my new boat

New Plywood Garvey Design

I have been working intermittently on a new 16ft design for awhile, the start of a range of small powerboats for protected water use. The design is still a way off being complete but the prototype is already being built by Kevin Agee in Hampton, Virginia and is progressing well.

I am using a garvey-type hull that can be easily built from either plywood or aluminium. It has Vee'd sections forward to soften the ride in a bit of a chop, with twisted bottom panels that run out to a shallow V at the transom for easy planing.

The version that Kevin is building has a self-draining wet deck with swivel seats on bases bolted to the deck. It has integral floodable tanks under the deck to hold bait and catch.There will also be a "sit-inside" version with bench seats, with the tanks under the seats.

Kevin is building from okoume plywood, cut from full-size paper patterns that we have supplied. When the design is complete then we will also offer plywood kits, cut by CNC machine. The photos below show the basics of construction as far as it has gone to date.

Bottom panels with slots for bulkhead tabs

Glass-taping joints in panels.

Bottom panels stitched together & bulkheads set up

Sides added and stitched to bottom

Foredeck added and stitched in.

Turned over and laid flat, ready to epoxy seams.