Back in 2009 my son, Dave Jr. and I got to talking about some of the small lakes and ponds we like to fish. A couple of these lakes in particular have some great fishing but it is in hard to access areas.
   My fishing boat is just too big to lug around so this made it really difficult to get it to the water.  Sitting around one day we  were talking about the need for a small pond popper boat much like a Coleman Crawdad. We looked around and priced a few of these types of  boats and the cost defeated us at every turn. 
  One evening while sitting around the kitchen table I posed the idea of us building our own boat. It was a rather halfhearted suggestion at the time but to my surprise my son loved the idea. Neither of us had ever undertaken a project like this before so we decided since we didn't know what we were doing in the first place we would just do it our way.
  We looked around online at some of the different boat designs and plans that were available but we didn't find any that we liked. We wanted our boat to be small enough to handle easily and styled like a jon boat.
   We got out some paper and drew up a sketch of what we wanted. We then made a scale model of it with paper just to be sure that our construction method was feasible. It all worked out better than we expected so we set a date for the following week to begin construction.
  Building the boat was a little slow going in the beginning because we were literally learning as we went. But before long it started taking shape and surpassing our expectations.
   I do admit the idea started out to be just a simple pond popper with no amenities. The further along we got though, the more ideas we got. We added a large bow and rear seat storage area with room for a cooler to keep our brews cool. We added a horn, a built in bow spot light and a hand held spot in the boat. We added a bow red/green light and a stern all around light (it is USCG approved). My son had a nice CD player and quad speakers that he took from a truck that he had and we installed it. We even put down a nice slatted floor so we wouldn't have to deal with the ribs. In the end we built our perfect Father /Son boat.
  I can't begin to tell you how much fun it was building this boat with my son. It was truly one of my greatest times. The time spent with my son ( who is in the Army) was a blessing and it helped smooth a few issues we had between us. I fully recommend a project like this for anyone who wants to have some real quality time with someone special.  I hope you enjoyed the story and I hope it may inspire others to undertake projects like this.   Dave Barnett Sr.

HI DAVE, great story is there anyway you can post a pic ?? when you talk to your son tell him THANK YOU for me..Our son was also in the army.( served in iraq for a little over a year he is back home now and is out of the service was in for 8yrs) Also welcome to the club from ca.. JOHN

Great Story Dave!  What great memories you have to cherish. Uncle Tom

great story dave and i bet you have great memories too

I will post some pics as soon as I learn how. I have asked a few people and e-mailed the editors/moderators but haven't heard anything back. I don't understand photo hosting and all that code stuff. If anyone wants to explain it please do so. You can e-mail me at dk_barnett@yahoo.com Thanks.

Thanks to Ice Cube Bob I can now post some of the pics. 

This first pic is of the hull after we had just taken it off the jig.

Here in this second pic is a view of the cedar ribs we made.




Boat is starting to take shape. We have the bow framed up.



The view from the back with the top decking down on bow and rear seat.



Almost finished with the carpentry phase.







Here is is construction finished ready for the fibeglass and epoxy finish.




And the end results........


Unloading

This is what made it all worth while!

Thank you Lord Jesus This is the life!

Hope you enjoy our pics and I hope it will inspire others to try something like this. God Bless.  Dave Sr & Jr.

awesome

great looking boat Dave. I am glad to see that a little problem like having never built a boat before would not stop you. just dig in and do it how you want it done.

Brian

Great read and pics Dave. Thanks!

really nice boat......thats so cool to see it floating too

Thanks again dave really enjoyed the pics and the step by step right down to show it out on the water.......you and your son did a great job........ JOHN

Great story of a father and son. I thank your son for his service to our country. I hope many fish were caught from that boat. It inspires me to do something with my father as well.