Wooden Boat People
By McKenzieDriftBoat.com
Building My First Wooden Drift Boat
I just bought pdf plans of the "16' Original McKenzie double-ender with a transom" from Rivers Touch, and I'm waiting for them to be emailed to me. My dad and I will be building our first drift boat, but we have built many things like it before, so I just have a few questions. First of all, we obviously need to purchase plywood for we did not get a kit. We live in South Eugene and I know there are a few lumber companies close to here, if anyone could recommend one that would be awesome. We've mostly been told to get marine grade fir, but if you have any different ideas let me know. Also, what type of wood do you typically use for the frame? My last question is whether or not we should fiberglass the bottom of the boat? We've heard that it makes it stronger, but also more costly and not as easy to repair, whereas you can oil wood.
Thanks for any input,
Daniel Rogers
Views: 663
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mike Thomas on
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I`m just getting close to glassing my outsides and bottom. I would rather have to repair the glass on the bottom rather than a wood repair. Yes it does cost alot more and more work, little more weight, but much stronger bottom and graphite can be mixed in with the epoxy. I know a guy that doesnt glass his bottoms and still uses the epoxy and graphite and likes that, but we have calm rivers here in Michigan vs. the rock smashing rapids out west. He has build over 20 boats and uses no glass. I opted to not glass my insides, but I will the outsides.
You can get alot of info from this site doing searches, sometimes you cant find just the right answer but the knowledge base, experienced boat builders and master craftsman are plentiful on here. I`m at best a 2 out of 10 so I`m not going to have great answers for you but thought I would chine in anyway.
Fir plywood is the most economical if you can find it. It also though has checking issues and needs to be treated right. Not much choice where I am. They were sold out of mahogany that I really wanted so all I could get was Okume. Its a ok plywood, very light and used by race boats, but has no great protection to rot so it needs to be sealed really well. There are other options and they can get quite expensive.
If you click on the all discussions button at the top of this page, a guy asked about using pine for frames and there is a link to find out about different woods. I used clear fir for mine, nice to work with, but it can be destroyed by bugs, though they will have to consume alot of varnish and epoxy to get to the wood :) I see alot of people using different woods on here.
You picked a nice boat to build, if I do another one I`ll go with that one too, but with less rocker for this area. Search for some of the boat builds on here, just not mine,haha. Have fun
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Permalink Reply by Daniel Rogers on
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Thanks a lot for all the info! We bought clear fir for the frame and are currently working on that. We were thinking of glassing the sides and using uhmw plastic for the bottom, but I just found out it would be over $500 for enough of the plastic so idk what we'll do.
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wow, that is alot. Too steep for me. Not sure where everyone is, must be out fishing!! I started out half lapping my frames, then I wasnt sure about it but found a crafstman on here that did his that way to so I stuck with it. If you want to read up on a few builds (great for ideas) check out:
Guys wooden drift boat project
Dorfs wooden drift boat
Theres many more on here, but need to search a little. Check out the Photos link at the top of the page too if you havent.
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What is half lapping? Also, do you have an idea of how much it is to glass/ fiber the boat the same way you're doing it? We are trying to make the boat for under a thousand, and we're getting closer and closer to that number XD
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I had used some screws for temporary, then after they were glued with thickened epoxy I replace them with wood dowels. It was alot of extra work to dado all the frames, I did it on a router table with a 3/4" bit. Most people dont do the frames this way.
Ive read a bunch and asked the experts about glassing and have decided to get a couple coats of epoxy on the plywood and sanded first, to seal the wood, smooth it out(cause that first coat raised the grain and really came out rough), and seal in gases from the wood. (at that point you could just prime and paint it) Then I`m gonna tip the boat on its side, wet the side with a roller and epoxy, lay the glass over it and wet it in with another coat. Its gonna take 3-6 coats of epoxy over it to smooth it out nice, and I`m hoping it will be fair enough after sanding to varnish over to leave the wood natural. At that point, it would also make a good base for primer and paint and fairing compound could be used to achieve the perfect looking surface if needed.
The guy down the road here, and most people will tell you, its gonna cost about 2 grand after all the hardware etc. I started out with $300 in epoxy products, and I already ordered more, like some graphite, and Its looking like I`ll need more epoxy and hardener before its done. Ive still got 3/4 of a gal of resin left so I`ll run that out doing the glass and just get what I need after that.
I havent added up any costs yet to see where I am. I had some cherry, mahogany, walnut, ash, and a little white oak, and alot of sandpaper on hand, but had to buy the fir, white oak for the chines, ash for my stem that I doubled with the cherry so far (and will need alot more white oak to do the double hand rails, chine and transom caps, frt nose for the stem, the seat benches, knee braces, fly line deck trim. I think the 4 sheets of plywood was around $300, Ive bought 600 stainless screws, stainless carriage bolts nuts washer and cap nuts, roll of fiber glass so far and other supplies so its adding up and I still have a ways to go. In all honesty, it has turned into a bigger project than I thought it would be and alot more time/work and costs. A good part of the time though has been research and learning along the way as I designed my own boat and how to build it which wasnt a great idea, but I wanted to try.
Ive heard of people making a boat for alot less. Its all about what you want it to be in the end, and what you put into it. Again, I`m not the experienced builder on here, all I can do is share some of what I have learned.
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Heres a good link for info on doing glass
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Thanks for everything you've said, it's really helped out.
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Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on
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Daniel, There are more than four years of questions, answers, tips and techniques on the posts here. Those that have taken the time to read all of the posts have been able to avoid errors and spend their money wisely. If you can take the time you will be rewarded.
Rick N
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Permalink Reply by Eric Loudenslager on
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$1000 bucks will be a challenge but not impossible. You will need to pick and choose your options carefully.
No need to glass, use latex house paint etc. The consequence is that the boat is not likely to last as many years. But you and your Dad can have an experience building it and enjoy fishing from it for some time.
Search this site for Ukulady, she built your double ender with transom from drift wood and misc, and documented the build on her blog.
Also, go to the River Touch site and under the double ender with transom plans you can view a build by Brad Dimock using building supply materials.
Good luck
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I was just reading that, they built a boat for $250 using standard ext plywood. I still have to wonder about hardware and oars, he didnt say anything about a trailer either.
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Brad has access to trailers and oars. It was more for the pleasure of building it. There is also a time lapse video of a group of his friends building a boat in under 24 hours. I believe you should be able to do a search on the site and find it.
Rick N
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