Robote a fast stitch and glue boat

Building and using the Robote, a 15' rowing craft for stitch and glue construction.
www.duckworks....
From the Duckworks website where I bought the plans: Comments from designer and first builder
" Robote was designed for Frank Kahr of Rhode Island strictly as a rowing boat, very light and simple and fast and seaworthy.
Frank built the boat, which he called Robote, from three sheets of Okoume plywood with taped seams. It went together easily as longer boats with gentle curves often do. He said it weighs about 60 pounds, light enough that he can carry it on one shoulder for a short way. Here is Frank first time out with Robote:
Frank entered himself and Robote in the Blackburn Challenge, where one has to row about 20 miles around Cape Anne in Massachusetts, most of it on the open ocean. But it wasn't meant to be and he wrote:
"Wind was SE 15+, rising, with 2-3' chop off the ocean. I rowed about 10 miles, then ran for cover in Pigeon Cove. The alternative was several more miles of windward slog followed by more miles of crosswind. It would have been too much for me."
"The boat was dry, in good control always. It will cope with conditions in which you have no business being out."
If I had seen that forecast I would have left my boat on the cartop. I haven't yet seen any photos of this year's race, but the results of 1999 and 2000 races are posted at www.blackburnchallenge.com . Last year 2 entries scratched and this year 35 scratched! But that brings up a very good point. Good rowboats with experienced hands can handle those conditions for a while but you shouldn't set off into them if you can avoid it. You can get "blown away", especially if anything goes wrong, such as losing an oar or rowlock. And the same is true for any sort of power or sail boat - a small failure in moderate conditions can bring on a disaster. My own rule of thumb is to not venture out too far in whitecaps.
Another subject came up between us, the fact that almost any good conventional rowing boat that has no extremes will row about 4-1/2 mph and no faster, at least not in a long row. My Roar2, Sportdory, RB42and now Robote all go about that speed. Frank adds:
"I agree with your observations about good plywood rowboats. While robote is not a real speedster, it is very pleasant and responds to greater effort with greater speed. Beaching is no problem; in calm water just lean over so one side of the V is horizontal. The boat grew on me during my 2 weeks on Cape Cod and is now beached at a town landing, to be used weekends the rest of the summer. One of my adventures involved a sudden storm with 2' chop crashing on the beach at South Monomoy when I needed to launch to return home; this wasn't pretty, but I got away on the second try.

[@mike761]

Nice job! Congratulations. Could make the construction plan available? Thanks.

[@goodkebo]

Hello! Go to duckworks.com look under boat plans, designer Jim Michalak, design name ROBOTE

[@mike761]

@@goodkebo Show!

[@thomasgibbons353]

Back in my bookmarks and there yall were. very nice straight forward. Errol Garner one of my favorites also.

[@matthewpocock4824]

Nice little project. The spliced anchor line is a classic touch.

[@misgarh]

Watched your video a million times. I just love this boat.

[@goodkebo]

I am glad you enjoyed it. Are you going to try a build? I built a pram from the same designer the following year, it sails great. I posted a video of that build also. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnKvk6iKbph1rZo

[@dennisdavidek6694]

Nice build. Fast v bottom.

[@jozah2148]

EVERYONE SAID THE RIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR BUILD. GUESS WHAT, I PERSONALLY LOVE THE MUSIC AND THE FACE PULLING. LOL! TOO BUSY SWAYING TO THE MUSIC AND LOVING IT ALL, DIDN’T PAY MUCH ATTENTION TO DETAILS. SO I LIKED AND SUBSCRIBE. NOW I WATCH AGAIN.👌🏾😂🤔🌹🇬🇧

[@othername1000]

Nice. I even checked out the link. It's amazing how many designers won't list simple things like draught, or motor ratings, or even weight capacities. But for xx.xx ($25.00 in this case) you can find out. I guess? Maybe. I don't understand the reasoning.

[@franciscocruz454]

Saludos desde costa Rica gracias por compartir tus conocimientos excelente trabajo y buena música

[@goodkebo]

Gracias. Espero que estés feliz y saludable. ¿Estás construyendo alguna embarcación ahora? Viviría para construir otro.

[@HenauderTitzauf]

I always add an extra layer or 3-4 of glas on the keel. Just some added insurance to keep wear down on that surface when beaching. Just my 2 cents. Great build, video, thanks for sharing.

[@gtgl2x]

Nice boat!! It was fun watching.

[@jennyhughes7991]

I LOVE YOUR BOAT. THE HULL IS STREAMLINE AND SLEEK. CREATES LESS DRAG WITH MINIMAL PADDLING FORCE. AND I LOVE HOW THE LINE SITS ABOVE THE WATER.

[@timeless.moments]

Nicely done

[@Woodenarrows]

Sits noce in the water, looks like it also rows well. Great job...

[@amadeocarrizo623]

Hola, Hermoso tu Juguete, digno de alguien que puso mucho esmero, sacrificio y tiempo, y me encanto un comentario de Ud donde responde, VIVIRÍA OARA HACER OTRO, ESO ME DA MAS GANAS DE SEGUIR INVESTIGANDO PARA PODER HACER MI ENBARCACION Y NO FALLAR, DESDE CATAMARCA ARGENTINA, UN ABRAZO GIGANTE Y DIOS Y LA VIRGEN LA PROTEJAN GE ILUMINEN , PARA MUCHOS TRABAJOS MAS SALUD

[@charlescarter6146]

Transitioning to less vee at the transom will give you better planning characteristics if that's what you want but I think this design would be good for rough chop. But it will draft more.

[@darrylsheppard4156]

I dug this. Thanks for your post.

[@vinicius8249]

Much like my project . very good. Best wishes.

[@sutawisutawi1127]

Bisa di pahami cara nya bagus pelan pelan terimakasih atas ilmunya

[@kennethcaine3402]

Great job and video, the colors look great, you should be really be proud of how it turned out.

[@mlangfordcamper]

Loved it and like the bright colors

[@fisherman4839]

Good boat

[@davidkusterer8981]

Terrific job beautiful rowing boat. Excellent workmanship ,the music not so much.

[@goodkebo]

:)

[@billyvu939]

Nice one

[@hoangchuyen7614]

Chào bạn. Mình là người Việt Nam. Bạn làm rất đẹp. Mình cũng có 1 chiếc như vậy.

[@thebirdhat]

I need a materials list! The plans do not include such.

[@goodkebo]

The boat in the background is a Mayfly 16. Plans available at Duckworks. www.duckworks.com/product-p/jm-mayfly16.htm There are some vids of it sailing on my channel.

[@NoahJohnson7452]

I'm building the same boat. How much resin did you use?

[@goodkebo]

I used about 2 1/2 gallons but I fiber glassed it inside and out.

[@CapnJackSB]

Nice job, but needs a small combing on both decks to keep water from running into the cockpit.

[@johnstarkie9948]

CapnJackSB Coaming.

[@bostdell]

lovely boat

[@fo76]

well done (boat & movie)...!

[@goodkebo]

Thanks :)

[@thomasleebrown3136]

I'm impressed !

[@ДмитрийЯ-ч4у]

Respect for the girls who make boats

[@goodkebo]

Он уродливая девушка :)

[@NoahJohnson7452]

did you fiber glass the seats down?

[@goodkebo]

No. They just slip in place

[@fatdad64able]

I have one question though. Did you have to do any *sanding* ? ^^

[@goodkebo]

LOL. yes

[@garlicbreadjenkins5780]

i never had a rowboat so this might be a silly question why are row boats rowed backwards?

[@goodkebo]

Because you can put your back and legs into it. If you row facing forward it is just mostly your arms doing the work.

[@alfredneuman6488]

polyester resin on ply??? Good luck with the adhesion long term.

[@TheBeaker59]

Epoxy is better but polyester works fine too.

[@goodkebo]

I admit I am a cheapo for using the polyester, but I have used polyester on the insides of other boats I have built with good results. It has held up for me as long as I owned the boats (5+years). Everything on the outside and inside taped seams boat was West System Epoxy. I seal up the top edge of the polyester covering with epoxy and tape cloth. As long as the plywood stays dry and doesn't swell and contract the polyester seems to stay put on the inside faces in my experience. The plans really don't call for covering any of the wood with cloth except for taping the seams, I added the cloth all around to keep the ply dry and making it more resistant to dragging over rocks.

[@richardmccombs617]

Nice job! Looks great! When you say molds in the video are you just taking about the 'bulkhead' support you use to form to he shape? Stitch and glue I knew from old Glenn l work and you left most of the build structure inside the boat. I think that is what you did?

[@goodkebo]

Well I wouldn't call them bulkhead supports since they are removed and the boat has no bulkheads. Maybe there is a different name for the pieces you wrap the ply around besides molds. Which Glen L boat did you build?

[@richardmccombs617]

@@goodkebo lol they are probably called forms or supports. Sorry the engineer took over me.

[@ВадимПлотников-м2й]

лодка понравилась! как на волне? мотор пробовал ставить? сабашкиии вообще классные! удачи в походах!!

[@goodkebo]

Здравствуйте! Лодка делает добро на волнах. Я обычно не выхожу, если ветер превышает 15 узлов. Лодка не имеет правильной формы, чтобы быть моторной лодкой - она только для гребли. Вы должны построить свой собственный боа, зимой вам будет интересно строить его, а летом - весело.

[@genefoster7238]

Hey I love the build, the boat looks great and I like the colors you used. could you tell me where to find the plans. Thanks

[@goodkebo]

Check out Duckworks. www.duckworks.com/product-p/jm-robote.htm

[@jonbos2760]

Music the best bit

[@goodkebo]

LOL, I like it too.

[@walidhakouna9795]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@neidenascimento8246]

Canoa usada onde comprar .

[@browni9563]

Good

[@Thrandweel]

how many day weeks hours did this take for you guys? Is this your first build? im looking to do a skiff build this year and im curious. Thanks! looks great

[@goodkebo]

Hello! It took about 3ish months of working weekends. Started in Feb done in May. I build a couple other plywood boats in the past. This is a good basic build good for a first boat. I did some extra things to it, like putting fiberglass cloth on both sides of the wood panels and adding the decks. I could have built it quicker if I followed the plans exactly.

[@Thrandweel]

@@goodkebo Thanks!

[@steventanner1428]

@@goodkebo I would not consider adding filleting on the joints inside and out as extra. As far as I am concerned the extra strength and safety it adds is better than money in the bank.

[@САРАТОВ64-ъ8з]

хорошо...супер!

[@johnevans7389]

Look's a bit to deep in the hull, floats a wee bit high in the water, nice build tho.

[@Игорь-п2л3х]

Нос лодки прикрыли - это понятно, но почему закрыли целый метр кормы?... Кто объяснит? И борт сантиметров на 10 повыше нужно... Эта лодка для тихой погоды.

[@goodkebo]

Здравствуйте! Планы не требуют, чтобы нос или корма были покрыты. Это был мой личный выбор. Я думаю, я немного беспокоюсь о том, чтобы что-то потерять в ветреный день. Если я снимаю куртку из-за теплой гребли, проще и быстрее добраться до задней части лодки и бросить ее туда, чем развернуться и положить ее под нос.

[@Kathrynbuh]

How thick was the ply used? I'm planning my first build with the same plans but cant get hold of quarter inch. Will 9mm ply do the trick?

[@goodkebo]

I would probably go with 6 mm. Especially if you epoxy/fiberglass like I did.

[@robertcain3426]

A boat designer friend says 3mm or 4mm maximum, especially since you are glassing both sides. Overbuilt and heavy, but better than underbuilt. Nice boat - hand made like a Rolls Royce.

[@JamesJones-cx5pk]

WGreat boat. She looks strong. .Who' s on the groove?

[@goodkebo]

:)

[@m_vip]

What are the dimensions of this boat in centimeters and thank you

[@goodkebo]

about 425 cm x 115 cm

[@ismaelhimmo55]

I need thies one How moutch price

[@goodkebo]

www.duckworks.com/product-p/jm-robote.htm

[@royormonde3682]

Looks nice but very unstable when you deep V a small boat because the your weight makes it top heavy, always better to have a flat bottom when building a small boat. Just saying for those considering a build of your own. Design is very important, deep V construction is for speed in large boats.

[@goodkebo]

It is actually pretty stable. More stable than I thought it would be. The shallow Vee bottom is kind of a poor man's round bottom. The boat carries its beam right out to the rails. Watch the video. It is also more seaworthy than a flat bottom boat in choppy conditions.

[@mustafabugra6954]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@danielmackinnonzorrillades1186]

Planos o plantillas a escala?

[@goodkebo]

www.duckworks.com/product-p/jm-robote.htm

[@MrDvenclovas]

💛💚❤

[@ckaygur]

sory...but there is only a few pictures.why doesn't any video also sucks while music. We want to watch videos and examine the workmanship closely. you should not tell such a beautiful work with a few pictures Shame on you!... greetings from turkey

[@goodkebo]

:)

[@razifghazali007]

Argghh.. the backgroud music is irritating!

[@goodkebo]

lol

[@robertmackenzie3973]

Good job, but sits to high in the water making it less stable,no expert, just saying.

[@goodkebo]

When I sit in it, it sits low, I weigh 300 lbs, lol

[@geoffreymills9932]

Cool boat, horrible piano

[@chrisfranks5926]

Might be a nice boat but the im special jazz sucked so badly I couldn't watch ir

[@mydirtyguitar1638]

unnessary sic audio ug .

[@adrienbastarache8096]

I would not go far ,stay close to the shore,the sides are not tall.

[@jonathanpielago]

wow nice job

[@sticky59]

Well done ...... and a great choice of boat to build.

[@oldladyme]

Good Job....

[@jennyhughes7991]

I AM FROM THE PHILIPPINES. I AM LOOKING FOR BUILDS OF BOAT MADE OF PLYWOOD SINCE IT IS CHEAPER THAN OTHER MATERIALS. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW MUCH WAS THE TOTAL COST OF THE BUILD? THANKS.

[@goodkebo]

I used about 3 sheets of 1/4" Luan Plywood and about 1.5 gallons of epoxy resin plus the fiberglass cloth. You could build the boat using less epoxy/fiberglass but then you would need to use better quality plywood. The boat probably cost about $300 USD for my build.

[@markvincentcocjin]

Whoever composed that piano music should sell it to the CIA. It makes for good torture music on repeat for 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

[@goodkebo]

lol

[@dandysumatha]

nice boat.... bad music

[@MARCICO77]

Hi. Greetings from Argrentina, I recently started to get into this to make me a boat. I looked for videos and I loved you for showing the whole process, I think they would be good film producers. My name is Mauro or as it would be written in English would be Maurice. I was looking for the possibility of getting the plan but from here (Argentina) it does not give me access to the page to buy it. Could you send a copy? I think I would make a similar video thanking them for the great favor and would give them the credits to generate in me the value of making one. be blessed! big hug. atte Maurice Marcico

[@goodkebo]

Hi Mauro! Thanks for your kind words. Try this link: www.duckworks.com/product-p/jm-robote.htm

[@vincenzomemoli8354]

Bellissimo lavoro, semplice e pulito.

[@phildavis4878]

That is one heck of a gift I have to be able to build boats like that I came out really good kudos to you

[@manflynil9751]

Very Bewi tiful.

[@andresmontandon9443]

Soy de chile

[@goodkebo]

I would love to come visit Chile someday! It looks very beautiful.

[@Stormer1633]

Love the nonchalant music, goes well with the simplicity of the build process reflect in the photos. Role model Dad.

[@bipedalhominid6815]

Did i see bondo?

[@goodkebo]

Sure did.

[@bipedalhominid6815]

@@goodkebo im using bondo in some spots on my epoxy skiff build. Everyone says not to use it on a boat. Im just doing some minor fairing with it before gelcoat. Think ill have any issues?

[@Bikerbob59]

Nice job. About how heavy is it?

[@goodkebo]

About 80 pounds. I can put it on the roof rack myself.

[@leksey7870]

Boat just a fairy tale!

[@dickywabang3414]

please inform me ... how many layers of fiber do you use for the boat you are working on ...? Thank you

[@goodkebo]

Along the seams 3 layers inside and out. In the big flat open areas one layer on both sides.

[@dickywabang3414]

@@goodkebo thank you for information....

[@peckerwood780]

What the hell was that noise playing in the background I couldn't finish the video because of that crap

[@JF-4444]

Nice build, love the colors. Music is super annoying after a minute or two.

[@sutawisutawi1127]

Bagus sekali

[@goodkebo]

Terima kasih banyak

[@josephrivera5507]

Were can I get this boat design plans? Thank you

[@wdtaut5650]

Duckworksmagazine.com -> boat builder's supply -> boat plans and kits -> plans by designer -> Jim Michalak -> rowboats -> robote plans

[@patbarrett9263]

LOVED THE BOAT BUILD, HATED THE MUSIC

[@Diazodinitrophenol]

Music is the best part

[@yldzlarstars3625]

Bad music, but nice boat

[@zakthewarcat3172]

looks very uncomfortable

[@scottmichael3745]

Great build, boat, and video!! Just one question, why is the polyester resin so dark? What I get is usually clear. Curious, is it an additive? Oh, and they're going to regret that floor color choice, the glare alone..

[@goodkebo]

With the polyester resin color, maybe it just looked that way because of the darker colored plywood? With the paint, I got kind of bored with the colors I used to paint my boats, varnished rails, white exterior, green or red sheer stripe, and gray interior.

[@scottmichael3745]

@@goodkebo Gotcha. Thank you kindly for the response! Darn fine boat though. She's a beauty!