Building a lapstrake wherry

For ten months out of the year I teach woodworking classes at the highschool level.  However, right now it's summer break which means for the next two months the kids are free to play and so am I!  My inspiration looks something like this: 

Rhode's Wherry offered by Ducktrap Woodworking (http://duck-trap.com/rhodes.html)


I've decided to finally tackle my goal of building a wooden boat.  I have wanted a small row boat for some time now as I enjoy fishing the local lakes but I've always felt that the typical aluminum offerings are a little clunky and heavy for my purposes.  In contrast, the gracefully sweeping lines of classic wood hull boats appeals to the crafstman/avid DIYer within.  With an idea of what I wanted in mind I hit the net scouring for a set of plans eventually landing on the duck trap website. The boat that I decided to build is the Rhode's Wherry, a design from the late 19th century with a few changes to allow for glued lapstrake construction.  The posts on this page will follow my progress as I discover whether or not boat building is in-fact possible for mere mortals.

Use the links below to navigate this project:

Part 1:  Purcashing Plans
Part 2:  The Plans Arrive
Part 3:  Purchasing Wood
Part 4:  Building the Moulds
Part 5:  Building the Construction Platform
Part 6:  Building the Backbone: The Stem 
Part 7:  Building the Backbone: The Keel
Part 8:  Building the Backbone: The Stern
Part 9:  Assembling the Backbone
Part 10:  Lining off the Planks
Part 11:  Planking Begins
Part 12:  Planking in Progress
Part 13:  Planking Complete