Plans only vs Pre-cut kit

The place to discuss SCAMP (Small Craft Advisor Magazine Project), our 11' 11" micro minicruiser.

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JimB
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Plans only vs Pre-cut kit

Post by JimB »

I have really enjoyed reading the archives of this forum and have finally decided that SCAMP is the boat I want to build. Now I am down to the decision of building from the plans only or purchasing and building from the pre-cut kit. If I have done the math correctly the cost of the complete pre-cut kit with foils, including tax and shipping comes to just under $4K. Marine plywood sheets, while still still expensive, would obviously be substantially less expensive. The trade-off of course is the time and energy saved working from a pre-cut kit and the accuracy with which the parts are produced.

I am an experienced woodworker with a pretty well equipped shop, although I don't have a ton of space. While money is not a huge issue (I could move forward with the project either way, eventually) I am not eager to spend a lot more than I need to. Balancing the money side is that my time to dedicate to boat-building is not limitless; I have a demanding job and a seasonal side business that keeps me somewhat busy in the spring and summer. Now, before someone suggests that I buy a fiberglass SCAMP or buy a used boat I will say that it is the building of the boat that interests me as much as the sailing of the boat, so I am committed to doing a build.

With all of that said, I would appreciate the insights of those who have gone before on which pathway to a finished SCAMP might be best for me - working from plans only or going the pre-cut kit route.
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Timo
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Re: Plans only vs Pre-cut kit

Post by Timo »

I have been building a SCAMP from the plans, although the project is not completed yet. Here are some thoughts based on my experiences:

Advantages
  • it is satisfying to see how the plywood sheets, little by little, turn into a boat
  • you learn how to make your spare parts
  • you learn the secrets of lofting and cutting with Japanese saws (assuming you own one)
  • more room for customizations
Disadvantages
  • you don't cut as optimally, accurately and flawlessly as a CNC machine, that can lead to a higher need for plywood
  • a highly accurate puzzle joint is hard to beat
  • naturally, there are more steps and your progress is slower
Timo
Sailing Wayfarer #8188 Sarastus and building Scamp #371 Merisirri in Finland
JimB
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Re: Plans only vs Pre-cut kit

Post by JimB »

Thanks Timo. How much time do you think you spent lofting and cutting parts?
Jim
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Timo
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Re: Plans only vs Pre-cut kit

Post by Timo »

I haven't kept track of the time spent, but perhaps lofting and cutting might have taken around 120 hours in total. So far the most laborious part has been hull planking. Theoretically, you could loft/cut/sand and coat/glue/fillet in parallel if you wanted to optimize your time, but certainly I didn't have enough experience to try that.
Sailing Wayfarer #8188 Sarastus and building Scamp #371 Merisirri in Finland
GregWads
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Re: Plans only vs Pre-cut kit

Post by GregWads »

Hello Jim,

I am also building from Plans. I would have to agree with Timo that the accuracy of the CNC cut parts is indeed a great time saver. Even though I thought I had painstakingly measured and re-measured before cutting I still found errors in the parts I had cut. Some of the errors were my own transcription issues. Also you need to really study plans closely, because they are drawn more as a kit builder reference. The information is all there for the plans builder, but some head scratching and searching other sheets is sometimes required to derive some of the dimensions.
JimB
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Re: Plans only vs Pre-cut kit

Post by JimB »

Greg and Timo,
Did you scarf sheets of plywood together before cutting out the larger parts, or did you cut out the big parts in pieces then scarf them together?
Jim
Jennifer J Harold
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Re: Plans only vs Pre-cut kit

Post by Jennifer J Harold »

Hi Jim, I built from a kit after asking a similar question. I think one of the angles to consider is how much you want a project to tinker on vs how quickly you want to be sailing. I've built a stitch and glue kayak in the amount of time it would have taken me to loft and cut scamp pieces from plans. I really enjoyed having a project to work on this past year, but I'm overjoyed now to be on the water, which would not be the case had I built from plans. If you aren't in a rush to get on the water and really enjoy the build process, a plans build could be just the thing. Either way, this build is a big project. Personally, I didn't feel like I missed out on anything by building from a really great, precisely cut kit.
For what it's worth,
Jennifer
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Timo
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Re: Plans only vs Pre-cut kit

Post by Timo »

I have always scarfed the sheets together before lofting and cutting to maximize accuracy. However, it's worth mentioning that the lesser side has usually not been a full sheet.
JimB wrote:
Fri Jul 23, 2021 8:49 am
Did you scarf sheets of plywood together before cutting out the larger parts, or did you cut out the big parts in pieces then scarf them together?
Sailing Wayfarer #8188 Sarastus and building Scamp #371 Merisirri in Finland
GregWads
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Re: Plans only vs Pre-cut kit

Post by GregWads »

Sorry, I have not been on the boards for a while. Been a bad year family wise.
I scarfed a full sheet with a partial sheet, then cut the bottom out of that.

I have not got to the planks, but a I did purchase a 48" wide roll of paper from Office Max and have lofted the planks on it. I didn't get the placement quite right so I ended up drawing two planks on each piece of paper. Meaning one plank was redrawn on the second sheet of paper. I have not gotten the opportunity to cut out the patterns and check them against the boat or lay them out on plywood yet.
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