In our opinion, another type of small vessel has been undeservedly forgotten. It's about a dugout boat. Behind its seeming simplicity and "absurdity" are hidden both the rationality of the design and excellent driving performance. The absence of scarce materials and the minimum set of required tools make it possible to manufacture such dugout boat directly on the shore, away from settlements, in places of hunting or fishing.

For many decades, the secrets of master boatmen were passed down by word of mouth, from father to son, without drawings or calculations. And since a limited number of people were engaged in this trade, today it is very difficult to find a specialist who can competently, according to all the rules, make a real dugout. This is aggravated by the fact that now, in the era of modern materials and technologies, there are practically no masters of the younger generation, and the old ones, unfortunately, take their experience and skill with them: their art dies with them. Therefore, we decided to introduce homemade people to dugout boat manufacturing process. Perhaps some of them will be interested in this topic. We hope that the traditions of folk craft with their help will be preserved and continued, bringing benefits.

When describing the procedure for working on a boat, we proceed from the capabilities of a single master, without the use of machine tools and any lifting mechanisms. However, in any case, both the manufacturing process itself and the boat itself will bring you real pleasure.

Before getting started, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Do not immediately take on the manufacture of a large boat. An unprepared person may not be able to do this. It would be more correct to try a variant with a length of 3-4 meters.

3. The proposed technology and terminology takes place in our places, in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Of course, it may differ in other areas. Keep this in mind to avoid confusion.

4. Do not forget about the accumulated experience in amateur shipbuilding. It is very useful for work, especially if a beginner undertakes it, various additional literature.

The choice of material and dimensions of dugout boats

Homemade solid wood dugout boat can be made from pine, cedar, larch, aspen or poplar. In our area, aspen and poplar are preferred, as their wood is durable and easy to process. The time of year for felling a tree does not really matter; it can be both winter and summer. It is important that this is done on a full moon. According to the experience of the old masters, if you cut a tree “for a young month”, then the made boat will be very difficult to breed, and during operation it will quickly fail. Perhaps this will seem like prejudice to some, but such advice has come down to us from antiquity.

The length of the boat is chosen based on the required carrying capacity (usually about half a ton), the condition of the reservoir where it will be used, and the availability of wood of a suitable size. The following dimensions are commonly used: 4.5 m, 7 m and 9 m. The longer the boat, the more laborious it is, of course, to manufacture, but it is better on the go. A suitable trunk diameter is selected as follows: they clasp the tree with both hands, and if the fingers do not converge by 30–40 cm, this is what you need (the circumference is about 180–200 cm).

Tool needed to make a dugout boat

To make a boat, you will need the following tools: an ax; tesla - straight and lateral (made from an ax with subsequent hardening); plumb; a brace or drill with a drill with a diameter of 10 mm; two-handed planer (a regular, one-handed one is also suitable, but it is more difficult for them to work); crosscut saw or chainsaw.

Preparation of the bottom of the dugout boat

Having laid the felled trunk of the selected dimensions on two thick poles (it will be more convenient to work alone), they begin to prepare the bottom of the future boat. To do this, they examine the workpiece along the length and find a section that is even along the entire length, without visible dips and distortions in the middle - this will be the bottom. The selected place is skinned with a width slightly larger than the width of the ax blade, and then a line is beaten off on the resulting strip with the help of a plumb line and a cord. Now, along the line, carefully remove a layer of wood, making sure that there are no humps and depressions.

Turning the trunk over on the poles and fixing it so that the bottom plane is horizontal, we determine the middle of the log. For this, a plumb line and a ruler are used. Having broken through the middle with a cord, we retreat to the right and left of this line by about 40-45 mm (two fingers) and draw two more side lines.

Preparing the bow and stern of the boat

When starting to mark the bow and stern, you need to remember that the butt of the workpiece will be the bow, and the top will be the stern, that is, the bow should be larger in size than the stern. This factor is associated with the features of operation, for example - with outboard motors.

After completing all of the above from the side of the bow and stern, we beat off the lines along the plumb line, which are, as it were, a continuation of the middle and side lines of the bottom. Stepping back from the lower edge of the log by 120-150 mm, perpendicular to the vertical lines, we draw the lower edges of the bow and stern.

Now we need to determine the length of the bow and stern. When making a boat of the recommended dimensions, they are approximately 500–600 mm and 400–500 mm, respectively. In the general case, they depend on the diameter of the trunk and can change in one direction or another. But for any value, the length of the bow should be 100–120 mm longer than the length of the stern. In order not to subsequently “lose” the necessary points (the intersections of the lines of the lower edge with vertical markings at the ends and the side lines of horizontal markings with limiters for the lengths of the stern and bow), select them with a bright pencil or charcoal.

Cutting the bow and stern is done with an ax. It is important here not to rush and not to kill for the marked points. The slope of the cheeks should not be too steep and not too flat. In this case, any other recommendations are hardly appropriate: you just need to feel the tree and, when choosing sizes, rely first on intuition, and then on experience. So, with a sharpened ax we give the cheek the shape shown in the figure. In the same way, we process the workpiece on the other side. Then we connect the reference points and remove the excess so that we get a narrow inclined surface.

Having processed both ends in the described way and without turning the workpiece over, we sand it over the entire visible surface. From the extreme horizontal marking lines, we remove the wood with ribbons so that the trunk takes an ovoid shape in cross section. This usually requires going through 4-5 ribbons. Of course, we must not forget about the symmetry of the sides, and also avoid visible dips and bulges. The exit of the tape to the nose and norm should be smooth. This work is not difficult, but requires accuracy and does not tolerate haste. In conclusion, we turn the workpiece over and finally sand it.

Ya. Solomennikov, I. Solomennikov, p. Karatuz, Krasnoyarsk Territory.

Bent on the oar, One, a humble inhabitant of the waves, Rows and to the south the boat rules; The other, as if struck by a sorcerer, Stands motionless; Staring at the shores, not saying a word, And his leg is already ready to step over the boat. It drives a cliff, To the soles of two allies and strengthens it with a reliable knot, And enters with a slow foot On the wild and steep shore.

The black boat beats against the shore, Alien to the charms. Alien to the pure charms of happiness, The boat of languor, the boat of anxieties Abandoned the shore, beats with the storm, Looking for bright dreams, the chamber.

Our life can be conveniently compared with a capricious river, on the surface of which a boat floats, sometimes rocked by a quiet streaming wave, often delayed in its movement by a shallow and broken by an underwater rock. Is it necessary to mention that this fragile boat in the market of fleeting time is none other like the man himself?

My boat of death took the wrong course - either the helmsman was distracted by the contemplation of my beautiful homeland, or in a moment of absent-mindedness he turned the steering wheel in the wrong direction, I don’t know what, I know one thing - I remained on the ground and my boat has been floating in earthly waters since then.

The boat at Lukyanich turned out to be useless: as soon as the guys began to stir, the boat swung, and they all fell into the water, except for Lukyanich.

It’s true that not many of today’s poets who sing “boat of languor, boat of anxiety” know what a feeling it is when a sheepskin coat becomes “like a stake” and boots become stiff (“popped out, as if to sin, in bare boots!”) And in the face , in the eyes, in the ears, in the hair it fills with wet snow, it takes the breath away from the wind!

And then a light boat will float out to the very middle of the river, and a beautiful young maiden in white robes will wave the oar, directing the boat to the shore ... Such, probably, young Olga saw young Igor the Prince, as the legend tells.

After that, the sea began to move away and move away and sucked the boat out of the mouth of Perak; it drew him past Selangor, past the Malay Peninsula, past Singapore, on and on towards the island of Bintang, and the boat moved as if it were being led by a rope.

in order to reach the limit again, Where I live, I go to this cool; Where are you, - I said, - you hesitated like that, Casella? And he said: - His will be in that! He who takes, whom and how he will judge, Let him forbid me to come here more than once, -97. All the same, the will in him judges according to the Eternal Truth. And truly, for three months, as he Accepts everyone, who will arrive in the boat in peace. So here I am, standing at those coastlines. Where the waters of the Tiber became full of salt. At the mouth where it soars through the waves. Then everything that does not fall for the silent Acheron is collected there. - O!

» From the material presented, you will learn how you can make yourself a dugout boat with your own hands. For which only natural material is used, namely soft wood, for example, willow or aspen. The tree is selected in advance straight and without branches, as well as the thickness of the trunk will be responsible for the displacement of the future vessel.

This technology for building boats is very ancient and was passed down from generation to generation, from Father to son, today it is almost forgotten, but there are still "Craftsmen - well done" on the Russian Land!

Let's look at what exactly the author needs to build a boat? And we will also consider all the stages and watch the movie (Create yourself a botnik).

materials
1. soft wood (willow, aspen)

Tools
1. chainsaw
2. hacksaw
3. ax
4. adze
5. jointer
6. source of fire (blowtorch)

Master class from Ivan Petrovich Ovchinnikov, on the construction of the boat "Dugouts" with his own hands
And so, the author adopted this technology from his Father, and he, in turn, from his parent). In ancient times in Russia, the main building material, as you know, was wood, as well as furniture, dishes, peasant implements, carts, and so on.

Boats and boats, respectively, were also built of wood; for this, entire artels and brigades were created. It may seem strange .., but boats began to be made in the winter, when the tree is still in a dream. The most suitable tree (aspen) was selected in the forest, cut down and shaped like a boat, after which the workpiece was covered with snow and remained in this position until early spring. During this time, the tree properly absorbed moisture. Why leave the boat in the forest, and even in the snow??? The fact is that for the further process of forming a boat, it is required to dry it over an open fire, put spacers, thereby betraying its final shape (everything is described in detail in the film)

But the village of Vanya went a slightly different, easier path, chose a large and thick one (willow), sawed it down to the very root), removed the bark and proceeded to form the boat.

As you can see in the photo, the author first makes a drink, and then he cuts it with an ax, he does everything professionally with a minimum of labor) The log turns over the village of Vanya alone, because he is a Russian hero and eats porridge in the morning, and the master knows the laws of physics and uses a lever (scrap) and easily twists the workpiece as he wants) With the help of an ax, he sets the shape.

Then Ivan Petrovich proceeds to the manufacture of the inner part of the boat, he also uses an ax and an adze.

2 partitions were left inside, they will serve as stiffeners for the boat structure.

That's actually what happens, the botnik is almost ready.

The master skillfully works with an adze, because he adopted this art from his Father.

After the boat has been made. it was processed with a blowtorch, so that later the wood was not afraid of moisture and served the owner for a long time.

Our author turned out such a wonderful boat, now he will be able to swim along the Don and fish. As you can see, it was quite easy for the master to cut down the boat, and most importantly, the material is free and given by nature itself.

You can also watch a very good film about the manufacture of dugout boats using ancient technology.