THE boat shown in the accompanying
sketch is intended for use in a shallow pond or marsh. The
craft is a flat-bottomed, one-passenger affair, and is poled
along.
A
complete view from the top and side is presented by the cut
marked Fig. 2. Our first work will be to saw out the
two eight-foot side boards, which we might dignify by the name
of gunwales. For those is recommended cypress, one inch or
more in thickness. Next, put in the center floor timbers,
which are two inches square and twenty inches long. Put in the
one in the exact center, keeping its lower edge a half-inch up
from the lower edge of the side board. Next put in the stem
and stern pieces, which form the ends of the boat. These are
only ten inches long, so the sides will be bent. You may now
put in all the other floor timbers, eighteen pieces, to
conform to the shape and dimensions of the diagram in Fig.
2. The short side braces, or ribs, are now attached as
shown in detail by Fig. 4.
In Fig. 5 you get a good view
of the pair of braces put on the top edges of the gunwales, in
X shape. These will add strength and rigidity to the ends and
should be securely fastened with long, slender screws.
The best material to use for the
bottom boards is half-inch matched flooring. Clear pine will
do as good as any, but the tongues and grooves must be coated
with a thick mixture of white lead and oil before being put
together. The edge pieces, which are curved, will tax your
patience. The crack should be puttied and battened with a long
strip. Before the boat gets any wetting at all it must receive
three thorough coats of paint inside and outside.
The pole used may be a bamboo fishing
rod or a sapling of sufficient lightness. Fig. 6 is a
diagram of how to start and end the stroke. Racing in punts of
this type is fine exercise, and for frog and turtle hunts they
can't be improved upon.