Lets see - a wood floor. As much natural light as possible, and, since I am in the Pacific Northwest, sufficient electrical light for older eyes - which means a lot of light. Heat for three seasons! If generating any kind of sawdust, a dust collection system, with the machinery and collectors outside the shop, under a small shed roof (such a system has made a huge and very positive difference in my brothers shop). Overhead electrical outlets, preferably on reels. I'd be tempted to build the back wall of the shop so that a longer boat could on occasion be accommodated. Long workbenches on each side of the shop that could support planking jigs and longer masts and/ or spars.
One of the issues I mind when laying out my workshop, is that we boat builders often handle long lengths of lumber, stringers, planks, mast staves and such all go over the sawbench and, or through the thickness planer so I make sure that I can do that without obstruction. In one small shop I occupied for a while I made a "hatch" in one wall which lined up with those machines on the outfeed side, so, with the hatch open I only had to accommodate the infeed end within the shop.
In others I line those machines up with a doorway, and in my current shop which is 12 meters long I have lined them up along the boat build space which is on one side along the long axis of the shop.
The bandsaw is also a consideration, mine being a 20 in heavyweight unit there are times when I'm putting really big pieces of plywood through that, and I need space in which to swing up to half a sheet when cutting curves so the location of that, with enough clear space in which to work is essential.
I have had experience with two composting toilets, both Clivus Multrum. They avoid the need for a septic tank and, as long as you keep a light bulb lit in the chamber when the weather is cold, will keep the enzymes from freezing to death. The one at the Beacon, NY, waterfront is over 40 years old. Odor is not an issue.
When I worked as a land surveyor in the '60s, many of the properties we surveyed were situated on the local sand. Part of certifying the property for a septic tank was performing a "perc" [percolation] test to determine whether a septic tank would work at that site. It consisted of pouring a bucket of water into a hole and timing the drainage. Coarse sand drained best. Base the size of the underlayment on the amount of water you are likely to use, then multiply it by two or three.
As you are not going to use this area for human waste, you will not need a septic tank.
I'm just designing a shop for my backyard. I started with all kinds of ideas as above, but the building codes where I live in Victoria BC are strict. I ended up with something very different to fit the code, which limited me to 392 square feet, ceiling height, no toilet, and other aspects. Still, after a few months of renting an 800 square foot shop 30 minutes from my house, I'm feeling very lucky to be able to get back to a shop next to the house, where you can go back and forth between the project and the rest of your life in seconds instead of committing to a half day or more blocks of time. Like boats, better to have a little shop you use regularly than a bigger shop with obstacles to frequent use.
The roof height is limited to 11.5', average of the peak and eave. So, it morphed into a 7.5' ceiling space with an attic under a 15.5' high roof peak that has a 6' center aisle accessed by stairs, as well as an external hatch over the garage door for storage of of long stock. All the bits and bobs go upstairs, so the shop has only tools, workbenches, workpieces and the absolute minimum of frequently used stock, hardware and fluids. Everything else in the attic. Windows and doors on two sides only because the code let me push the building closer to the property line if there were no windows. Still happy though and can't wait to start building something in my new shop by January.
I guess,like many, I have never had a proper boat building shed. Most have been built in half of a two car garage. My wife claims the other half and prefers no dust on her clean car, thank you. Then there was the 24' Bolger Bird Watcher I built in my 21' x 21' basement shop. The beam is 6' and my basement door (yes, a walkout) was a 6' double. A friend who came to help me get it out brought his chainsaw. I asked, what for? He said, either the doorway or the boat, my choice!
Marty, you’ve seen my shop and I know you have some photos. You are welcome to use them if you’d like. I can provide others also. Just let me know.
For other’s benefit… My shop is 30x40’, concrete slab with hydronic heat. The ceiling slopes from 9’ to 14’. There’s a 9’x16’ overhead door that is all glass. It lets in lots of light which is very nice. The downside of the door is that I can’t hang shelves there and dog knows I need more shelf space for all my stuff. Or maybe less stuff. No way.
Another hint, when I look around my own shop and think a little, I see a number of things that I dont see in the shops of others, things that I would find it difficult to do without. For example, I have a big woodworking vicehttps://hupshenghardware.com/product/irwin-record-t52-1-2ed-quick-release-wood-working-vice-jaw-width-9-jaw-opening-13-18kg/ set up at one end of my main bench, I'm right handed so this is installed flush with the right hand end of the bench, the bench being wide enough to operate a handsaw across the width, this enables me to clamp a big piece in the vice and cut it off, or cut part way through. If the vice is situated in the middle it cant be used in this way.
I’d just reached the point in reading when I wondered “what about the clamps?” And then you wrote “clamps, clamps, and more clamps.” Boatshop complete!
I’m lucky enough to have a nice workshop. It’s about 24’ square with a 12’ ceiling, oversized roll up door, nice tools, etc. I’m an old guy so I’ve added a simple toilet room, a utility sink and floor drain. Also a sleeping loft where old boat junk used to be. The sleeping loft is the size of a single mattress plus an extra foot on the side, just sitting headroom and a Japanese style sliding door. It’s insulated, has a tiny box heater, small window and a radio. I like napping. An upgrade soon will be to replace the old roll up door with a fancy aluminum type with frosted glass windows to let in daylight from this north facing end.
Dan - I’d love to see some photos of your shop—any details you’re willing share…even the sleeping loft for naps. Please email some to me at Norseboater22@gmail.com. Best, Marty
Mine is 32’ square with the working area 18’x 31’ inside with 14’ ceiling. The rest of the building is boat storage, wood and parts. Feature include a washroom, a heated floor and Internet. I use an engine crane for lifting.
George - Please tell us more—your shop sounds terrific and well-arranged. (And a heated floor…pretty deluxe.) Also, can you say more about the engine crane? (Do you mean a diesel or gas engine with extreme reduction gear, or an electric motor-driven hoist, or…?) Can you perhaps shoot some photos and email them to me at the address mentioned in the column? - Thanks, Marty
You can see a lot of it and my projects on my georgebrindle Instagram account and I’m out in your neck of the woods next week at the Seventy48. The engine crane is like to 2ton engine crane from Harbor Freight
I have a double garage (6mx6m - standard for the UK) which will never see a car, one half is for my bench and tools and the other half for boat building and panel stock. Boat building frames are usually mounted on wheels so I can move the boat around to get to either side. Planning restrictions in the uk mean that good size sheds are not a possibility, max floor area of 15sqm and ridge height of 4m if a double pitched roof, 3m if not, mean only small craft would fit. There’s one exception, if it’s moveable, ie built on wheels (!) you can build any size you like.
Houses in the uk usually have a small plot size so noise abatement is a consideration if good relations with your neighbour are to be maintained. One item that you’ve not mentioned is security. Having had all my power tools stolen in the past I now make sure that my garage is secure (my insurance paid up and I got a new set of tools out of it, it pays to keep all your receipts!!).
Following the KISS system, consider getting a composting toilet and creating a porous underlayment for sink drainage. This would allow a single water inlet line, either a hose or a pipe and allow the sink water to percolate into the ground.
I believe your prospective dimensions are, while idealized, overly generous. As with a boat, larger structures seem to follow the principle that larger quickly becomes more expensive. Consider purchasing a small barn or similar structure and developing from there to meet your needs.
Eric - Sounds like you might have used a composting toilet and created the porous underlayment for sink drainage…for a shop, cabin or…? Can you please tell us more about both—the composting toilet brand or one you created, and maybe additional details on what went into design and materials used for the underlayment? Many thanks, Marty
Shalline - Oh, boy…I hardly mentioned lighting, but that’s a subject worth diving into, so with help from readers we’ll have more to say on that topic. - Marty
I have a shop, but my first boat was too big to build inside. I simply ran a good rope from a tree to the peak and draped a large white tarp. White to ensure there is lots of light below! Adding wood "tent poles" along the sides of the tarp, opened the work space up to move around the hull! When not working I'd drop the poles and tuck the tarp under the hull. If the ridge pole (rope) is high enough, then the steeper angle doesn't encourage puddling and risk the boat build become a pool! I did not work outside in winter, though but prepped parts inside the shop! The tarp would need to be cleaned off of snow to not distort the work done up to that point! BestRoy
Roy - Do you have photos of that first shop, the boat you were building, and the tarp you draped outside to keep the project covered? If so, or if you have any other shop-related photos, can you please email some to me at Norseboater22@gmail.com ? Thanks! - Marty
Tod - Good point—I should have suggested a doubling of certain trusses that would be used for the chain hoists, to lift boats off the shop floor. (I did that in an earlier shop build, and never had to worry. During construction, pairs of trusses were simply bolted to one another, and the doubling took place on every other truss inside the wood-framed, metal-clad building. I might still be in that shop today, but it was on residential property that was sold several years back. I’ve been living on an old boat or renting since then.)
I've been thinking about building a 4x4 frame to be able to do that. My garage shop trusses are probably not strong enough to withstand such dynamic loads.
So much enjoyed reading about what your perfect smaller boat shop could be. Also noticed how you used the word “keen” to describe something that you really like. That word brought me back to an old timer cousin of Ken Olson, Jake Thompson. He used that word in the same way and also to describe experiences that he liked. Brought me back to remember his fun and “keen” stories.
I really like your description of your “keen” boat shop dream. Thanks for sharing. Nancy
Lets see - a wood floor. As much natural light as possible, and, since I am in the Pacific Northwest, sufficient electrical light for older eyes - which means a lot of light. Heat for three seasons! If generating any kind of sawdust, a dust collection system, with the machinery and collectors outside the shop, under a small shed roof (such a system has made a huge and very positive difference in my brothers shop). Overhead electrical outlets, preferably on reels. I'd be tempted to build the back wall of the shop so that a longer boat could on occasion be accommodated. Long workbenches on each side of the shop that could support planking jigs and longer masts and/ or spars.
Great additions to the “must-have” list, Pete. Thanks! - Marty
One of the issues I mind when laying out my workshop, is that we boat builders often handle long lengths of lumber, stringers, planks, mast staves and such all go over the sawbench and, or through the thickness planer so I make sure that I can do that without obstruction. In one small shop I occupied for a while I made a "hatch" in one wall which lined up with those machines on the outfeed side, so, with the hatch open I only had to accommodate the infeed end within the shop.
In others I line those machines up with a doorway, and in my current shop which is 12 meters long I have lined them up along the boat build space which is on one side along the long axis of the shop.
The bandsaw is also a consideration, mine being a 20 in heavyweight unit there are times when I'm putting really big pieces of plywood through that, and I need space in which to swing up to half a sheet when cutting curves so the location of that, with enough clear space in which to work is essential.
Many thanks for sharing pro tips, John. Really important contributions to the design process. Best, Marty
I have had experience with two composting toilets, both Clivus Multrum. They avoid the need for a septic tank and, as long as you keep a light bulb lit in the chamber when the weather is cold, will keep the enzymes from freezing to death. The one at the Beacon, NY, waterfront is over 40 years old. Odor is not an issue.
When I worked as a land surveyor in the '60s, many of the properties we surveyed were situated on the local sand. Part of certifying the property for a septic tank was performing a "perc" [percolation] test to determine whether a septic tank would work at that site. It consisted of pouring a bucket of water into a hole and timing the drainage. Coarse sand drained best. Base the size of the underlayment on the amount of water you are likely to use, then multiply it by two or three.
As you are not going to use this area for human waste, you will not need a septic tank.
I'm just designing a shop for my backyard. I started with all kinds of ideas as above, but the building codes where I live in Victoria BC are strict. I ended up with something very different to fit the code, which limited me to 392 square feet, ceiling height, no toilet, and other aspects. Still, after a few months of renting an 800 square foot shop 30 minutes from my house, I'm feeling very lucky to be able to get back to a shop next to the house, where you can go back and forth between the project and the rest of your life in seconds instead of committing to a half day or more blocks of time. Like boats, better to have a little shop you use regularly than a bigger shop with obstacles to frequent use.
The roof height is limited to 11.5', average of the peak and eave. So, it morphed into a 7.5' ceiling space with an attic under a 15.5' high roof peak that has a 6' center aisle accessed by stairs, as well as an external hatch over the garage door for storage of of long stock. All the bits and bobs go upstairs, so the shop has only tools, workbenches, workpieces and the absolute minimum of frequently used stock, hardware and fluids. Everything else in the attic. Windows and doors on two sides only because the code let me push the building closer to the property line if there were no windows. Still happy though and can't wait to start building something in my new shop by January.
Some really interesting information, Ben. Congratulations on making if through the permit process. - Marty
I guess,like many, I have never had a proper boat building shed. Most have been built in half of a two car garage. My wife claims the other half and prefers no dust on her clean car, thank you. Then there was the 24' Bolger Bird Watcher I built in my 21' x 21' basement shop. The beam is 6' and my basement door (yes, a walkout) was a 6' double. A friend who came to help me get it out brought his chainsaw. I asked, what for? He said, either the doorway or the boat, my choice!
Marty, you’ve seen my shop and I know you have some photos. You are welcome to use them if you’d like. I can provide others also. Just let me know.
For other’s benefit… My shop is 30x40’, concrete slab with hydronic heat. The ceiling slopes from 9’ to 14’. There’s a 9’x16’ overhead door that is all glass. It lets in lots of light which is very nice. The downside of the door is that I can’t hang shelves there and dog knows I need more shelf space for all my stuff. Or maybe less stuff. No way.
Another hint, when I look around my own shop and think a little, I see a number of things that I dont see in the shops of others, things that I would find it difficult to do without. For example, I have a big woodworking vicehttps://hupshenghardware.com/product/irwin-record-t52-1-2ed-quick-release-wood-working-vice-jaw-width-9-jaw-opening-13-18kg/ set up at one end of my main bench, I'm right handed so this is installed flush with the right hand end of the bench, the bench being wide enough to operate a handsaw across the width, this enables me to clamp a big piece in the vice and cut it off, or cut part way through. If the vice is situated in the middle it cant be used in this way.
I’d just reached the point in reading when I wondered “what about the clamps?” And then you wrote “clamps, clamps, and more clamps.” Boatshop complete!
I’m lucky enough to have a nice workshop. It’s about 24’ square with a 12’ ceiling, oversized roll up door, nice tools, etc. I’m an old guy so I’ve added a simple toilet room, a utility sink and floor drain. Also a sleeping loft where old boat junk used to be. The sleeping loft is the size of a single mattress plus an extra foot on the side, just sitting headroom and a Japanese style sliding door. It’s insulated, has a tiny box heater, small window and a radio. I like napping. An upgrade soon will be to replace the old roll up door with a fancy aluminum type with frosted glass windows to let in daylight from this north facing end.
Dan - I’d love to see some photos of your shop—any details you’re willing share…even the sleeping loft for naps. Please email some to me at Norseboater22@gmail.com. Best, Marty
Mine is 32’ square with the working area 18’x 31’ inside with 14’ ceiling. The rest of the building is boat storage, wood and parts. Feature include a washroom, a heated floor and Internet. I use an engine crane for lifting.
George - Please tell us more—your shop sounds terrific and well-arranged. (And a heated floor…pretty deluxe.) Also, can you say more about the engine crane? (Do you mean a diesel or gas engine with extreme reduction gear, or an electric motor-driven hoist, or…?) Can you perhaps shoot some photos and email them to me at the address mentioned in the column? - Thanks, Marty
You can see a lot of it and my projects on my georgebrindle Instagram account and I’m out in your neck of the woods next week at the Seventy48. The engine crane is like to 2ton engine crane from Harbor Freight
I have a double garage (6mx6m - standard for the UK) which will never see a car, one half is for my bench and tools and the other half for boat building and panel stock. Boat building frames are usually mounted on wheels so I can move the boat around to get to either side. Planning restrictions in the uk mean that good size sheds are not a possibility, max floor area of 15sqm and ridge height of 4m if a double pitched roof, 3m if not, mean only small craft would fit. There’s one exception, if it’s moveable, ie built on wheels (!) you can build any size you like.
Houses in the uk usually have a small plot size so noise abatement is a consideration if good relations with your neighbour are to be maintained. One item that you’ve not mentioned is security. Having had all my power tools stolen in the past I now make sure that my garage is secure (my insurance paid up and I got a new set of tools out of it, it pays to keep all your receipts!!).
Chris - Very interesting details about boatshop challenges in the UK, like maximum size for sheds. And a good point about security considerations.
Following the KISS system, consider getting a composting toilet and creating a porous underlayment for sink drainage. This would allow a single water inlet line, either a hose or a pipe and allow the sink water to percolate into the ground.
I believe your prospective dimensions are, while idealized, overly generous. As with a boat, larger structures seem to follow the principle that larger quickly becomes more expensive. Consider purchasing a small barn or similar structure and developing from there to meet your needs.
Eric - Sounds like you might have used a composting toilet and created the porous underlayment for sink drainage…for a shop, cabin or…? Can you please tell us more about both—the composting toilet brand or one you created, and maybe additional details on what went into design and materials used for the underlayment? Many thanks, Marty
If the shop is on the property and close to the house, why do you need a toilet, especially if your shop is small?
Good lighting comes to mind, some fixed, some moveable.
Shalline - Oh, boy…I hardly mentioned lighting, but that’s a subject worth diving into, so with help from readers we’ll have more to say on that topic. - Marty
I have a shop, but my first boat was too big to build inside. I simply ran a good rope from a tree to the peak and draped a large white tarp. White to ensure there is lots of light below! Adding wood "tent poles" along the sides of the tarp, opened the work space up to move around the hull! When not working I'd drop the poles and tuck the tarp under the hull. If the ridge pole (rope) is high enough, then the steeper angle doesn't encourage puddling and risk the boat build become a pool! I did not work outside in winter, though but prepped parts inside the shop! The tarp would need to be cleaned off of snow to not distort the work done up to that point! BestRoy
Roy - Do you have photos of that first shop, the boat you were building, and the tarp you draped outside to keep the project covered? If so, or if you have any other shop-related photos, can you please email some to me at Norseboater22@gmail.com ? Thanks! - Marty
Always love your articles! Only thing that comes to mind off hand is heavy rafters suitable for lifting the completed boat for turning and what not.
Tod - Good point—I should have suggested a doubling of certain trusses that would be used for the chain hoists, to lift boats off the shop floor. (I did that in an earlier shop build, and never had to worry. During construction, pairs of trusses were simply bolted to one another, and the doubling took place on every other truss inside the wood-framed, metal-clad building. I might still be in that shop today, but it was on residential property that was sold several years back. I’ve been living on an old boat or renting since then.)
I've been thinking about building a 4x4 frame to be able to do that. My garage shop trusses are probably not strong enough to withstand such dynamic loads.
So much enjoyed reading about what your perfect smaller boat shop could be. Also noticed how you used the word “keen” to describe something that you really like. That word brought me back to an old timer cousin of Ken Olson, Jake Thompson. He used that word in the same way and also to describe experiences that he liked. Brought me back to remember his fun and “keen” stories.
I really like your description of your “keen” boat shop dream. Thanks for sharing. Nancy
Thanks for your keen appreciation of keen old junk mentioned in the column. (Yes, I guess use of the word dates me a bit!)