Free boat plans
Build your own boat from free plans
This a page of links to favourite free boat plans at intheboatshed.net. They’ve been chosen either because are derived from traditional boats, or in some cases simply for their usefulness. There are quite a few here, but you’ll find still more in the intheboatshed.net weblog by clicking on the free boat plans category or using the search gadget.
If you find anything you feel I should add, please let me know at gmatkin@gmail.com.
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Boats designed by Gavin Atkin
- The 14ft Sunny skiff – get the plans here.
- The 12ft Ella skiff – get the plans here.
12ft Ella skiff
Intheboatshed.net Julie skiff – click on the
image for a larger drawing
- The intheboatshed.net Julie 15ft 7in flat bottomed rowing skiff series of posts (most recent posts first)
Complete free plans package for the intheboatshed.net flat-bottomed 15ft 6in skiff
intheboatshed.net skiff – drawings and coordinates for stitch and glue
intheboatshed.net skiff – photos of our model, and maybe yours too?
Intheboatshed.net skiff – now we can make a model
Intheboatshed.net skiff progress
Early drawings for a 15ft 5in lightweight flat-bottomed American-style skiff
- The Light Trow
Ben Crawshaw’s Light Trow – click on the photo
for a larger image
Download the Light Trow plans from Duckworks
See Ben Crawshaw’s excellent weblog about building and then cruising the Light Trow on the Spanish coast
The original trows The Fleet Trow
- The Cinderella canoe
Al Burke shows us the right way to build a Cinderella! Stitch on the outside, Tee-prop in the middle, two others fore and aft, tape on the inside, when everything hardens add the inwales and outwales, and any kink caused by the props disappears. Unconventional, but so quick and easy…
Al’s comments following his first test were interesting: ‘A successful design that is an absolute delight to paddle and which brought comments like “beautiful lines” and “do you want to sell it?” from people on the beach watching the test.’
I think this is a nice small open paddler, but bouyancy tanks or bags would be a essential if you’re going to do more than paddle in narrow rivers or small shallow lakes.
Cinderella – click on the photo for a larger image
A Cinderella canoe adapted for rowing
- The Light Dinghy
Light Dinghy – click on the drawing for a larger image
From dinghies to the Architectura Navalis and back
Tempting plans for the boat-dreaming season, part III
- The Forest & Stream skiff
Forest & Stream skiff in built in Sweden – click on
the photo for a larger image
A little classic to build this spring
- The small Bluestone schooner
My Bluestone schooner design in the spotlight
- The small Electric Schock skiff
Electric Schock dinghy – click on the drawing for
a larger image
The Electric Schock plans at Duckworks
Free designs from other designers
- The South Haven Dory
- International 12 dinghy
George Cockshott’s sweet 12-foot dinghy
- Chuck Merrell’s Apple Pie
Temptations part V: a dinghy so small, your family will hardly notice…
- Canvas canoe
How to build a canvas canoe
- Hannu Vartiala’s coracle
Hannu Vartiala’s website changes address
-The Brockway skiff
Build the Brockway skiff
- Wolfgang Brink’s Greenland Kayak
How to build a Greenland kayak
- An alternative folding boat
An alternative folding boat
- Boat plans from Practical Boatbuilding for Amateurs, including the 10ft double-ended skiff, various punts etc
Practical Boat Building for Amateurs
- Thames skiff and racing punt
At last – free online designs for a skiff and a racing punt
- Howard Irving Chappelle’s traditional 14ft skiff
Chappelle’s 14ft skiff – another candidate for the 2008 boatbuilding season?
- Mark Wallace’s Black Skiff

Mark Wallace’s elegant Black Skiff
Boatbuilding plans for the Black Skiff have been designed and made available for free by Mark Wallace – he says all he asks for is to be given the credit for designing the boat.
I think it’s an elegant design. The plans are not likely to be the easiest for first-time boatbuilders to follow, but it would be well worth picking the required skills up by reading one of the classic books on this kind of boatbuilding. See the Intheboatshed.net Amazon bookshop for something suitable.
Mark ways she’s a strong light-weight boat loosely with strong links to Scandinavian types. She proven to be an excellent rower, has a capacity of four adults and has a flat bottom for easy beaching.
Go to Mark’s website for more information and plans in pdf format: http://www.markwallaceshipwright.com/plans.html
By the way, don’t miss Mark’s impressive collection of testimonials.
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No Comments » Last modified on Oct 27th 2008






















