The V12 boat plans cost me $40 U.S. (plus shipping) but I think it was well worth it. My original (cheap) plan was to just look at all the V12 photos and basic plans that I could find online and just figure it out as I went along, estimating shapes and sizes. I'm the type of person who doesn't always like to follow directions - Just give me the basic idea and I'll figure the rest out. But the more I thought about it, the more difficult building a boat seemed! ...at least building a boat that I wouldn't be embarrassed to take out on the lake... So I caved in and bought the plans, and I am now very happy that I did!
The package from boatplans-online included:- Building Instructions (5 pages)
- A "Help, Tutorials and Tips" sheet
- A different "Help" sheet
- Instructions on how to build The Sprit Rig (3 pages)
- Basic diagram of parts (two 17x11" sheets)
- and 34 x 22" paper pattern sheets (5 large sheets)
The plans call for 2 sheets of 3/8" plywood and 4 sheets of 1/4" plywood for the main body parts of the boat (which I have already bought). I will also use lots of screws, waterproof glue, and plastic zip-ties. The plans also recommend that I use epoxy & fiberglass to seal and reinforce the seams of the boat... I'm not 100% sure yet whether or not I'll do this part though, if it ends up making it too heavy or too expensive... We'll see once we get to that part of the process. :)My goal for this project is to build a relatively cheap boat which is also light enough for me to carry on the roof of my car to the nearby Chickamauga Lake (part of the Tennessee River near Chattanooga, TN). I also want to be able to carry up to 3 or 4 people in it - Sailing is fun, but it's even more fun with friends! So the V12 seemed to be the right boat for me!
The next step is to start tracing the patterns onto the plywood and cutting out the pieces. The plans estimate that it should take the average person 24 man hours to complete this project. I'll be keeping track of my time and expenses as I go...
~E
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