The Virtual Shipyard
Build her yourself.
Every mini tug starts the same way: a pile of flat pieces and a person who has no idea what they’ve signed up for. Here’s AWOOGA’s pile — the pieces from her actual CANDU E-Z cut sheet, from Bottom, Forward to the humble Chine Log. Drag them onto the blueprint, rotate them until they behave, and — just like real plywood — bend the planks to match her curves. Adam needed 18 months. You get a slider.
Tap a piece to pick it up, then drag it onto the blueprint.
Pick a piece below, then drag it to the glowing spot.
Drag anywhere else to spin her — mid-build is encouraged. Pinch or scroll to zoom.
Pick a piece from the shelf to get started.
Move
Drag any loose piece with a finger or mouse. The dashed blueprint shows where everything wants to end up — shipwrights call this “lofting,” we call it “cheating politely.”
Rotate
Pieces arrive at whatever angle the delivery truck left them. Use the rotate buttons, scroll the mouse wheel, or tap R / E with a piece in hand.
Bend
The pieces marked ⌠ are planks, and planks arrive flat. Real plywood gets clamps, steam and strong words; you get the bend slider. Match the curve or she won’t take the piece.
About these pieces
Straight off the cut sheet
The hatched pieces are the real parts list from AWOOGA’s CANDU E-Z plans, and the boat they build is measured straight off the schematic’s side elevation — plumb bow, deep tugboat sheer sweeping back up to the stern quarter, visored wheelhouse, tall mast with stays, and the well-mounted motor driving a prop ahead of the skeg. The long pieces come split Forward and Aft just like the cut sheet: the forward gunwale takes the deep end of the sheer, and the aft one eases her smoothly back up to the stern quarter.
Three pieces appear on no drawing anywhere — the bubble stack, the bow pudding, and the googly eyes. Fasten everything and you’ll see why the plans were only ever half the story: she gets her paint.
Why bending matters
The plywood never lies flat
A CANDU E-Z is a plywood-on-frame, hard-chine boat. The bottom is assembled flat from four plywood panels; chine logs, bulkheads, the keel, and the other longitudinal timbers establish the hull’s structure. The side skins are then bent and bonded over that framework before the hull is fiberglassed and sealed in epoxy. The sheer line — that gentle smile along her rail — comes from pulling those straight panels and rails fair around the frames.
If the bend slider feels fussy, good. Now imagine it’s a 14-foot sheet of okoume, it’s February, and the epoxy is kicking.
Caught the bug?
The non-virtual shipyard
Take the next step aboard AWOOGA — follow the real build, price your own, or explore the finished boat from stem to stern.