The Build · 2022 – 2025
Plank by plank,
AWOOGA took shape.
Three years. A two-car garage. Twenty-four sheets of marine plywood, eighteen gallons of epoxy, and a heroic amount of tears. This is the full construction story of a 14′3″ mini tugboat — from bare bottom panels to a boat with her own pair of eyes.
A Berkeley Engineering CANDU E-Z
A real boat, built by one stubborn human
AWOOGA was built from Berkeley Engineering’s CANDU E-Z plans using marine plywood, fiberglass cloth, and epoxy — learning curve, mistakes, do-overs and all. Every photo below is part of the real story, captions and dates exactly as they happened.
The big moments
Milestones worth a foghorn blast
The turning points of the build — tap any to open it full size.
From the keel up
The build, stage by stage
AWOOGA came together in roughly nine chapters. Here’s how a stack of plywood became a tugboat.
The Bottom
Marine plywood delivered, bottom panels cut and faired, seams taped with fiberglass, chine logs and bulkhead bases set, and the water side glassed.
Keel & Side Keels
Keel frame built and foam-filled for flotation, dry-fit, then sealed and glassed — “not a fun task,” in the builder’s words.
Hull Assembly
Hull skins laid out and cut, interiors glassed, port and starboard sides bonded on, stern skinned, and the fir rail cap fitted.
Structure & Systems
Stem installed, motor well fabricated, trailer bunks rebuilt, deck stringers and the forward deck added.
Exterior Finishing
Two layers of cloth on the outside hull, fairing, primer and paint, scuppers — “some lipstick on this pig.”
Cabin & Helm
Cabin walls, roof beams and visor, helm station with wheel and throttle, window and door frames, and vinyl flooring.
Motor & Mast
20 HP Tohatsu hung and wired, steering and throttle run, and a clever lever-action folding mast (a TooT TooT tip).
Launch Day
Decals and registration on, custom bow pudding from Mystic Knotwork, a launch ceremony — and she floats. Mike, who built TooT TooT, came to watch.
Full Cartoon
Perforated eye decals, stadium seating with the AWOOGA logo, a bubble-blowing smoke stack — and a feature in WoodenBoat Magazine’s Launchings.
Three years in one slider
Watch her come together
Drag the slider — or hit play — to scrub through the whole build in order, from the first sheet of plywood to launch day.
Every nut, bolt & brushstroke
The full build gallery
Filter by stage, then tap any photo to open the lightbox.
Curious what a boat like this costs?
We tracked every receipt. See the real numbers, run your own estimate, or read the story behind the boat.
