a 17' 6" garvey flats boat
The Dragonfly is a garvey-type hull that is built from plywood by the Stitch and Glue method. A garvey hull with a squared transom bow provides more room than conventional hulls. With the deck recessed slightly below the sheer, a roomy play and work area results. Plenty of walk-around room for fishing, whatever type you're after. Yet when traveling, you sit in a spacious cockpit protected by a windscreen.
The hull is sheet plywood planking in standard 4' x 8' panels fabricated to shape by the simple and practical Stitch and Glue method. The sides and bottom are fully dimensioned and a complex building form is not needed. Lay out the sides and bottom on the plywood, saw to shape, wrap the planking around the single building form, hold the seams together with wire stitches, and follow with fillets (glue) and reinforce with fiberglass laminates. Full-length longitudinal members are added to further stiffen the hull. A proven, easy to build method attested to by the many first time amateurs that have used the procedure.
The hull bottom of Dragonfly is flat in the aft section going into a moderate vee forward. This provides maximum buoyancy, and this boat can get to those shallow areas in the backwaters and slither over areas that most vee bottoms can't navigate. These hulls are remarkably stable; no severe rocking from side to side when moving across the boat. Plus, a stable casting platform allows the angler to concentrate on casting rather than on balancing.
- Length overall:
- 17'-6"
- Beam:
- 7'
- Hull depth midship:
- 21"
- Average passengers:
- 3
- Hull weight (approx.):
- 550 lbs.
- Displacement:
- 6" @ 1850 lbs.
- Cockpit size:
- 42" x 54"
- Power:
- Outboard motors 40-60 HP for normal use: 135 HP maximum.
- Hull type:
- Garvey, developed for sheet plywood planking with flat bottom aft and vee forward.
- Can the hull be extended or shortened?:
- No. We also do not recommend increasing the beam.
- Trailer:
- Designed for use with GLEN-L SERIES 1700 boat trailer plans.