“WATER BEETLE” – A FISHERMAN’S BOAT

What is fishing without a boat? Especially on large bodies of water. Want to make an original, virtually silent floating craft? Then let’s get down to business.

Look at the picture. The American magazine Popular Mechanics offers readers an interesting boat built on the basis of a car inner tube and a beach chair. Equipped with oars or a light electric motor, it can move quietly along a body of water, allowing you to get to your favorite places without making a sound. Sitting in the boat, you can simply drift or float with the current along the river bank, choosing a favorite corner.

The boat is assembled from an old car inner tube, a crate, wooden blocks and a chair. Everything else is made from improvised means.

As you can see, the boat’s design is simple and obvious. The main frame can be assembled from wood: in this case, it will have to be treated with linseed oil several times and painted with waterproof paint.

The boat frame is assembled from wooden bars with a cross-section of 15×100 mm. They should be smooth, especially in places resting on the camera. The side supports and crossbars are installed and fastened with threaded bolts with wing nuts. A bar with a cross-section of 15×100 mm is attached to the pins on the front parts of the longitudinal beams. It serves as a footrest for the fisherman. Do not rush to fix it to the beams. You will do this when you install the seat, because the location of the footrest depends on the length of the fisherman’s legs.

Now cover the camera with a sheet of plywood and try the seat on it. If you use a beach chair, we recommend attaching it to the lid with hinges, as shown in the picture.

A miniature outboard electric motor, as already mentioned, is sold in sports shops or in “Fisherman-sportsman” shops. If desired and with skillful hands, it can be used together with a battery installed in a plastic box.

The picture shows how the engine is attached to the box. Of course, the fastening can be different – it all depends on the design of the engine. A suitable battery is used as a battery. It is advisable to isolate it from moisture. Some tips for assembling the boat. You have already done the preliminary preparation. Do not fix the seat until the boat is launched. You will probably have to move it back and forth to balance the boat.

So, when going to the pond, take a rope with you to attach the beams to the inner tube. Don’t forget to take an air pump to inflate the boat after the engine and frame are installed in place. Inflate the inner tube so that you can insert the box into it. Attach the longitudinal bars to the inner tube with ropes, but not tightly, with slack. Install the lid on the box and try on the seat. In shallow water near the shore, experimentally determine the center of gravity of the boat, as well as the location of the footrest. Having marked the places for attaching the chair, footrest, and engine, you can return home and finally assemble the boat.

Additional equipment required includes a bracket for the anchor cable attached to the side of the beam and a fishing rod holder – a short plastic tube tied to the chair.

The boat frame is attached to the tube with ropes. But if you inflate the tube well, it firmly clamps the box and makes the structure monolithic. Although – God protects those who protect themselves, and therefore the rope will not hurt.

Of course, a life jacket would also be a good idea, even if you are going to swim in calm waters and in the shallowest places.

The “Water Beetle” is convenient not only for fishing. The wing nut fastening allows for easy disassembly. When not in use, all small parts are stored in the battery box, and a cover is sewn for the rest.