Building a small pontoon boat

[betacrash]

First of I know nothing about boat building, so please forgive my ignorance.

I am wanting to build a small pontoon boat and found some free plans at http://www.jemwatercraft.com/pontoon.php

I downloaded the PDF's and was able to extrapolate the vector information and save the files as dxf. I thought that maybe someone would be interested in these files. But in return I would like to see if someone would be cool enough to give these parts some scarf joints. When all is said and done I think this would be a very cool shopbot project. Let me know what you think.

*** I cannot post the files due to the forums restrictions. If you can host the files please let me know ***

[betacrash]

i was able to save the nested file that shows all of the panels as an eps and then zip it to bring it under 50k. the other files show measurements for each panel, but this should be a big help.
Nested Files
nested.zip (34.9 k)

[joecnc2006]

Here are the DXF file, just rename to zip file. not sure why it renamed the file when i posted it.


Pontoon Nesting - DXF.zip (40.1 k)

[bleeth]

Shawn-Bill Young designed some great SB scarf joints and I think they are in Project Wizard.
Go to SB site. there is a link to Project wizard on the support page if you haven't already set it up.
I took a look at the dxf's. They are designed to be butted with a back up butt block. If you scarf them then you will need to lengthen them correspondingly for the overlap or have a shorter pontoon. Also without a butt block you will have to resize the mid stations.

[ron brown]

IF ... I were building this boat I would use the 'plans' as a starting point and trust little or nothing.

I would draw, fair and then 'unroll' the developable surface and plan my scarfs from there.

I think the third boat I build on plans that "Need no lofting" taught me it was a lot easier to loft and build fair rather than trust a set of plans I had no control over or knowledge of the designer/loftsman.

I can already see I would lengthen the boat to ~15-1/2' and add a bit of beam........and ice-boxes in each hull.

Ron

[bleeth]

Hey Ron: IF Shawn had built as many boats as you, me, and so many other botters, than he might even go for something totally different than this. But, like any quick-lap, stitch and tape, or ply pattern kit boat, it's a great way to kick one out and start to get the feel for it.
Then he get's to find out if he is really into it or not and how far down the road of learning all those great nuances that separate the boats from the watercraft he wants to go!!
Gotta walk before you slalom.

By the way: Angus-The pulling boat I was talking to you about was Bill Gardner's Whitehall. Both he and Howard Chappell did some great, but very different lines for one.