Boat building requires skills in carpentry, welding, engine building, electronics, plumbing, and adherence to local laws. Boat building has been a part of human history, from basic canoes to advanced ships. Wooden boats are still popular and require durable lumber and a sealing finish. The hull is typically built with skeletal structures and outer planks attached with screws before being sealed and varnished.
There are many aspects of boat building that must be mastered in order to build a safe and functional boat. In addition to more obvious skills like carpentry or welding, skills in engine building and electronics are important factors in the boat building process. If building a large vessel, plumbing and communications come into play, and local laws and legal issues often need to be adhered to to ensure the construction process results in a usable boat. Regardless of the size of the vessel, from a small river boat to a battleship, boat construction begins by laying out the keel or bottom of the boat and working towards the top.
For many skilled and enthusiastic boaters, the idea of building a boat is never far from their minds. There is a certain romance that a navigator has when he thinks of building a ship and sailing to the ends of the world. As long as people have wondered what is on the other side of the water, there has been boat building. Building a boat can come in the form of hollowing out a log and creating a canoe in its most basic form. Almost all ancient cultures have evidence of boat building in their history.
Land exploration has depended on the ship building skills of many different races and countries. From the early Vikings to the Romans, to the Japanese and Spanish navies, shipbuilding has been a requirement for the advancement and strength of countries. The use of aluminum and steel has made some of the most incredible boats of all time possible, yet wood is still the material of choice for most boat builders who craft everything from canoes to sailboats. In building wooden boats, the key to a successful build is finding a durable lumber that bends and forms easily while retaining its strength. The final step is to finish the wood with a sealer that will ensure a long life without leaks.
For most wooden boat construction, small strips of wood are laminated to other small strips, often in alternating patterns of contrastingly colored wood species such as ash and mahogany. Most wooden boats are formed by heating and smoking the wood, then clamping it in position and allowing it to cool. Typically, in boat building, small skeletal structures are built in which the outer planks are attached with stainless steel screws. Once the hull is complete, it is sealed with a quality sealant and several coats of marine grade varnish.
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