How about a DYI Survival Boat.

Honestly I was looking for plans to build what's commonly known as a shanty boat.
something to test my woodworking skills on and this little one caught my wife's eye.
Called the Chugger


Of course I'm wanting something I can trailer to the lake this summer... but this would make a neat little survival shack, don't ya think?

Free Plans from the designer "Lewis Boat Works" can be found here.
along with an email like so you can message the guy and ask relevant questions.

Call it a weekend camper rather than a full blown houseboat
The original design pic of Chugger is below. It is a 12 foot 2 person overnight cruiser for the minimalist. It is designed to use 4′ X 8′ sheets of ply and is built using minimal frames (one at the beginning of the bow curve and one at the rear of the cabin). The whole look of the boat is defined by the (false) Shear. Erase it and it looks like a tank. Using the false shear with a light topside and a darker bottom will give the illusion that the boat has side decks around the cabin. An additional 2 ‘ of boat is not shown (see below), but continues to the rear to a square transom, providing a 4′ X 4′ cockpit. Picture shows 10″ wide at bows, but it is actually 18 “

he leaves the where to put the Coleman stove and porta potty up to you...


If you visit his web site you'll find not only the plans for the above boats but mods to make your boat bigger or smaller. I'm thinking about trying the,

16 footers…. Regular, Extended Cabin, Extended Cabin Inclined Transoms, Extended Cabin Inclined Transoms Displacement.

with a canopy cover in the back to expand our camping/sleeping area, remember I have two little girls and I grantee if I stuff them in a tight spot together, all night long I'll be listing to---
"Stop Touching me!" "Your Touching me" "Dad...Make her stop touching me!"

You may want to think about a sailboat if it is to be used in a survival situation, if shtf gas could get rare and it is already very expensive.

AlaskanDad
You may want to think about a sailboat if it is to be used in a survival situation, if shtf gas could get rare and it is already very expensive.

Good point to which I'll reply.
I could probably build a sailboat just as easily... I may not be a real boat builder but I did grow up working in a cabinet shop...I have the woodworking skills to pull it off but---
but coming from Colorado I know nothing about sailing---
small little outboard I can handle, just barely.

for someone like me---this is doable

reply to post by HardCorps


Your linky no worky for me.

I think this might be it?
www.angelfire.com...

I like the concept. but I would go with a catamaran sail type design.

I bid on a big fuel barge in good shape from the national park service through GSA a few years back. It was up in Houghton, used by the Isle Royal National park. I only went up to five hundred bucks, it went for three grand. It was big enough to build a nice cabin on and make a nice yard yet. You could even fit an outdoor hot tub in it sunk into the barge, and have picnic tables and a whole bunch of other stuff out there. A camp that isn't taxed, I looked at it being docked off a lot I could buy cheap on the canal up there. I think a scrap yard bought the barge up there to cut up....what a waste. I could have done a lot with that, A traveling Ice cream stand could even have been made from it to travel to local parks and docks. A dream retirement income...and I quit bidding.

Sometimes I kick myself in the butt for being too frugal.

interupt42
reply to post by HardCorps

 

Your linky no worky for me.

I think this might be it?
www.angelfire.com...

Ya know why it didn't work?
Cause I screwed up putting in the link!

Thanks for having my back... I think I got the link thingy worked out now

reply to post by rickymouse


Out here where I live we have no big broad rivers,
Or sure we got the Colorado but up here it's more a whitewater deal.


Flaming Gorge up in the Northeastern corner of Utah is our closest big lake

reply to post by HardCorps

JEM Watercraft
You can peruse here...I built the Sabalo SOT model.

reply to post by HardCorps


Now I see where you live I have to agree that might be better for you than a sailboat. I live in SE Alaska an area that is full of islands and my survival plan was my sailboat is a means to fish and travel. Since Fuku shima my plan has gone to pot and I am rethinking it as I am concerned about the radiation thats in the Pacific ocean.

I was planning on building a sea dory with two rowing stations as I too have the wood working bug, not so sure now.