boatbuildlog

Wooden Shoe · new build

JungleRanch - Wooden Shoe 25

Scratch-building a Wooden Shoe 25 in the jungle. Full lofting completed, backbone and station molds set, and currently fairing the keel-to-bow junction for stringers and strip planking.

Make a book Feed The whole log, 2 entries and every photo, laid out as a book to print, bind and keep.
3
Entries
n/a
Hours
155
Days elapsed
8
Photos
Aug 2025
Started
Strongback & Molds Link

Bending the Bow Frame | Chechen Wood REFUSES to Bend!

PLease watch the video below! We are facing challenges with the bow construction of our DIY wooden boat. This video shows the detailed process of how to build a boat's bow, from reviewing the drawing to preparing the Chechen wood. We cut boards to precise thickness and then clamp them to supports for cold molding, painstakingly gluing sections together to ensure no gaps. It's a true test of our boat construction skills, especially when bending wood to shape the bow.

Building the bow of our DIY wooden boat in the Mexican jungle โ€” and it fights back! ๐ŸŒด๐Ÿšค In Part 1 of this bow build, we tackle cold molding the Wooden Shoe's bow using Chechen wood strips. From lofting the curves to the first glue-up, nothing goes as planned. The wood springs back, the gaps won't close, and we discover why this bow is the hardest part of the entire build.

๐Ÿชต Wood used: Chechen (Mexican hardwood) + Cumaru framing ๐Ÿ“ Design: Nexus Marine "Wooden Shoe" ๐ŸŒŽ Location: Mexican jungle workshop Part 2 coming soon โ€” where we finish the bow! ๐Ÿ”” Subscribe to follow the full build!

Related videos: โ–ถ๏ธ Lofting Guide: https://youtu.be/x_5HqN7jefo

1 Wooden Shoe: Bending the Bow Frame | Chechen Wood REFUSES to Bend!
2 Wooden Shoe: Bending the Bow Frame | Chechen Wood REFUSES to Bend!
Per Landeback 4 hours ago

We got springback! The Chechen wouldnt bend!

Strongback & Molds Link

All stations done

This is a recap of 200 days of our DIY boat build so far, โ€” from making our own marine plywood to finishing the Cumaru wood transom. Every station, every frame, every struggle โ€” in one video.

๐Ÿชต What you'll see: โ€ข How we make marine plywood from scratch โ€ข Five stations going up โ€” first milestone โ€ข Precision bulkhead fitting and reinforced frames โ€ข Web stations complete โ€ข The Cumaru wood transom โ€” DONE โ€ข Station 7 โ€” the biggest frames finished โ€ข The bow challenge โ€” where the wood fights back

This is the Wooden Shoe โ€” a 25-foot powerboat design by Nexus Marine, built with Brazilian Cumaru hardwood and Chechen wood in the Mexican jungle. No fancy workshop. No shortcuts. It's a true test of traditional craftsmanship and determination, living in the jungle while building a wood boat from scratch

Nobody else here is logging a Wooden Shoe yet. See the boat.