boating?

Buddy and I took a 16ft aluminium canoe from Kentucky all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Was a really insane 3 months. Ohio river connects to Tennesee River, which connects to the Tombigee River which will spit yoy out into Mobile, Alabama. I swear we almost died of dehydration like 10 times. Also had to carry canoe for miles sometimes due to parts we could not navigate. We had mapped the entire route so we knew that these blockages and dams existed but man, that is really really hard. To our complete shock and surprise fish and game and coast guard never once bothered us, surprising because we had only a few hundred dollars and would fish for basically all of our food. Really a truly great time. We abandoned the canoe in Mobile on the coast of the gulf, seriously just way too many black people to have something of value with us, plus it gave us a lot more mobility to leave it. We hitched back to Paducah, Kentucky after that. I suggest, if you have a best friend, go on an amazing adventure with them.

>>761833
https://www.google.com/search?q=plywood+jon+boat+plans+free&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=639&tbm=isch&imgil=7W7IA52Ik9wqOM%253A%253B2CibzBQQLMZ6MM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Ftablogalerimiz.com%25252Fpdfwoodplans%25252FMmU5ZjUy-free-wooden-jon-boat-plans.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=7W7IA52Ik9wqOM%253A%252C2CibzBQQLMZ6MM%252C_&usg=__9DjSbvOY6hL87PoWinUm2tVCKes%3D&ved=0ahUKEwjWqNmkwNjMAhXF1R4KHfM_DUwQyjcIJw&ei=I4s2V5aLHsWre_P_tOAE#imgrc=7W7IA52Ik9wqOM%3A
A treated-plywood jon-boat would probably cost about $120 to make.

Cheap kayaks are around $180.

The book price of an old fiberglass runabout is literally $0; the only value they have is whatever an outboard motor on them is worth. No motor=no value.

>>764910
Boat wright here..

getting a boat for free, is an amazing feeling. no motor, no problem. anything from 12-30 foot you can use any gasoline/diesel engine from car or truck, transmission or direct drive. turning a boat meant for outboard, to inboard, is basically fiberglass, plywood, resin, some screws, a few hinges, the motor, a way to connect the prop shaft the collar for the prop shaft [the thing that mounts to the boat, that takes the shaft from inside your boat to the outside?] and a prop. if you've got a strong google game, can source a motor for free, or cheap. 500bucks. no problem, you've got a running boat.

to connect the motor to the shaft, find an old front-wheel drive car, and rip the U-joints off of it.. remember EVERYTHING labeled, "marine" automatically makes it 60x more expensive.

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A life jacket is probably a good idea too.

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>>761890
Still got the maps? I'm actually SUPER interested in doing something like this. Can I get your email for further questions?

>>761833
>free/cheap something-that-floats
Build yourself a skin on frame kayak. It's even easier and cheaper than stitch and glue. Free ideas abound on the internet.

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>>764950

>>764950
That anon here. It takes about 20 minutes to map on google earth honestly. Get some print outs from different altitudes and follow your path with a pen or a highlighter. Take print outs of up close shit that should be noted such as a dam and make sure to also note them in your larger print outs. It is very easy to make maps for these types of trips. Just expect it to be slightly inaccurate because google earth is always slightly outdated especially with changing waterways. Always remember where you're going, what direction you're going and what landmarks you should be seeing every few miles.

>>761833
How much do you value your own time? If you go the diy route, it might be better to spend a little going into it. Here's what I did:

1) Bought a $500 fiberglass boat. Motor was almost new, but boat was worthless mess of rot. Motor had cracked midsection. $800 part. Disassemble outboard, get crack welded for $50. New prop for $75. Good as new! Take sawzall to the boat itself.

2) Buy aluminum boat with crap motor and rotten interior. $700. Sell crap motor for $500 on eBay. Tear everything out of boat that isn't aluminum. Rebuild everything. eBay, Amazon, Home Depot for supplies. Never, ever a boat store. Nice winter project. Take my time and do a good job.

3) Combine good motor and good boat. I probably spent $2500 total. Zero problems with my setup for the last 10 years. And yes, it's a proper boat. 18 feet, 50 HP, gets the job done.

>>767844
OP here

not all that highly I suppose, but when I said "free/cheap something-that-floats" I meant it literally....there might be one of those inflatable raft things around (I'll have to look), it's not for going very far and having it be portable is nice

I'll still look around to see if anyone has a kayak super cheap...summer is just starting

>>767844
That's what I figured with boat #1. The fibreglass boat was pretty fucked up, but I figured I could still fix it. Hours and hours of grinding later I was disgusted and quit on it.

It a small kayak or canoe is probably a much smaller project. Good luck, man!