The Swamp Girl

The Swamp Girl is not a person but a siren voice calling paddlers to enjoy the pleasures, sights, sounds, and solitude of the swamp.

The Swamp Girl was a custom design request made by Chuck (aka oldsparkey), the moderator/owner of the Southern Paddler.

Built with simple stitch-and-glue techniques, our designs require no complicated techniques or tools. Everything can be done with simple hand tools.

The design was to have the attributes of a pirogue, canoe, and kayak. With the bottom panels curving from a flat bottom to meet vertically at the bow and stern creating a sort of built-in skeg.

The hull shape is very useful for paddling in the shallows, having to cross over the occasional log, and paddling right up to the beach.

A recent Swamp Girl builder/paddler wrote:

"At moderate speed , it tracks fairly well . It effortlessly turns on a dime , which is a great characteristic for a swamp boat. It cruises nicely to about 3 mph, and then bogs down. It is not made for speed.

It can carry a fair amount of weight. We probably had 400 lb. in it and didn't sit too low in the water. It has some decent secondary stability.

It is not made for big water. But it will be a great boat for swamp exploring and fishing."

Read the full text by visiting this site.

That review explains exactly what the Swamp Girl was intended for.

The tapered sides help drop the wetted surface area when upright but add secondary stability if the boat is leaned over. They also provide for comfort inside the cockpit by giving your legs a place to rest. The slight tumblehome provides for easy paddling and added stability.

Specifications
16
14
12
Overall Length
15'10"
4.8m
14'
4.3 m
12'
3.65 m

Max. Beam
32"
81cm
30"
76 cm
29"
74 cm
Height at bow/stern
14"
35.5 cm
13"
33 cm
13"
33 cm
Height at mid ship
11"
28 cm
10"
25.4 cm
10"
25.4 cm
Rocker fore
1.5"
3.8 cm
1.5"
3.8 cm
1"
2.5"
Rocker aft
1.5"
3.8 cm
1.5"
3.8 cm
1"
2.5"
Estimated weight using 1/4" (6mm) Okuome
40 lbs.
18 k
35 lbs.
15.9 k
30 lbs.
13.6 k
Displacement weight the waterline
553 lbs. minus hull weight
250 k minus hull weight
390 lbs. Minus hull weight
177 k minus hull weight
304 lbs. Minus hull weight
138 k minus hull weight

 

Always wear your Personal Floatation Device!

 

Bill of Materials

 
16
14
12
Plywood: (see note 1)
3 sheets
2 sheets
2 sheets
Epoxy Resin (With 15% waste factor)
1.8 Gallons
1.2 Gallons
.85 Gallons
Fiberglass Tape
50 yards
46 yards
42 yards
Wood Flour
1.2 quarts
.7 quarts
.6 quarts

*Additional material for fairing will be required. Material type and amount will vary depending on builders' taste and skill level.

 

Cost:
$150-$400 in 2006 costs, depending on the quality of materials chosen.

Labor:
The hull can be built in 25-30 hours. Up to 20 hours to fair and paint depending on the desires and skills of the builder.

More:
Visit our Customer Service Forum to post questions and see what others are saying about our designs.

Plans Include:

  • Simple to follow, detailed drawings of each part with all dimensions required to layout and cut from flat plywood sheets.
  • Nesting drawings for the best plywood layout with all panels and parts clearly labeled.
  • Drawings list
    • Plan and Profile
    • Nesting
    • Panels drawings
    • Temporary Frames
    • Specific building notes for this boat.
    • Bill Of Materials.

     

    Note: All drawing are on clearly displayed 11" x 17" paper. Metric and standard units are provided.

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