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boatbuildlog

Polliwog 8 · new build

Launched

Polliwog Row Boat

by Matt · Texas · Message Matt

My very first boatbuild was the Polliwog, an 8' rowing boat made from just a couple sheets of marine grade plywood.

This boat was sold through the site in August 2026. The listing is still up.
Make a book Feed The whole log, 1 entry and every photo, laid out as a book to print, bind and keep.
6
Entries
50
Hours
145
Days elapsed
27
Photos
Spent
Sep 2019
Started
Stitch & Assembly 10 h Link

Cut and Stiched the main panels

Phase 1: Lofting and Cutting the Main Panels

This was my first boat, so if you spot things that look wrong in the pictures, go easy on me. This was also my first time lofting.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with how the process went. Lofting itself was relatively easy. The most challenging part was getting a piece of wood thin enough to bend around all of the nails set into the loft. Once I finally made a good, thin batten, I held onto it for a long time, since they're so difficult to make.

After that, I cut out the two main panels, stitched them together, and started to stretch them apart, as shown here.

What it cost

$393.77
$274.77
Into the boat
$119.00
Tools & gear
ItemQtySupplierCost
4x8 Sheet of Marine plywood 2 n/a $200.00
Epoxy Glue Kit - Gallon 1 Total Boat $119.00
White Oak 1 Plywood company $74.77