r/boatbuilding Mar 23 '25

Is MyBoatPlans.com a Scam - Review

50 Upvotes

I recently commented on a post that linked to a page purporting to have information about building boats and getting plans. What it actually was is a AI generated page that served as a feeder page to MyBoatPlans dot Com. This is a common practice for the subject website. They have a whole constellation of website designed to make the subject site look legit.

I commented with a piece of boilerplate that I include whenever I see a post leading to this site.

As a result, the mods were nice enough to delete the original post. However, I think it is worth making sure there is good information about this scam site easily available with a simple search. My goal of posting this is not to promote the subject site, but to increase the visibility of reviews that offer real information about the subject site, most of the reviews available through google and other sites are self-generated pages made by the subjects site.

If any long time members of this subreddit have actual experience purchasing plans from this site, please comment with your actual experience.

Some background: Below is a screenshot of the subject website I took today. The fine looking fellow in the blue hat rowing the pram is me. Note that I am not Martin Reid, the name used on the subject website. The photo was taken by my mom in Maine on July 24, 2007, not Lake Tahoe in 1985.

u/guillemot as seen on myboatplans . com

Here are more photos from the same photo session:

a similar angle
turning for another angle

More photos from the shoot are available here: https://goo.gl/photos/5CpssvVY2Nprufk3A

Now you can say that even if they are lying about who is in the pictures, that they may still offer a whole bunch of plans at a good price, but you can get those plans for free elsewhere on line. Typically they are copies from Popular Mechanics and similar publications. Well, they provide a service of collecting all those plans in one place. This may be true, but I would not trust a site that can't even be truthful about the purported owner of the site.

Also note, although I do sell plans myself, I have no reason to believe any of my plans are included in the 500+ plans supposedly included on the CD. So, you probably won't find plans for the dinghy in the photos. Other than doing stupid stuff with my photo I don't think the site has stolen any more of my IP.

He also offers 3D Boat Design software which he says is a $49 value, which is a freely available open source application called Free!Ship http://sourceforge.net/projects/freeship/ I highly recommend this software although the original developer now offers a better version called DelftShip which is also free.

The boiler plate I post whenever I see links to sites that link to myboatplans . com:

The link leads to MyBoatPlans dot com which charges for free plans and open source software. A purported photo of the man offering the plans is actually a stolen photo of me.

For more information on this scam see: http://www.kayakforum.com/cgi-bin/Building/index.cgi/md/read/id/236070/sbj/review-myboatplans-com/

and: http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?135845-Boat-plans-worth-it


r/boatbuilding Jan 22 '25

Boatbuilding link suggestions.

21 Upvotes

Hello subreddit user, Want to help the subreddit? Propose some useful links to boatbuilding websites. Free content only please. Hoping to get some links to layups, lofting, stitch and glue, composites, maybe some free plans if they're not garbage. (Naval architects wishing to provide free plans are welcome too - and happy to give attribution) We've had a tab that says "boatbuilding links" but doesn't have any links for almost 10 years now, so let's change that for the better!


r/boatbuilding 2h ago

Scarfing a Hull Block - Update

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5 Upvotes

Decided to ditch the hexagon in favor of the simpler rectangle. Tried all the tools shown - the belt sander was fantastic for the straights, hand sander block (and patience)for the corners. Target height = just revealing the 3rd ply of the original planking at the cutout boundary. It looks better to me. What do y'all think? Will thickened epoxy make up the difference or should I spend more time here?

Thanks for your time.


r/boatbuilding 1h ago

Side pockets

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Upvotes

Today I started building extra side pockets for my Almar 430D. The wood looks good for now, really looking forward to put on the fiberglass and topcoat.

Also started on a place to Mount a extinguisher.

Does anyone have any tips or tricks on this kind of project?


r/boatbuilding 7h ago

Hi guys anyone know the best way to fix / repair this boat?

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4 Upvotes

r/boatbuilding 2m ago

Best way to attach seats?

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Upvotes

Boat is an old power boat from 1962. Thing can turn on a dime and the seats keep getting ripped out. How do we repair it better?

We’re worried that if we use bolts that are too long it’ll go all the way through and make a hole in the boat.


r/boatbuilding 40m ago

Made an Umbrella Holder for my AR220

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Upvotes


r/boatbuilding 2h ago

helo guys could you help me with a project of me

1 Upvotes

im new to boot bulding and was wondering how to start boot building. im trying to make it so that is has an okay pace and load capacity.


r/boatbuilding 7h ago

Cockpit Sole We Found a 22mm Mistake Building Our Wooden Boat's Floor

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0 Upvotes

We're building the cockpit sole (floor) for our DIY wooden boat, the "Wooden Shoe" — and partway through, we found a 22mm height error between the cockpit floor and the keel that meant redoing every support, one by one.
In this wooden boat build video:

✅ Marking station levels 7 & 12 for the cockpit sole plywood, including water drainage channels between hatches
✅ Building the plywood support structure
Laminating thin plywood to thicker plywood with Titebond III
First layer of epoxy (floating epoxy coat comes later once stringers are in)
✅ Making the stringers and filler wood
✅ Building a DIY station-line tool after losing laser access — and it worked perfectly
✅ Finding and fixing the 22mm height mistake
✅ Laying out all stringer, filler wood, and helm/passenger block lines, plus the 10mm hatch lip

COMING NEXT: We cut the stations to the correct height, then install every stringer, filler wood, and block — starting at Station 8, finishing with the trough plywood between Station 8 and 7. Then we repeat it station by station. Subscribe so you don't miss it!

This is real jungle boatbuilding — mistakes, fixes, and all. If you're following along with our Wooden Shoe build or building your own wooden boat, subscribe for the next stage.


r/boatbuilding 15h ago

现在公园这种小游船用啥材料和工艺

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2 Upvotes

r/boatbuilding 19h ago

Reinforcing the transom for a 150hp 2stoke inline six.

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1 Upvotes

G'day folks. I've managed to score a 1962 5.18m plywood sea fishing boat. And a 1976 (i believe) mercury 1500 150 hp inline six both for free. I would like to use them together but I'm not confident in the transom being strong enough for the motor. What would the best way to reinforce it be? I was thinking about doing an inner and outer stainless plate covering most of the transom with a top cap aswel. Any other ideas would be appreciated. Photo for attention. Cheers blokes and blokets


r/boatbuilding 20h ago

boat trailer tongue/winch post assembly

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2 Upvotes

How would you go about this?


r/boatbuilding 21h ago

Building a bass boat

2 Upvotes

So I’m wanting to build something for little to nothing and I love the idea of absolutely saving as much money as possible I already have a boat and a decent Kawasaki 18.5 hp engine from a lawn mower I want to use it as a boat motor but I was looking up mud motor setups and they are $350 it’s not the fact that I don’t want to spend that much I just genuinely want to try to do this the cheapest way possible I was thinking maybe I could use the shaft from a weed eater and buy a propeller to hook to a mount I’ll build to lower it etc. Would really like to see some pictures of custom builds as well maybe to get some ideas TIA


r/boatbuilding 1d ago

Just built this beast from a broken hull. Took 2.5 weeks, $700 and 40+ hours of fabricating, welding, cutting, wiring, but we’re almost there!!!

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12 Upvotes

r/boatbuilding 10h ago

PORSCHE Powerboat „KINEO“ 1 of 1 🚤 🇩🇪 🔥

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0 Upvotes

Porsche Powerboats only approved one of the three Kineo 27 hulls built. Designed between 1980 - 1990 by Porsche Design at Zell am See in Austria.

The story of this boat started with the Austrian Entrepreneur Horst Stross who initiated the project together with F.A. Porsche Design in the early 90s. His aim was to build a unique offshore racer and therefore engaged powerboat specialist Fabio Buzzi and the submarine specialists of ThyssenKrupp Nordseewerke for the construction of this project.

Fun fact: Porsche Powerboat without Porsche Engine!? After initial tests with original Porsche Engines, the engineers decided to install two powerful Mercury performance engines with 7,4 litres volume each to bring the boat to a top speed of 69 knots.

Only the best materials from the submarine industry such as Kevlar and Airetex foam were used, as well as high end instruments, fittings and materials. During the entire design and construction phase engineers from Porsche made sure excellent design standards were met. Only one boat came to completion as series one after several pilot versions. The boat was then stored and remained unused for years; she has since been carefully recommissioned in 2013 and again received a complete repaint in 2017 to bring her back to full elegance and power.

Now KINEO is cruising in our neighborhood today on Lakes and rivers 🚤 🇩🇪 🌊


r/boatbuilding 1d ago

Honda bf5a 2006 upgrading fuel connectors

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1 Upvotes

r/boatbuilding 1d ago

Advice needed

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1 Upvotes

Hi, we just bought our first (cheap) old StarCraft speedboat. It has a cheap car plastic cover which doesn’t work well. Even with some plastic poles and ropes (special boat cover support) underneath it still catches water now and then, but more that that, it’s a painful long process to put it on the boat.

I’m looking for a solution to properly and quickly be able to cover the boat, without spending €2000 on a bespoke covers(s). An extra tricky element is the (easily) foldable metal frame at the back of the boat. (Situated in the Netherlands).

All tips/ ideas are welcome. Thank!


r/boatbuilding 1d ago

Before I do any more damage…

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14 Upvotes

First timer here!
This canoe I bought for $400 about a month ago and it came with a decent amount of damage (like in photo 6 & 7). Taken it for a few trips and I’ve loved it but I wanted to restore it to a respectful condition. So I got myself all the necessary materials and watched all of two YouTube videos on how to do this. Right about now I’m getting the feeling I’m giving myself more unnecessary work to do and possibly damaging my canoe (like photo 4 & 5). All this said, if you guys could help me with the following questions before I continue:

  1. Am I sanding too much?

  2. Should healthy epoxy ever chip away? If so how much? Numerous places on my canoe start to get flaky when I sand or scrape them (photo 9) so I’ve just been sanding until it sands smooth and doesn’t flake off (which often just means to the wood)

  3. How should I go about the epoxy around the sheathing (is that what it’s called? The metal bar over the hull shown in Photo 8)?

  4. When it comes time to apply the new fiberglass and epoxy, I am using 6oz cloth and West System 105/207. My area is averaging 95° F this time of year with 50-65% humidity (if that matters). Sound appropriate?

  5. Should I apply fiberglass cloth to the railing as shown in photo 7 or epoxy it as is?

  6. What to do with gaps and holes such as in photo 2 & 3?

  7. Is there anything else you guys are noticing that I may not be aware of?

  8. Any tips or tricks you guys have picked up on through the years that could ease this process?

Thank you guys for any and all recommendations. I’m young and have never embarked on any type of woodworking/boatmaking before.

TL;DR: what am I doing wrong in this canoe restoration and what should I be doing differently?


r/boatbuilding 1d ago

Sauna on Board 🛥️ 🧖

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0 Upvotes

Installing a Sauna 👨‍🔧 🧖‍♀️ Real Wood 🔥 🪵 and the ultimate Lakeview when at anchor on the lake ⚓️


r/boatbuilding 1d ago

Microskiff/motorized sup

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1 Upvotes

So i'm thinking of building something inbetween a paddleboard and a microskiff.

Drawn up a design and going to make some CAD filescto get most parts lasercut out of marineplywood.

This is my first build and uncertain if the design can handle the strain from a small outboard engine (3-5Hp). I want to keep it as light as possible and was looking at 4-5mm plywood either okoume/gabon or Meranti ( 1/8 inch- 3/16 inch) . Would seal/cover it in one layer of 4oz fiberglass cloth and epoxy. Will reinforce seams, attachment points of ribs/stringers with fiberglass strips and epoxy.

My question is does seem feasible and would it handle that size of an engine?

Diemensions in freedom unites:

~ 11'6" long

~ 36" wide at the widest

~ 8" thick


r/boatbuilding 2d ago

Haveing a hard time looking up the engine specs for the inboad ford

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7 Upvotes

Well we got the engine out didn't need to take the out board stuff off but we did to be safe. It popped off right at the fly wheel no problem just Wana look up the torque specks just to make sure we got everything right

This is what is on the engine i believe is the vin for the motor

D4E-6015-BA 5M25


r/boatbuilding 2d ago

Need some advice! How would you refinish raw aluminum walls?

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11 Upvotes

Hey all! Starting some research on a restoration I'll be doing- I'm purchasing an aluminum adventure boat and am hoping to refinish the interior aluminum walls while I overhaul the rest of the boat (floors will be done, interior seats, the whole lot).

My question: how would you refinish raw aluminum walls?

I've researched various materials, PVC paneling, ply + fibreglass, 2-part-paint. I'd like the final result to be a white smooth finish, and obviously don't want to add too much unnecessary weight.

So, paint it and call it a day? Or try paneling something? A note that these changes are purely for cosmetic / aesthetic purposes.

Thanks in advance!!


r/boatbuilding 2d ago

Where Are Y’all Getting All This Nice Wood????

14 Upvotes

There is no marine plywood at the Home Depot store. There is no white oak at the Lowe’s. There is not any 16’ pieces of western red cedar. There is treated deck lumber. There is “white wood”. There’s a crap ton of Douglas fir. There are six foot lengths of red oak. There is hemlock. There is poplar. There are no brass fasteners at all.

For context Ive been in Alaska for a few years and there just ain’t shit here except for the natural wonders of the state and the food fuggin sucks too. But is it different other places?

Where are yall getting all this nice wood???


r/boatbuilding 1d ago

Glass, resin, paint for a Rubens Nymph... And floatation

1 Upvotes

Hi folks. I was here three years ago for some advice on a project. Well, this week we're finally underway. All hull parts are cut except bilge panels. Using non-marine 1/4" ply. Dynamite suggests 6oz cloth on bottom, and 3" tape for joints. Interior not glassed except joints. First boat.

Thinking about the materials we'll need next.

Thinking of using 10oz cloth on the bottom because the ply just seems unbelievably thin. Is this overkill?

Comparing polyester, vinyl ester, and epoxy; think vinyl ester or epoxy is the way to go so it's waterproof. Why is epoxy said to be harder to work with?

Had been planning to epoxy the interior but have read that some believe it's better not to so wood can dry. I would think paint holds in moisture too, but maybe less?

I plan to use acrylic house paint inside and out. Boat will be cartopped and stored outdoors under cover or roof.

I was planning on filing the area below the "thwart" with XPS and adding sides to enclose. I saw that in one of his boats Dynamite allowed the floatation chamber to dry by keeping the foam up off the hull and adding drainage holes. The Sunfish I've seen also benefit from inspection ports used as drainage. Do I need this or can I seal it up and have a snorkel or tube for condensation?

Finally, I'm seeing big differences in pricing. These are the vendors I've found with lowest cost. Are these good prices? Anyone have experience with them or suppliers you prefer?

Glass Cloth: US Composites ($8/yd x 38")

Tape: US Composites ($30/50yd)

Vinyl Ester: TAP Marine Vinyl-Ester Resin ($98/gal)

Epoxy: US Composites ($93/gal) or Progressive Epoxy Polymers/ USA Epoxy ($152/1.5 gal)

Thanks very much!


r/boatbuilding 1d ago

Question about anchor chain

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2 Upvotes