Building a Wooden Lake Skiff
I have tried my best to make the boat building pages as clear as possible. The boat building pages are best viewed at a resolution of 1024x768 or higher. The instructions provided on this website are not always detailed enough and are "my way" of doing things. Ask 10 different boat builders or woodworkers how to do 1 thing and you'll get 10 different answers. This page provides an overview of the lake skiff building portion of this website. I have also provided a glossary of terms in case you need it. If you have any questions you can visit my Contact Me page.
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18’ Lake Skiff
- Materials, Cut List - A diagram and a list of materials needed to build a 18’ wooden lake skiff.
- Instructions & Tips - Basic procedures and guides for building techniques, epoxy bonding guide.
- Building the Hull - This section covers all the steps required to complete an unfinished hull.
- Finishing the Hull - This section covers fairing (fairing refers to the filling and shaping of low areas so they blend with the surrounding surfaces and appear "fair" to the eye and touch), barrier coating (making the wood water resistant with epoxy), priming the surfaces that will be covered with finish paint, applying finish paint, and varnishing brightwork (clear finish on hardwood).
- Building the Interior - This section covers one way of constructing the interior. Every boat builder has their own way of fitting out each boat.
- Hardware - Latches, hinges, lights, tie downs and other finishing touches.
- Completed Boat - Pictures of the completed boat.