-sawn planks of cherry wood
I didn’t use all the wood. Anyone need wood?
Drafting tools lay about a partially cut sheet of plywood.
Lofting the bulkheads onto thin sheets of plywood.
partially cut plywood bulkeads for wooden boat
Cutting out the bulkheads.
A set of plywood cutouts will become bulkheads.
Here is the set of bulkheads. These are upside down compared to the finished boat, with the bow sections on the left and the stern sections on the right.
Wooden boat under construction. Plywood bulkheads and a plywood section along the bow and keel hint at the shape of the boat to come.
I realized as soon as I started assembling these plywood pieces that I would need some braces. This plywood was much more flexible than I thought!
Wooden boat under construction. A plywood section on the bottom of the boat is being clamped to a set of bulkheads.
Adding a section of plywood on the bottom helped stiffen everything up.
A piece of thin plywood makes part of the bottom of this wooden boat, as it is clamped to plywood bulkeads outlining the shape of the boat to come.
From the aft, the bottom of the boat is glued to the bulkheads.
Wooden boat under construction. Clamps holding in place strips making up the rails of the boat.
Wooden boat under construction. Clamps holding in place strips making up the rails of the boat.
Wooden boat under construction. Clamps holding in place strips making up the rails of the boat.
Wooden boat under construction. Clamps holding in place strips making up the rails of the boat.
Wooden boat under construction. Clamps holding in place strips making up the rails of the boat.
Wooden boat under construction. Clamps holding in place strips making up the rails of the boat.
Wooden boat under construction. Clamps holding in place strips making up the rails of the boat.
Wooden boat under construction. Clamps holding in place strips making up the rails of the boat.
Wooden boat under construction. Clamps holding in place strips making up the rails of the boat.
The bulkheads needed something to hold them together and keep them from moving around. The main rail of the boat seemed like a good place to start. These are basically 1×4 inch hardwood beams that provide the bulk of the structure of the boat. I cut the planks into strips and then reassembled the strips in arcs on the boat. It looks straightforward enough, but let me tell you that it was easier said than done.

Right away with this project I realized that I needed some more clamps! This style is great and I found a deal on Amazon for a boatload of them.

a box of clamps, each labeled with the Workpro brand name
Clamps.
Wooden boat under construction. Various clamps on the bow and stern as strips transition from one face to another.
Wooden boat under construction. Various clamps on the bow and stern as strips transition from one face to another.
Multiple clamps secure the first couple strips of wood that make up the sides of the hull of this wooden boat under construction, seen upside down on a table outdoors.
Clamps on the hull of a wooden boat under construction. The boat is upside down with a series of clamps holding strips of wood forming the bottom of the vessel.
Clamps secure a strip of wood on the starboard bow of this wooden boat under construction.
Wooden boat under construction, seen from above. Clamps hold in place strips of cherry wood around the bow.
Various clamps securing the final strip of cherry on the aft port side of this wooden boat under construction.
Various clamps securing the final strip of cherry on the aft starboard side of this wooden boat under construction.
Wooden boat under construction. Clamps holding in place several strips of cherry on the aft of the vessel.
Clamps secure strips of cherry wood onto the stern of this wooden boat under construction.
Wooden boat under construction. Clamps holding in place the final strip of cherry on the aft of the vessel.
Wooden boat under construction. Looking down from above at the aft deck of the vessel. Framing and some decking is in place outlining the shape of the boat.
Wooden boat under construction, seen from above. Clamps hold in place strips of cherry wood making up the foredeck.
Small boat under construction. A view of the stern of the boat highlighting finish sanding nearly complete.
Riffing on basic strip construction, I worked in basically four different sections: the bottom, sides, stern, and top. With the structural rails in place, the joint between the bottom and sides became the next major component to stabilize everything so that the entire structure had some rigidity. After that it was just gluing strip after strip. Most were easy, but there were a few that had extreme twists in them that made for an interesting time.

Apparently one of my signature moves when building boats is the bookmatched bow inlay. For this boat, I found a very nice piece of cherry containing heartwood and new wood, a small knot, and a beautiful scar. This made for a lovely centerpiece in the foredeck of the boat.

A carefully selected piece of cherry wood was cut to create a bookmatched section for inlay into the bow.
Wooden boat under construction. A carefully selected and bookmatched cherry inlay is clamped into the bow of the boat.

My other favorite detail is on the stern of the boat, where I was able to cut all the strips out of a single board and keep the grain matched to highlight some swirls and other intricacies of the woodgrain. If anyone would be “distracted by the wood grain” this would be why.

Wooden boat under construction. The aft is fully assembled and rough sanding is in process. This view highlights the grain pattern of the cherry strips.
Sanding in progress on the stern of the boat. Distracted by the wood grain, anyone?
Once the hull was fully constructed, I sat in my boat to judge the optimum position of the seat.

Up next is finishing the boat, wiring the electrics, and (hopefully) getting it wet.

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4 responses to “Building a Powerboat”

  1. Anthony MOORE Avatar
    Anthony MOORE

    Hey Ken,
    This is an old friend, hit me up

    Reply
    1. Kenneth Avatar
      Kenneth

      Hey old friend, what’s up???

      Reply
  2. Dan Avatar
    Dan

    Did you finish this? I’d like to build the exact size and style boat, hadn’t considered electric jet drive, but curious how it turned out.

    Dan

    Reply
    1. Kenneth Avatar
      Kenneth

      Dan, you can see the finished hull here. I’ve gotten it in the water a few times. It works reasonably well, but I’m not satisfied with its power yet. I have some ideas to upgrade the drive train. I’d be happy to talk details with you via email if you are interested.

      Apologies for being slow to post more recent photos!

      Reply

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