Workshop

So you're starting to think "I could build a boat... maybe...". The truth is PDR's have been built in living rooms, backyards and garages. Most seem to build one in the about one car's space in a garage.

• hull #176 was built in half of a two car garage while the owner's wife parked in the other half

Required Tools

There are many questions around required tools. Here, we'll talk about the required tools (and alternatives to them) and the "nice to haves".

This can end up being a bit of a holy war, as some will swear Tool X is mandatory while others will do without it.

At a minimum, the tools below are considered mandatory. Keep in mind, though, that nothing is set in stone.

saw

Due to cutting the shape of the sides, you'll need the ability to cut rounded shapes. You might do this with a circular saw, but the width of the blade has a tendency to rip up the board as you try to turn into the cut.

The curves on the PDRacer are quite smooth, and can actually be cut quite easily with a normal hand saw. If you don't have any tools, a small Japanese pull saw can be bought for about the price of a cheap jigsaw, and will certainly do the trick as well. You can then use the saw to cut other timbers during the construction process. As an added bonus, you're arm muscles will get a bit of a workout, so you'll be ready for sailing!

• hull #176 was built with a $20 Black and Decker jigsaw

#4 plane

This will be used to plane off certain surfaces of wood for a smooth clean fit. They are quite inexpensive to purchase, a little tricky to learn to use, but invaluable in boatbuilding.

One of the big secrets to using a plane is to keep it very sharp. If you buy a plane, buy a cheap sharpening guide as well.

• Home Depot sells a good Stanley plane for about $12-15

Recommended Tools

These are tools that if you have them will make things much easier.

drill

An electric (corded or cordless) drill will be VERY invaluable. Screws are used to attach the bottom of the hull to the frame and you'll need to put in about 40 of those screws. You could do it by hand, but, well...

• Harbor Freight has a good cheap corded drill for about $20 made by Chicago Electric.
• hull #176 was built using a corded Black and Decker drill (cost about $20 at walmart)

electric sander

There are many types to choose from (random orbital, belt, etc) but if you don't want to end up with achie arms (some people do...), you should pick up an electric sander.

• Black and Decker makes a little hand held sander that's quite inexpensive and can be picked up at WalMart?, etc.
• You can get a Chicago Electric belt sander from Harbor Freight for $20-30 on sale that works quite well.

table Saw

The best part of having a table saw is the ability to cut chine logs. So you can go and buy 1 2x6 and turn it into the lumber for an entire boat. This greatly reduces costs.