: I'm planning on building a SOF boat and have looked at books/articles by
: George Putz, David Zimmerly and Robert Morris. It appears that there are
: two distinct styles of boat building: Putz vs. Zimmerly & Morris. Putz
: alludes to the reasons for this in his book, and for various reasons I
: will probably end up using the Zimmerly/Morris technique building from the
: gunwales up and down, but I do have some questions for which I'd
: appreciate any thoughts.

: Zimmerly/Morris use lashings & pegs while Putz uses screws and glue for
: fastening. Zimmerly's article indicates that the lashings allow more
: flexibility. Do they offer comparable strength? Possibly the willow and
: oak thing?

I have built both the Putz and the Morris. I find the Moris to be a lot stronger and more secure boat. This could be in large part due to heavier and more substancial woods in the Morris. That being said, I put over 300 screws into my Putz. That's 300 weak points for failure to accure. Compound this by the lack of give in the boat (compared to the Morris which flexes) and things can get a little spooky. That said, I trust both boats.

: Putz uses external keel and side rub strips. Looks like a nice idea, but
: something seems scary about screwing through your skin after you went to
: all the trouble to get it watertight. Does this make the boat leak, or
: does it seal pretty well with the screw pressure?

I've had no leaks in my Putz.

: Putz skins the bottom and top separately, while the others are skinned with
: one big piece. Any particular reason?

No sewing involved. Just stretch and staple.

: The Zimmerly boat from a recent Sea Kayaker is flat bottomed. How does this
: type of boat paddle compared to a v bottom hull? More initial stability,
: slower? I'm thinking of shrinking this boat down to 18 feet which gives it
: a 21 inch beam. Should still float, huh, or will I be paddling upside down
: the whole time?

: Putz makes his cockpit part of the frame, while the Zimmerly boat cockpit is
: almost free-floating on the canvas with only a few frame attachment
: points. Is that still pretty secure?

The Putz Triangle frame is not popular. Most people are opting for egg shaped cockpits on the Putz.

: The Putz and Morris designs I saw use stem pieces, whereas the Zimmerly boat
: brings the keel and stringers all the way to the stem. Any advantages one
: way or the other? I'm guessing the latter is a bit simpler. I first
: thought the stem pieces would be sturdier, but the attachment points with
: the keelson and stringers could be a weak point.

: Does anyone make these boats with bulkheads and hatches? Seems like you'd
: have to tie ropes to everything you stuffed into the bow or stern to get
: it out again.

The bow and stern usually have float bags stuffed into them. Everythinf else is within easy reach. After kayaking I pull out the float bags and place 2 portable fans in the cockpit to assist in the drying process.

: Maybe I'm overthinking this. My guess is all of these boats work! I'm
: probably going to adapt from both styles.

both systems do work. I the the Puts is a little wide and could be slimmed down. I don't know about mixing the building sysems. They are very different from each other. You might be better off just picking one style and sticking with it through your first boat.

Roger

: Thanks in advance.