Jon Boat Plans
The very first boat I built I was 12 years old. I was living in a little fishing village in Maine and told my grandfather that I wanted to build my own boat. He was a lobster fisherman and had built many boats during his life. I wanted to build my own boat though.
We sat down and discussed how we would go about it. The first boat I built was a little sailing skiff. You can read the story of that winter project on my travel blog Exotic Visitors Travel Blog if you are interested. I learned real quickly that a proper design was essential to building a small wooden boat. The lessons that winter gave me were to last a lifetime. The joy of sliding across calm waters on a handmade boat cannot be expressed.
I have built many boats since then; one of my favorites is the Jon Boat. I have built three with my own sons. Like any worthwhile project it is essential to start off on the right foot. You will need a good set of Jon Boat Plans before the first plank is ever purchased.
Jon Boat Plans
There are many types of Jon Boat Plans available on the market today. Unfortunately there are some drawbacks in almost every case; either they are too complex for the home boat builder or they are too simplified to create a quality craft. In order to build a Jon Boat that you will be proud of, feel safe in and enjoy showing off to your friends, you want to get a set of Jon Boat Plans that will cover all of the bases.
Jon Boat Plan Requirements
- Very Detailed Blueprints
- Easy to Follow Step by Step Instructions
- High Quality Drawings
There is nothing worse than getting excited about building a Jon Boat and getting the Jon Boat Plans that are filled with hard to understand instructions or vague drawings. With poor quality drawings your craft will end up the same. It is the small details that make the difference. You wouldn’t buy a new Porsche and tell the dealer you wanted to save money by leaving out the owner’s manual. The same goes for building a Jon Boat.
Jon Boat Plans Quality
The quality of the Jon Boat Plans is going to have a direct effect on the quality of the Jon Boat itself. The good news is that you do not have to spend a fortune getting high quality Jon Boat Plans.
I have built more than 30 boats in all. The one thing that holds true in every case is that price has very little to do with the quality of the plans. I have purchased $1200 plans that were not as good as $50 plans. Unless the Jon Boat Plans have detailed directions that are specific to the design then it is not going to turn out like the design.
Imagine making a cake with a recipe that calls for “some flour”-”a few eggs”-”sugar”… You get the point. Maybe the person who wrote the recipe makes the best cake in the world but it does you no good.
A well designed set of Jon Boat Plans will provide you with a boat that performs well. Looking for the most expensive plans is not the same as looking for the best boat building plans.
Once you receive your Jon Boat Plans you will want to spend some time studying them. Don’t stick them on a shelf above the workbench and run out to buy supplies. Study your boat plans thoroughly so that you know them inside and out. Learn every little detail before you even head to the lumber yard.
No doubt you will be anxious to start right away. Taking the time to learn the nuances of your Jon Boat Plans before will make the entire process go quicker, more efficiently and without mistakes. Like the old carpenters saying goes, “Measure twice and cut once.”.
Buy knowing your Jon Boat Plans in and out you will have a much easier time at the lumber yard picking out your supplies. There will be little things you will want (tools etc.) that will make the job go smoother. That means fewer trips to the hardware store. Less trips means saving money on gas and time you could be spending building your Jon Boat.
Remember that a set of Jon Boat plans is just like a recipe. It is detailed and laid out exactly the way the designer envisions the end product. That does not mean you have to stick to every detail. Spice up your recipe if you want. Knowing what you can change and what you cannot change will come from experience.
Certain types of wood, paint and varnish will all have a different outcome in the end. There are various design features you can alter to give your Jon Boat a unique touch. Perhaps the shape of the seats or the shape of the transom will add that spice your Jon Boat Plans do not show. Sometimes the slightest of changes end up giving us the boat we are most proud of.
Most of the boats I have built have been done with hand tools. This may seem archaic; however I have found the task of building a boat to be as much fun as using it. With a good set of Jon Boat Plans you will be able to see how you can build a wooden boat with both hand tools and power tools. Without a good set of Jon Boat Plans you may find that it is hard to tell where you can make those spiced up changes, use hand tools and ultimately make the boat your own.
Why should you choose to get the Dinghy Plans provided here? Our Jon Boat Plans are well below the average price you would pay other places. That by no means implies they are of less quality. In fact the quality is so high and the demand is so great that our Jon Boat Plans are very affordable. You could easily find other sets of Jon Boat Plans and end up disappointed in the end. For a moment forget about price and think of the end result. You want to have a Jon Boat that will perform fantastic, look beautiful and be unique enough to call your own. You want to enjoy the process of building your Jon Boat not spend the time frustrated trying to figure out the Jon Boat Plans. That is why we are by far the best choice for Jon Boat Plans.
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