Free Plans for Stitch and Glue Boatbuilding
Some free boatbuilding plans are very good, others are worth exactly what you pay for them. If you choose to use free boat plans, do your homework, and try to find others who have built from the plans. There are many Yahoo and Facebook groups out there. It's worth it to do a search. It's a good idea to check the measurements and to build a model from the free plans just to make sure you understand the process.
Here is my page on stitch and glue boatbuilding
Stitch and glue plans are good wooden boat plans for beginners.
Making a model will pay back later and save you time when you build because you will have figured out how the boat goes together.
Your model will also help you decide if you like the look of the boat BEFORE you spend a lot of time and money building a wooden boat from scratch.
In a more complex boat, free is not always less expensive because the designer of bought plans will usually have taken the time to give you better instructions, material layouts, and is often available to answer questions.
I built the green pram using the stitch and glue method of boatbuilding. The plans were free.
Follow my day to day diary building Gavin Atkin's Apple Pie dinghy.
Free Stitch and Glue Boat Plans in no Particular Order.
Email me if a link is broken. I try to update everything often but the internet is a fast paced place. (and I'm not so quick)
I've included some plans that are free but not strictly pure stitch and glue. Some are combination methods and some are build with little support pieces, chine logs, that are used to screw onto or glue on. They are easy techniques.
I have not built most of these boats and cannot endorse them. It's up to you to figure out if they are suitable for you.
- Apple Pie Pram I built this and found it to be a lovely usable tender.
- Clown 450 Free sailboat plans and instructions IN FRENCH but nicely illustrated. Have a look.
- Micro Folding Dinghy Free Plans. Since the seams are glued but not rigid, it is not really Stitch and glue but interesting to look at.
- Thai Inspired Longtail Boat
- Free Stitch and glue plan for a Simple to Build Cruising Kayak from Spira International
- Free plans for Doris the Dory from In the Boatshed. Combination building methods.
- Herring Skiff Free Stitch and Glue Boat Plans 12 Ft Motor Skiff
- 4. Metre Dayboat by Radoslaw Werszko. Can be use with outboard. Nice contruction photos.
- Several free plans also by Radoslaw Werszko.
- Very simple Sailing Dinghy Designed to be built very quickly. Simplicity boats. Not strictly stitch and glue but simple. There is even a song!
- Free Guillemot Kayak Plans from Guillemot Kayaks.
- Guillemot Kayaks offsets for Ganymede Kayak PDF. Also instructions on Instructable
- Mini Sharpie is a one sheet boat from Simplicity Boats.
- Ella Rowboat Free online plans. Stitch and Glue Assembly.
- Cinderella Rowboat Also from in the boatshed
- Blondie Sail trainer and yacht tender designed by John Bell, pdf file
- How to build Cheap Boats Sailing Canoe. Includes sailing rig. Not very detailed but interesting as a historical document.
- Elf designed by Steven Lewis and available from Duckworks Magazine. Offsets and diagrams. 12 ft long sailing and rowing boat.
- Mouse Boats on Yahoo groups. Plans from Duckworks also.Lots of fun in a tiny boat. Good project and very popular, for children or adult to use in quiet water. Stitch and Glue.
- Free plans for a Bernarda 10 Well not quite free, you have to send the designer a photocopy of your money!! This is a great funny web page.
- Free Pirogue boat plans from Morten Olesen, Naval Architect. You need to email for the plans but it's free. Also other plans for sale.
- Gavin Atkin's "In the boatshed" has several free boat plans. A mother lode of nice designs. Lots of easy to build stitch and glue plans
- Free 3 sheet dory Instructions and photographs. Hannu's Boatyard, he has several models. Can easily be built stitch and glue along with the frames.
- Bateaux Bois Free and paid Plans for some respectable boats. Look under 1- Plans Bois. In many languages. Get Mr. Google to translate but it's well worth having a look.
- Free Stitch and Glue plans for single and double kayaks from Kayakyak. These have been built and tested. Nice looking boats. The Plans are actual plans not offsets.
- Portable Boat Plans has several designs for free. Many other of his plans are very inexpensive. Ken Simpson designs inexpensive easily built boats.
- Duck Punters Free Plan Fairly tender sailing canoe type. Wander around the website some. Designed for chine logs but can be converted.
- Plans for U, Almost free ($3) Expired copyright plans. Norwegian pram looks promising. Not much detail but documentation of how the boat was built in the past. 10 plans for 3 dollars.
- Puddle Duck Racer, the little boat that could. Very simple 8ft boat. Free plans. Usually built with chine logs but could be adapted to stitch and glue as long as you glass tape the seams.
- Mike Waller Design has Pippie8 Tender Exceptionally well laid out and documented free plans
- Bateau.com has 3 free designs A 7.5 ft sailing dinghy, a folding kayak and a canoe.
- Free rowing flat bottom boat from Mark Wallace. Table of offsets. Can be sailed.
- Mike Gill mini Tugboat free plans. Cute boat.
- Free rowing skiff from In the Boatshed
- Flo-Mo Amazing collections of plans. Some great experiments from a meticulous craftsman. 1-2-and 3 sheet designs. Great fun.
- DIY Wood Boat.com variety of free, copyright expired boats. Nicely presented. Can be modified to be stitch and glue.
- Free Optimist Sailing dinghy plans are in Italian! Get Mr Google to help you translate. Proven design. If you plan to race make sure dimensions are exact so you're class legal.
- Free Optimist Sailing dinghy Original optimist plans
- Wooden Boat Magazine free plans for a Motor Holly Point Skiff.
- Many free plans from the Toledo Community Boat House Some Stitch and glue and some other methods. Great resource.
- Plywood stitch and glue Kayak Instuctables are a greatre source. Go to the website and do some searching. Changes all the time.
- Useful Boatbuilding Books My page on boatbuilding books, most of which I have in my library. Some good information.
- Rodent, Sailing Dinghy for a youngster Could be built as stitch and glue. Shown as chine log construction. Email for plans.
Many people offer free plans from old publications such as Popular Mechanics. Since epoxy was not available then, they are not stitch and glue. They could be adapted however. It is usually possible to replace chine logs (strips of wood that connect bottom and side with screw and glue) with an epoxy fillet and fiberglass cloth. It is important to strengthen the seams, inside and out, with fiberglass strips if you remove the chine log.
Devlin's book is a reference for building using the Stitch and glue method: Devlin's Boatbuilding: How to Build Any Boat the Stitch-and-Glue Way
More Free Plans hiding in Books.
A very good way of getting free plans is by purchasing designer's books. For 20 or so dollars you can get plans for several boats AND detailed instructions on how to build them.
Many designers have boatbuilding books. Gary Dierking Building Outrigger Sailing Canoes: Modern Construction Methods for Three Fast, Beautiful Boats offers plans and instructions for 3 of his outstanding outriggers in his book.
Dynamite Payson does the same with his book Instant Boatbuilding with Dynamite Payson: 15 Instant Boats for Power, Sail, Oar, and Paddle Most of his plans are Philip Bolger's plans.
Thomas Firth Jones has plans in his book New Plywood Boats.
Jim Michalak's book Boatbuilding for Beginners (and Beyond): Everything You Need to Know to Build a Sailboat, a Rowboat, a Motorboat, a Canoe, and More! is a goldmine as well with lots of detailed plans and instructions.
John Welsford has his Backyard Boatbuilder: How to Build Your Own Wooden Boat
Chris Kulczycki's Stitch and glue boatbuilding, How to build Kayaks and other small Boats.
Many designers offer plans at very small cost. It's often a better bet to purchase these than some of the free plans. Check out Duckworks plan pages There are many good designers here and a few free plans as well.
If you are looking for wooden boat plans for beginners it's hard to beat stitch and glue.
Here is a link to Glen-L book. It's a very good instruction book (though not plans) Boatbuilding With Plywood
This book includes Plans for Tolman's Alaskan Skiffs motor boats, Not strictly stitch and glue and certainly not free, but well rated. Tolman Alaskan Skiffs (Previously A Skiff for All Seasons): Building Plans for Three Plywood / Epoxy Skiffs
This book claims to have plans but rather presents offsets that can be used to make 11 different boats, (measurements that can be used to draft plans). It gets good ratings. Stitch-and-Glue Boatbuilding: How to Build Kayaks and Other Small Boats
email me if you find mistakes, I'll fix them and we'll all benefit: Christine
I try to be accurate and check my information, but mistakes happen. A good set of plans can save you lots of time and if you've paid for them you can actually often contact the designer and get help.
The ads on my pages connect to Amazon. If you buy something from a link on my page, I get a referral fee that pays the web page expenses (not my time, that's for sure.)
Free boat, paddle & oar plans
I have many pages of boat, kayak, canoe and paddles and oar plans. Here is a link. Many are free plans.West System has a lot of info and support so a useful resource.
West System Starter Kit 2: 1 Gal 105B, 1 Qt 205B, 300 Mini Pumps
Voyaging On A Small Income, 2nd Edition
Silica Thickener for gluing and strong filler: Fumed Silica, Thickener, Compare to Cab-O-Sil, 5 Qt
Micro spheres for fairing filler: System Three 3145S16 White Glass Microspheres, 1 quart Tub
Boat, Paddle and Oar Plans
Large list of links to Boat plans for many different types of boatsWood Strip boat plans
Stitch and glue boat plans Many Designers offer plans for just about every kind of boat in Stitch and Glue form.
Dory Boat Plans including some free.
Skiff boat plans, some free
Skiff boat plans
Take apart and folding boat page has several boatbuilding plan links.
BoatBuilding and Sailing Articles
Building a Stitch and glue Apple Pie Tender from free plans I donwloaded from Gavin Atkins blog "In the Boatshed"
Teach Yourself to Sail
My Ten Essential Knots
Marine Plywood Article. What makes marine plywood best for boatbuilding?
Making a birdsmouth mast A DIY guide.
My sailmaking experiments
Making a Puddle Duck Racer The little boat that can!
Launching a stitch and glue Apple Pie Pram that I built as a tender for my Tanzer. The plans were free
Deciding what kind of boat to build
Small Print
This information is for general knowledge. Before you start, do your homework. Make sure you understand the plans before you start and work safely. I don't endorse any of these designers or plans. After you've decided to build, enjoy yourself.