Wooden Boat People
By McKenzieDriftBoat.com
Dorf's Wooden Drift Boat
I just found this Forum the past week and was pleased to see all the interesting discussions. I have previously (2006) built and launched a 16 ft. Peterborough Stripper from Tom Moore's original Canoecraft. The Bear Mountain Boats Forum was a wealth of information, as I had not built anything from wood that was expected to float, in water. The stripper was a lot of fun to build.
About a year later I discovered/purchased Roger Fletcher's book and decided to make a go of it and build a drift boat. Last April I laid out all the framing on poster board full scale. I am a retired Mfg. Engineer with 41 yrs in the Machine tool and Automotive Industry with lots of hrs. Hanging over a drafting table. After making the decision to build I spent many hours deciding materials, features etc.
I have 210 BF of White Ash from a couple of trees infected with the Emerald Ash Bore (big issue in Mid-Mich). So the framing is Ash (3/4" x 3.00"). I finished the last one in December. I just need to coat them with epoxy (been waiting for 60 degree temps). The frames are constructed using Half-lap joints. I discussed this in 2011 with Jim Watson of Gougeon Brothers and he offered their services in testing the joint strength (they have a MTS Tensile Test Machine w/ 100K Load Cell). I just received the results and test pieces a couple of weeks ago and will post them soon in this discussion. (I need to figure out how to post pictures here.)
The Stem blank is solid Ash. I just finished the transom a couple of weeks ago. It was made from African mahogany. The sides are going to be 1/4 x 7/8" WRC w/bead & cove. I have a couple of planks left over from the canoe. The sides will be encapsulated in 6 oz. glass and West System 105-207 Epoxy prior to being fastened to the frame. The bottom of the boat will be "cold molded" ash at 1/4 x 2 1/4" in two layers one oriented Fore Aft and the other 90 degrees to the first. Planning to add graphite to epoxy on the bottom.
Next work is to build a strong back and begin assembling the framing. Am looking foreword to your comments and assistance.
Thanks for being here.
phil w. (Dorf)
Views: 36081
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by tungsten on
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That rowers seat is going to be sweet,i like the height.No wonder you don't want to climb over.Cant weight to see the rod lockers you come up with.
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Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on
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Dorf, I just looked at your seat height. I think that you might want to play with your unfinished oars or something similar to see if you can sit at that height and still depress the oars into your lap. Most commonly the seats are lower than the shear strake or gunnel height. Perhaps you could reverse the seat and suspend it rather than set above the pivot point. I have found it often necessary to have the oars clear of the water and frequently actually tuck the handles under my thighs to rest or keep them out of the water.
Thanks Tungsten, for pointing that out, even if it was unintentional to my point.
Rick N
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Permalink Reply by Phillip Westendorf on
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Rick/Tungsten,
Thanks for the input. I based the height from the bottom at 23" high. I was siting on a 5 gallon pail and a stack of wood to determine the height. Not exactly scientific but it got me here.
I'll have to set something up in the boat with the oars in the Oar Locks. I hadn't thought of hanging the seat from the rails. It's still a work in progress, so we'll see.
Dorf
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23 is quite high isn't it? I seem to remember something lower for what I came up with and mines higher then most.
If your seat is even with the gunnel's your oar locks will need to be 6-9" up.Thats a lot.Its good to have a high seat hight if your not planning a back rest(which are really comfy)
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Hey guys thanks for all your input. Being a rookie at this boat design stuff, what you say makes perfect sense. I am 6'-3 and have bad knees, so for me I like a higher seat. I was't so focused on the act of rowing as you guys pointed out when I was looking at the design on paper. I'll have to climb in the boat with the oars and see what works best for me.
This is a good example of the value of this site that I enjoy. There's a lot of good advice and experience to be had. Even for an old guy like me.
Dorf
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Another benefit of a lower seat is an improvement in leverage when your legs are extended and their muscles can be employed when more power is needed. Check out Greg Hatten's page and see the brass foot brace he has in his boat.
Rick N
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I revisited the height issue based upon the several comments above and lowered the seat. It is now planned at 18" from the top of the floor boards. Before I commit to this height I am planning to mock it up in the boat. We'll see how it works out. I had totally disregarded the issue with the Oars and the Knee clearance.
Anyhow here's a layout of what I think might work. On the revised layout the new seat position is shown in red on the drawing.
More to come,
Dorf
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Dorf, I think you will like this better. I am impressed that you are actually using paper and pencils to make your drawings. I thought it was a lost skill, sort of like buggy whips and such. I loved mechanical drawing back in high school, it was the best class ever.
Are all your rivers frozen up and buried in snow?
Rick N
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Rick,
I spent the better part of ten years humped over a drawing board in the 60's & 70's. It's like riding a bike, not too hard to pick it up again.
We have Ice but not enough to get out yet locally. But it's forecast to be real cold (single digits) this coming week. YES!
Got our first snow last night and today, maybe 3-4 inches. Northern Mich has had snow/ice for a week or so. Lots of snowmobiles on the highways heading North. Too busy this week to drive that far up . We'll be on the ice here by weeks end. The Perch should be in the shallows hunting down bait fish.
Still lots of Steelhead fishing to do also.
Gotta Love it, eh.
Dorf
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Today the boat left the garage on the trailer. Here's a pic with the new cover I purchased from Five C's in Oregon. I sent them the dimensions of the boat and when I put it on today for the first time it fit really well. The material is heave duty and looks like it'll keep it nice and dry. It was money well spent.
I needed space in the garage to set up the planer to prepare the wood needed for the seats, floor and deck. It's back in the garage now, not enough varnish on the outside to make me feel comfortable leaving it outdoors. I have enough wood now to do both seats and most of the front deck.
After looking at his picture I think I'll need to move the boat forward a bit,eh.
More to come,
Dorf
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Cover looks great,i don't see socks for the oar locks?You can go by the tongue weight to see if the boat needs to move forward.If its too light it will rattle your reciever going down the road and drive you nuts.
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tungsten,
I have three positions for the oarlocks and either way I'd have to remove them to put on the cover, so I opted out of having socks.
I checked the tongue weight and it's too light. It can to move about a foot forward, however I'll be adding a spare tire on the tongue also. We'll see how it ends up before I modify any wood or steel.
I appreciate your comments,
Dorf
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