Boatbuilding

Boatbuilding is a natural for utilizing the benefits of CNC technology, and the first ShopBot was developed as a boatbuilder's tool. In boatbuilding ShopBot CNCs are used for cutting frames, plywood panels, and all manner of interior and exterior parts. They are used in wood, fiberglass, and aluminum production processes.
 

Not only does a ShopBot give you the ability to accurately cut pieces that would be unwieldy or difficult to cut by hand or with traditional power tools, but it also allows you to duplicate that part over and over again. And although cutting oddly-shaped parts may be the most obvious use, a typical boat shop might use a ShopBot in many other ways. For example:
 

CNC used in reshaping of bottom and topsides on Snapdragon (Professional BoatBuilder, June/July 2002) Seaside Small Craft

CNC in manufacturing kits. Here 'Sixhour canoe' panels are stacked for high school boatbuilding program. Seaside Small Craft

Redwing 18 cabin doors cut from 3 layers of 4mm plywood. Seaside Small Craft

• Use the power and flexibility of CAD drawings to cut panels that would be hard to accurately loft or develop by hand, and to quickly and accurately make modifications to existing designs.

• Cut large numbers of identical pieces for kit manufacture or production runs.

• Use expensive materials more efficiently to reduce waste.

• Duplicate shapes from existing patterns. Using the built-in "Copy Machine" software a shop can make a digital copy of a hand-shaped pattern or template and cut multiple copies. You can make your own digitizing probe or buy ShopBot's probe.

• Accurately cut scarf joints to join panels. Traditionally scarfs would be cut and full-sized panels would be glued up BEFORE the final shape was cut. This was wasteful of material and required handling large panels. The accuracy of a ShopBot allows you to cut the scarfs and final shapes from single sheets in one step, transport them in easy-to-handle sizes to the building site, and assemble the full-sized panels on-site without worrying about alignment problems

A Few of the Boatbuilders using ShopBots

	Kit-Cat Boats, Larry McInerney www.Kit-Cats.com, Bulkheads and panels
	Montana Boatbuilders, Jason Cajune, Livingston, MT www.montanaboatbuilders.com, Boats
	SeaDog Boats, Ltd., Mike Schwartz, Milwaukee, WI www.seadogboats.com, Sea kayaks, rowing sculls, and other small craft stitch & glue boat kits
	Seaside Small Craft, Bill Young, Willis Wharf, VA www.seasidesmallcraft.com, Boats mostly
	Inner Bay Boats, Jim Hammond, Langton, Ontario, CANADA www.innerbayboats.com, wooden boats, kits, restoration and repair
	Wayland Marine, Ltd., Ron Mueller, Bellingham, WA www.merrywherry.com, Merry Wherry, sliding seat, stitch-&-glue, rowing boat kits
	Windsor Boat Works, Mike Windsor, Ontario, CANADA www.windsorboatworks.com, Restoration of muskoka built boats, custom-made runabouts
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ShopBot Boatbuilding Package

Hardware:   Boatbuilders are a diverse group with varied needs in CNC. Starting with a standard ShopBot package sized for your work is the way to go. We illustrate a 4' X 8' size below. But if you plan on working with imported marine plywood be aware that it is sometimes manufactured in metric sizes and may be larger that the cutting area of the PRTalpha 96. Check with your plywood supplier before deciding on tool size and talk with a ShopBot sales person about options for a larger size for maximum adaptability. If production needs are heavy, we suggest a PRTalpha with a spindle. If you will be using the tool just for special projects, a PRTstandard and a router may serve your needs well.

Software:   The type of software that will be the best fit for you depends on the types of project that you do. Many boatbuilders will already have a boat design package of one sort or another, and most Naval Architects and Designers these days can make CAD drawings available to boat shops. CAD drawings exported as dxf files can be easily converted to cutting files with PartWorks Suite (included with all tools). If you don't already have boat design software, consider Rhino 3D as a very affordable starting package for working with hull shapes. Rhino also has some capability for working with developable surfaces and panel expansion (plywood hulls). For general woodworking production and panel layout, ArtCAM Insignia has many useful capabilities for boatshops.

ShopBot Resources for Boatbuilders

Quicklap Canoe. One of Bill Young's first ShopBot tasks was to create a new construction method (and design and build a boat using it) that would be easy to machine using a ShopBot but difficult to do any other way. The QuickLap method of building lapstrake canoes was his solution and the files to build a 13'6" Quicklap canoe are available for free download from our ShopBot Project Wizard website.

Stitch-&-Glue Dinghy Model. A 1/4 scale model of the Weekend Dinghy, a 9' skiff designed by Karl Stambaugh of Chesapeake Marine Design and built during several of the WoodenBoat magazine Community Boatbuilding events, is available for free download from our ShopBot Project Wizard website.

Stepped Scarf Design Tool. An interactive Stepped Scarf design program is available on the ShopBot Project Wizard website, letting you create custom stepped scarfs that can be used in your boatbuilding projects

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