Wooden Boat People
By McKenzieDriftBoat.com
16' Double ender w/ transom
My first glimpse of a drift boat was on the Cal Salmon as a kayaker in the late 70s - i was intrigued by the way the boat rode through the wave trains and could handle the water. I got a better look a bit later on a couple of Rogue trips, watching them through Blossom Bar... I thought I'd like to try that. The idea of building one was cemented a few years ago after a visit to Andy Hutchinson's shop and seeing his build of a decked boat in sapele - what a beautiful boat. So as a start, I got Roger's book and built a model, getting an idea of how things went together and where the challenges might be. This spring, I traveled to Flagstaff to attend Brad Dimock's class, where I met an incredible variety of skilled folks, all interested in building - not to mention a shop to die for. Then it was off to Oregon and the wooden boat festival. I stopped in Bend, where I picked up a trailer and a bunch of great information from Mike Baker - now I had a trailer, and needed a boat. Materials were a bit of a challenge - I originally wanted Port Orford Cedar for the frames - in Bend, there's a reliable supply from Orepac, but in Victor, where I live, no such luck. I ended up with Alaskan Yellow Cedar for about $7/bf. Hydrotek was next on the list. McBeath lists it on their web page, but there was a 2 month wait, so I ended up getting mine from Edensaw. Following Brad's lead, I'm using epoxy from Resin Research. Now for the fun stuff...
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by David Witton on
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Rob,
Thanks! I hope to see you in April on the McKenzie.
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Permalink Reply by Mike Thomas on
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In the beginning, man created the drift boat and it was good...and he didnt have any plans!! :)
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Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on
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Yeah, but he didn't have woodenboatpeople.com either!
Rick
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Haha, point taken. :)
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I have had that picture for a long time. Thanks for the opportunity to use it! You are a fine craftsman, it has been my pleasure to share information with you. A small bit of guidance and you were on your way. I am just trying to pass on what others did for me in my formative years. Pretty soon, no not pretty soon, you are already helping others out!
Rick
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Thanks Rick for the support even knowing I was on the wrong track the entire way, and for sharing that picture, now that I`m done crying,lol
My dad taught me I could do anything I put my mind too, That has always been true. Best do it all guy I ever knew for a guy with a 9th grade education.
This is the best group of people, with so much experience, knowledge and skills, from all walks of life, sharing a common interest, and passing it all on to the next person. Ive learned so much this past year on here, if I live long enough to build another boat(using some plans), it could be a dandy. I only wish I would have found this site alot sooner. I`ll still be in heaven this year casting flys from my little skiff.
David, looking forward to the rest of your build and since I`ll probably never get out west, lots of pictures from the Mckenzie!!
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Spring is on the way, and I'm close to the launch date. I've been working on the last few little things, like hatch covers
Oarlock placement
Holddowns for the floorboards
and a bunch of little stuff. Since I'm planning to run some whitewater in this boat, I added a strip of stainless to the chine cap, adding a bit of Life-Calk to the screw holes in an effort to keep the moisture out. In the remodels I've done, I've noticed the fasteners are a route for water to get into the wood, so no harm being careful here.
I'm headed down to Flagstaff on Wednesday for Brad Dimock's lapstrake class - we'll finish the Swampscott dory we began last year. I bought three Barkley Sound oars that I'm taking down there for a lesson in leathering. When I get back, I'll be ready for the maiden voyage, then up to Montana Canvas for a boat cover and off to Oregon for the festival - I hope to see some of you there!
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Permalink Reply by Phillip Westendorf on
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David,
You have a mighty fine looking DB. Should give you years of fun. Great job!
Dorf
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Ohhhh, I`m gonna want hold downs for my floor boards!! Are those just zink hardware store stuff? Not that I`ll have to worry about my boat getting upside down and pulled under, but I like the idea of things fastened down.
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Yeah, I figure they shouldn't start floating around inside the boat and getting in the way of the frantic bailing...
I found SS hardware at Jamestown, but didn't like what was offered for the price, so I went with Ace.
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I took a break from the winter weather and headed down to sunny Flagstaff for Brad Dimock's lapstrake class - walking up his driveway, the first person I saw was Ants Uiga, a regular on this forum. Ants was arriving from back east with an "expedition wherry" he had just built - this wooden boat universe is a small one. We ended up building a sweet lapstrake dory over the next five days - a design from John Gardner's book with a few inches of extra rocker and a plywood bottom and garboards to make it more suited for western rivers.
While I was there, I took advantage of Brad's coaching to leather my oars
Back in the shop, I thought it might be nice if my boat cover would shed water, so I pulled out some salvaged 8/4 red oak and made up a bending form - I had forgotten how to derive a radius from an arc length and height, but the internet is a wonderful place for that sort of information.
I added cleats on the ends and tried them out - hopefully they'll do the trick
I'm itching to launch this thing, but there's a winter storm watch here for the next few days - hopefully we'll get a spell of good weather soon.
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You are a talented craftsman! Will we see you at the Wooden Boat Festival again?
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