Precut plywood boat kits loaded with features
Includes the strongback, molds, and other building jig materials
Mark Hawkins photo taken at All Hands Boatworks, Milwaukee, WI.
The plywood kit is the bread-and-butter of a Chase Small Craft kit. The CNC-precut, plywood saves a great deal of time. Based on averages across the kits, we figure a kit saves 25% in time, eliminating the labor-intensive cutting of nasty glue-filled plywood. The kit also takes out the inevitable making of mistakes while cutting, saving wasted time and plywood. Furthermore, a precut kit is more efficient than hand-cutting because the parts can be nested so tightly in the CNC machining process, saving another one to two sheets of plywood! A plywood kit is composed of all the plywood that goes into the hull, deck, and interior. It is cut on our CNC router, packaged on a pallet, and shipped right to you by freight. All marine plywood is the best available: Bryunzeel certified BS1088 and Hechtout is the best. Small parts come tabbed into the plywood sheets and larger parts are cut out freely. The rest of the “plywood” kit is composed of durable, flat, Flakeboard (also known as chipboard or particle board material).
Baked into the plywood kit is the essence of the boat’s design and so you can rest assured that your investment comes out right, every time.
Incredible NC Scarfs are precut on the planking in all our kits
The following parts are typically found in the plywood kits:
Precut planking out of 6mm or 9mm Okoume including a precut, interlocking NC scarf.
Frames and bulkheads precut from plywood, typically 9, 12, and 18mm thickness. Stems and transoms, as well.
Utilizes the Tab-n-Lock system where appropriate, particularly our Easy-to-build line of boats
Tank tops, seats, and decking typically out of 3mm to 6mm Okoume
Strongback material from flat, stable, and uniform Flakeboard - 1/2", 5/8" or 3/4" thickness.
Patterns for cutting and shaping solid wood parts where appropriate (most of these curved parts like tillers and knees are now also precut from select hardwoods)
Plywood kit prices listed on the price sheet always includes the plans package, which can be ordered separately, printed, and shipped.
This shows a centerboard trunk installed as part of the building jig of a larger boat. You can see the use of tabs on the trunk and notches in the frame to ensure the trunk aligns perfectly on the centerline of the boat.
Many kits utilize laminated plywood (above) to achieve the designed thickness for various parts of the boat like this midship frame (above, right) or in the case of the photo above a frame up in the bow of a Calico Skiff. Note the staggers in the layers which create the bevel needed for the angle of the planking as it comes into the bow. This stagger-layers approach is often used where angles need to be created by beveling.
In the photo above you can see exhibited another helpful feature, the alignment bolts which fit into predrilled holes of a midship frme making things like frame layout and crucial alignment for the fitting of parts a common and indispensible feature of every kit we do. Other commonly predrilled holes are stitch holes in planks and alignment holes for screws as in the above, left photo.
Shipping Information
Almost every kit goes out on a pallet loaded with the precut plywood, timber kit, hardware and a some of the epoxy kit items. Pallets are 3x8-foot or 4x8-foot. Customers often find they (the pallets) make a good bench or other useful work surface.
Commercial freight shipping is to a business with a loading dock or fork truck that is open regular business hours and does not need a delivery appointment. If you can get this method, it is a less expensive rate.
Residential freight shipping is to a residence and includes a phone call from the shipper to make a delivery appointment during regular working hours (not weekends or holidays). This is where most kits are sent though some customers receive at the terminal that is closest to them. Kits vary from $400-$900 to ship these days.
Most drivers and customers seem to be able to get the pallets off the truck with the lift gate that comes. We have found the truckers to be consistently helpful and cooperative, but they are not obligated to manually unload the truck (or carry the parts to your garage). Treat them well, it’s not an easy job.
“Dear Clint: Happy New Year. I am working on the scarfs (I seem to do things out of order). I want to tell you how elegant the plywood cuts are, and how perfectly the puzzles match. It is amazing. Thank you.”
