There are two general modern techniques for building plywood boats at home: the traditional, Ply on Frame construction and the newer Stitch and Glue method. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Both methods of boat construction are capable of producing very functional, strong, and safe vessels. Which boat construction method a potential boat builder should select, depends as much on the skills, patience, and preferences of the builder as on the desired characteristics of the finished boat.
Lets begin by discussing the traditional ply on frame construction method. It’s done by starting with wooden frames, sometimes called ribs. These are usually straight sided, however some older designs try to incorporate curves in the rib elements, complicating the construction considerably. These frames are positioned using a construction jig, generally oriented so that the hull is built upside down.
Longitudinal frame members are attached into notched slots in the ribs. The first one is a heavy frame element called the keelson that runs down the center of the ribs. To the forward end of this element, the vertical timber that forms the prow of the boat is attached, called the stem.