6’ LOA

46" Beam

Displacement = 290 lbs.

Dry weight = 40 - 60lbs.

2 hp maximum

82 lbs./inch immersion

Problems? Contact me

john@johnsboatstuff.com

760 375 2076

The ALLSPICE is about as small as you can go, and still have a boat with reasonable lines. The boat weighs between 40 and 60 pounds, which gives a payload of 250 – 270 pounds. She can be fitted with a 2hp outboard, and details for a sailing version are also included in the plans. The seats are longitudinal benches with an open spot for safer boarding. These seats make it easy to balance the boat for different loads, which is very important when you only have six feet to work with! They can also provide dry storage and floatation.

The hull is built from 1/8" door-skin plywood, which is covered with fiber-glass on both sides. The four plywood panels are designed to have "fully developable" sections (bending and twisting allowed, but no compound curves), which are required for the "stitch and tape" building method. The panels and bulkheads are stitched together and glued in place with epoxy. The joints are taped, and a single layer of fiberglass applied to both inside and outside surfaces. No exposed wood, very low maintenance, high panel stiffness, and high strength.

One interesting variation, a favorite of mine, is to build the sides out of wood strips. The wood strips are edge glued together flat on the floor, then cut to shape and bent into position. The sides are fiberglassed and sanded, but varnished instead of painted. The varnished wood strips will shine like a piece of fine furniture, resulting in a really unique boat. Some true believers even claim that fish prefer the bright finish! My experience with wood strip construction is all positive. They only require a coat of varnish every year or so, and I guarantee the boat will generate a lot of positive comments!

ALLSPICE is a good "first" boat, and can be built in around 60 hours. Only standard hand tools and a skill saw are required, and the total cost will be less than $400.

Stitch and tape construction is simple, requires few tools, and is the ideal construction method for your "first boat. A list of books on stitch and tape / wood strip construction is included at the end of these instructions. If your not familiar with the basic techniques, I recommend buying one for reference and experimenting with some scrap wood.

The bow and transom are cut out of door-skin scrap that has been laminated to a thickness of 1/4". The top edges are fitted with 4" wide doublers, cut from the bow / transom laminate. The inboard edges of the doublers are beveled 45 degrees to make it easier to fiberglass. The sides of the seats are built from single ply door skin, and the seat tops are two layers (1/4"). Since these parts are rigid, the inside surface can be fiber-glassed, one layer of 8 oz. Cloth. The four hull panels are not glassed at this time, since they must be able to twist and bend.

Assembly requires only one temporary form at station 36. The hull is built right-side up, beginning with the bottom panels which are screwed to the center bulkheads, and the ends raised into position. The sides are stitched to the bottom then twisted to fit the bow and transom. then bent in to mate with the bow and transom. Nylon wire ties are used to hold the panels to each other, as required. When all the joints are tight, they are filled with a generous mixture of epoxy, micro balloons and cab-o-sil, then covered with a 6" wide piece of 16 oz. Stitched roving. Note: The bow and transom can be highly stressed and should get a second layer of 16 oz. Stitched roving over there joints. After smoothing the edges of the joints, the whole interior is covered with one layer of 8 oz. Glass. Now is a good time to fit and glass the seats in place, since they contribute a great deal to the stiffness of the bottom. Three 8" diameter plastic access ports are installed in the top surface of the seats. Make the cut outs for these ports, and use them to fiberglass the inside joint between the hull and seat. This is a tricky job. I cut 4" wide strips of 16 oz. Stitched roving, saturate them with resin, then roll them up. The roll can be positioned inside the seat and carefully unrolled over the seam. Once in place, a brush can be used to center the glass over the seams, and work out any air bubbles.

The boat is then turned upside down and the exposed joints filled and smoothed. The outside of the hull is then covered with 1 layer of 16 oz. Stitched roving. Either polyester or epoxy resin can be used. My recommendation is to use thickened epoxy resin for all panel bonding and fillets, and polyester laminating resin for all glass work. Just make sure the epoxy is fully cured – a day or two in bright sunlight will insure a full cure.

The gunnels are built up out of four pieces of door skin per side, for a total thickness of 1 1/8". Add a bow eye for towing, two sets of oar locks, and the three seat access ports, and the boat is finished!

Total time is around 60 hours at a cost of $400.