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(Submitted by a Glen-L Newsletter Subscriber):

I enjoyed your last newsletter about the ‘getting started in building boats…’

A couple of thoughts you might consider going forward…

One of the most important tools I’ve found is making a model before the actual build… The model doesn’t have to be anything elaborate – I just use cheap cardboard and whatever glue I can muster. I try to spend a max of one night making the model, and I stick to one scale — 1:27… That way, I can keep track of the relative sizes of the craft by making a 1:27 pipe cleaner model of myself… I cannot stress enough the importance of a model…

Tools are often a huge problem because of their inherent cost… But I’ve found a couple of tricks:

There is nothing like buying used tools from Craig’s List and Facebook’s virtual yard sales…  If you know what you’re doing around machines, it’s a no-brainer. And, if a person doesn’t know what he or she is doing, that person can always turn to your forum. The “Big Dogs” can help out in short order!

When properly constructed, home-made tools can be accurate indeed… I use a piece of 5’ or 10’ Azek (factory edge) as a straight edge that when used in conjunction with a Skil saw and clamps… There are countless jigs, work surfaces, and tools that can be home-made…

There umpteen ways to build a shop without breaking the bank…

My $.02

Best,

Alan Speakman

Mod from Instant Boats Forum