November 29 1998

It is -18C this morning in Edmonton so this is my official start to "x/c skiing and computer WebPages season".

Quite a while back I had an email from John Booley as to how he had built a one sheet skiff to go frogging.  John used my ideas on the One-Sheet Skiff to build a boat that in the end was quite different from what I had originally envisioned.  I have developed a much more detailed set of building instructions but because of computer incompatibilities I did not put it up on my  web pages mostly because I could not be bothered to retype it all.  A few months ago I got a new HP printer/scanner with OCR so one of these days I will have to convert the detailed instructions and put them up on the site.   Anyhow I have found John's experience with the O-SS fascinating  as he has really pushed the details of  the design yet has continued to credit me for the design.  He has more than succeeded in object of the design, which was to have fun with a boat for minimum expense. What I also love is John humorous email style (move over Mark Twain) and congratulations John , thank you for sharing your experiences with us.

Below is a review of our email messages and some of the photos that John sent me.

Yo Herb!!

Thanks for the free plans and construction details of the One-Sheet Skiff!  It's just what I've been looking for. I like to go frog gigging in the local farm ponds, and I needed a small boat that I could carry easily. I'm nearing completion of my O-SS and I've decided to fiberglass the entire bottom, and all of the seams. Also, I added an extra rib between the mainframe and transom. I got a couple of pressure-treated 2X4's and ripped them to make my own 1X2's for construction.   

Here's my question...What's the load capacity on this thing? I'm a pretty big guy....245 lbs. and I've got to take lights, gigs, cold pop, and frog basket when I go. All told, I figure to be pushing around 280 lbs. when I go frogging. Will the O-SS carry this, or will I take a short trip to the bottom? A couple of my friends have told me it'll never float me. Waddaya think? I'd like to hear from you. By the way, I've got about $60.00 invested, and I think that will finish the boat. I've worked on it 10-12 hrs.  Thanks,

John Boley

Dear John:

    I highly advise you to wear a life jacket as you may sink!  I weigh 150 pounds and the boat is just about right, You are talking about doubling that which would give you only 3-4" of freeboard, not a lot. Good luck and let me know if you float. Thanks for writing.

Herb

Yo Herb!

    I'll be careful with the O-SS and only go on calm nights. Was it you who mentioned the free plans for the 7'10" dinghy at bateau.com? I think I read about it on your page. Anyhow, I went to the site, and my internet explorer refuses to open the plans, so I can't download the zip file or even look at the boat plans. Do you have this file? If ya do, how about emailing me a copy? I'd like to look at that dinghy in case the O-SS won't float me. I asked the pooter guy at that site how come I couldn't open that page, and he said I should read my pooter manuals and learn how to download...I KNOW how to download, what I can't figure out is how to get my browser to open that page. The address that I can't get open is http://www.bateau.com/free/4dink.zip

Thanks for the help

John Boley

Subject: Re: The Big Guy with the O-SS

YO HERB!

I tried out the OSS the other day, and it floated my bulk, but was VERY unstable. I had to sit Very still to keep water from sloshing in on me.  BUT, I FIXED THE PROBLEM! Here's how: Out of the depths of my despair in realizing the O-SS was too unstable to gig frogs from, I was faced with 2 choices, either build a bigger boat, or find a way to stabilize the O-SS.

The O-SS was Perfect in weight (I could carry it easily on one shoulder, and I knew that to build a larger boat would require more wood, resulting in a boat that I could not carry in to the frog ponds. So the only solution was to make the O-SS more stable. I did NOT want a fin on the bottom of the boat, because with my weight, launching from a pond bank, I would only destroy the fin, as well as the boat bottom. I wanted a perfectly flat bottom. Here's what I did...I went to Wal Mart and bought 2 of the large plastic boat fenders that they sell there for $6.96. These are made of durable thick plastic and already have holes for mounting. They're about 16" long. I turned them lengthwise and mounted one on each side of the O-SS at the midpoint of each side to the gunwales on the outside of the boat. They serve as mini-pontoons and keep the sidewalls from dipping under if I shift my weight. They stabilize the boat and add nothing to it's weight.  Also, I'm able to have a flat bottom on my O-SS. This boat, is now finished, usable and stable all for a cost of about $73.00 + 10 hrs. labor. My boat looks a bit odd with those "pontoons" on each side, but I wanted a boat I could use, so I'm not bothered by the funny looks I get from those

who are destined to stay home and watch TV and waste these sultry summer froggin' nights. Thanks for the plans, and please feel free to share this tip if ya get any other "heavies" building the O-SS.

John

Hello John:

I am glad that the O-SS is working for you. The lightweight is a real boon when it comes to carrying a boat and thus lets you spend more time on the water. I have to admit that at first I thought that you may have been pulling my leg  when you told me how much weight you were planning to put in to the hull.  The foam sponsons sound like a good idea and if you send me a photo with you  in the boat I will credit the idea to you. I have seen sponsons on canoes but  they are a pain in this application as they interfere with paddling.

    This would not be a problem on a rowboat. Your adding an extra frame was also a good thought at when the boat is as heavily loaded as you describe there   would be a lot more weight on the sides pushing them in. BTW how much freeboard do you have when loaded up?

    I also use a O-SS for fishing.  I have gone fly fishing for small mouth bass, blue gills and trout in mine. I also use the yellow American Plywood Association/Popular Science One Man Dinghy for pack-into-a-lake-fishing. I built the yellow one from an 1/8" doorskin and reinforced the bottom where I get in and added a couple of ribs. This boat weighs 18 pounds. I have thought about doing the same with the OSS but the bottom may turn out to be too flexible.

Another question? What do you do with the frogs? I have eaten them a few times but the ones we have around here are only 4"long (streached out). We do not have warm sultry nights up here, in fact it has been raining heavily  this weekend (mid July) and the high temp was 14C (60F).

    My address is:  M. Herb McLeod,  6543 - 112A Street, Edmonton, AB, Canada,  T6H 4R4.   I would really like a photo of you in the boat for those who think it is  too small to be useful.   In what part of North America do you live?  Thanks for the emails.

Herb

Yo Herb!!

    I just wanted to check in to say that I'll be sending along some photos via snailmail in the next week or so. The O-SS has filled the bill for a frog-gigging one-man boat. My freezer is now filled with frog legs, and more are being added every week. I've found the O-SS to be very stable, and quite easily paddled by shifting the paddle from one side to the other.  The "pontoons" don't interfere, since it's easy to reach far out past them.  I usually sit facing the transom, and actually paddle the boat backwards while hunting frogs. This allows me to approach the bank where the frog is sitting with absolute silence, and also allows me to be closer, since I'm not trying to gig over that long bow. A fellow frogger saw me in my O-SS

The other night, and offered me $150.00 for it on the spot. He was fishing from the bank of the pond I was gigging, because he could not carry his aluminum jon boat without help, and therefore, could not gig in that pond.  I almost sold it to him (it would be twice my investment), but I decided I was having too much fun with it, and offered instead to build him one if he would supply the materials plus $100.00. He said he'd let me know. I figure I could work a couple of hours each evening and still go frogging and still finish his in about a week. Thanks again for the free plans. I hope you don't get tired of hearing about it, but it's not often that you get something free that is worthwhile. I think I could build and market the O-SS to a lot of guys around here who've never considered a one-man boat.

John

Yo Herb!

    Feel free to use any of the frogging info I sent ya. The other night I went and caught 11 frogs all over 10 inches in length. The O-SS has been great. Don't worry about sending the photos back, I have duplicates.

John

Hello John:

    I am glad you are enjoying the O-SS. I want you to know that I have really enjoyed all of your correspondence and have learned something new, namely  frog giggling and it sounds fun. I am also looking forward to the photos.

    If you are able to build a small side business building O-SS's for frogging  go for it and good luck! For me boat building is a hobby that I want to share with others.  Thanks again,

Herb