Plans & Kits
DRIVE Marine can give you a taste of just how easy and enjoyable building a kit boat can be. The benefit of building a kit boat is:
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A great way to develop boat building techniques before taking on the big one.
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A kit outlines what you have to do and provides you with the necessary materials.
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If you purchase your kit boat off DRIVE Marine or one of our resellers we will provide you with as much product knowledge and guidance as necessary, we are only a phone call away.
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Another great thing about buying a kit boat is they’re not a big dent in the bank account and it’s a project that the whole family can be involved in.
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Plus, if you make a mistake it will not be disastrous as you can always buy a new piece/ sheet of plywood if unable to cover up a mistake and only you will know, when it is finished!
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From a Kit or Plans you can complete something like a Joey dinghy, eureka canoe, illuka sea kayak from a few weeks to 6 months, depending on your availability to work on your project.
Our advice is to start with something small then work onto building the boat of your dreams, it can also act as your tender later on.This way you can learn on something achievable over a few weekends.
Be wary when buying or sourcing free or cheap plans from the internet, as there are a few important things to keep in mind:
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US plans are sized to fit a plywood sheet of 2440x1220 which is imperial.
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Australian standard for plywood is 2400x1200 (Metric). (We are able to supply Imperial size sheets of Plywood if your ideal design is from overseas).
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Cheap or Free plans from the internet are generally sold with minimal guidance or information. Remember you get what you pay for.
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DO NOT ignore plans from the US and Europe as there are some very good ones if you are prepared to pay $50 to $150, depending on the complexity.
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All of our plans and kits come with instructions.