Guy's Wooden Drift Boat Project

Hello Everyone,

 

My name is Guy and this is my first post in this forum.  I am here because I want to build a wooden drift boat and, undoubtedly, I will occasionally need advice of the pool of experts and experienced drift boat builders on this forum.

 

In preparation for this project I have read and studied three books: Drift Boats and River Dories by R. L. Fletcher, Boatbuilding with Plywood by G. L. Witt, and Covering Wooden Boats with Fiberglass by A. H. Vaitses.  I have also developed my own set of construction plans based off of the "Original McKenzie Double-Ender with Transom" in Fletcher's book.  I used and MS Excel spreadsheet to calculate all of the dimensions, cut angles, compound angles, and bevel angles of all frame components and I used Pilot3D software to calculate the as-cut dimensions of the plywood sides and bottom.  At this point I am pretty comfortable with the mechanics of construction and I think that I am just about ready to start purchasing lumber.

 

Presently, I plan to use Meranti Hydro-Tek plywood; 1/4-in. on the sides and 1/2-in. on the bottom.  I found plenty of places to purchase these materials, but they are all far away from Idaho Falls, Idaho, and as a result shipping costs more than the materials.  Are any of you aware of a business within a few hundred miles of Idaho Falls that sells this plywood?  I have a few requests in to the local lumber companies, but I have yet to talk with someone who has heard of this material before.

 

I also plan to use Port Orford Cedar (CVG) for the straight frame sections and White Oak (quater sawn) for the bent frame sections (chine logs and sheer rails).

 

Thank you, Guy

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Permalink Reply by Greg Jensen on March 14, 2012 at 10:22am

The Polyester Resin is BAD!!!!!!!!

If I hadn't only had to pay for shipping for my resin. (I received 10 gal. for free from a buddy in Seattle) I would NOT use this, just because of the smell!!

And I am sure it's toxic as hell.

And honestly, I have been debating with myself for the last couple of night on whether or not to continue with this resin. I haven't gone so far yet that I can't change. I am trying to get a call into tech. services regarding the adhesive properties are for wood and that answer will determine which direction I will continue on.

Permalink Reply by Andrew on March 14, 2012 at 6:19pm

http://www.montana-riverboats.com/phorum/read.php?3,16909,16909#msg...

I saw this thread over on the S&G forum and thoughyou may find some useful info.   It may not solvethe nastyness of poly resin but may help you decide if you want to go forward with it.  

For you guys in the US epoxy is pretty cheap so in th egrand scheme of things it may be better to switch to epoxy.

Andrew

Permalink Reply by Greg Jensen on March 20, 2012 at 2:44pm

Andrew - thanks for the link.

That FLYGUY688 is a really bright fellow, incredible test and the results were amazing...

(just kidding,  that is actually my post. My email was kidnapped and started sending nasty spam to everyone so I closed that account and opened new accounts on this and other sites).

Interesting fact though, I have since run another test, changing primarily the ambient temp in my garage and the results were much better. Much more adhesion with the resin. but man, does it ever stink.

I will be posting the new test results soon.

And sincerely, thank you for the link. It amazes me how thoughtfull and helpful everyone is.

Take care.

Greg

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 16, 2012 at 8:05pm

I started scarfing and epoxying the white oak for the chine logs and sheer rails.  Here are some pictures of the scarf jig for the tablesaw; I'm cutting a 12:1 angle.  The lumber for the chine logs is 3/4 in. by 2-1/2 in. and it was slightly too wide for the blade and I had to finish the cut by hand, but that was no problem.  The lumber for the sheer rails is 3/4 in. by 2 in. and the blade cut through.

 

The long beveled pieces are the tapers I cut from the side frames.  They worked perfectly for this jig.

It is important to set you blade at 90 degrees to the table.

It is also important to set you lumber at 90 degrees to the table.  A little shimming is sometimes necessary.

Take the time to get it well lined up for the cut.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Permalink Reply by Andrew on March 17, 2012 at 7:26am

The jigs that you are using are so clever.  Great work.

Andrew

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 17, 2012 at 7:55pm

I started epoxying the chine log and sheer rail scarf joints.  I sandwhiched the lumber being epoxied between three boards to keep everything straight.  Before applying the epoxy, I dry assembled the scarf joint an marked a line across the sides of both bevels as a reference for when final assembly is performed.  And don't forget the wax paper.

 

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 18, 2012 at 12:13pm

Here are pictures of the sequence for epoxying the chine logs and sheer rails.  I've got 24 of these to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 21, 2012 at 8:12pm

I used my scarf jig for the first time tonight to bevel some 3/4 in. by 3-1/2 in. cedar.  I'm going to run this board down the bottom center of the frames to support the plywood panels on the bottom.  Here are some pictures of the jig.  I bought my plywood from Homestead Hardwood (great company) and I used the wood from the crate to make a work table on some sawhorses.  I'll use this same scarf jig on the plywood.

The scarf jig is made from two pieces of 2x4 stud and two pieces of 1x1 steel tube (from The Home Depot).  I notched the stud with three 1-inch-wide slots.  As shown it is set up for a 12:1 bevel; move the top tube into the next slot and it is a 10:1 bevel.

Here is the jig with two pieces of the cedar placed side-by-side.  I used two oak shims to apply a little downward clamping force.

 It's simply 1 in. up and 10 or 12 in. over.

My limiting blocks run on the outsides of the two tubes.  These prevent running the router blade into the steel tubes.

 

 

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 21, 2012 at 8:17pm

It makes a huge mess.  But I had hearing protection on and I just took my time.

 

I cleaned up the bevels with some 50 grit and a sanding block.  You can square-up the thin edges by sanding over a sharp corner.  It's important that both surfaces match to make a good epoxy joint.

 

Permalink Reply by Phillip Westendorf on March 21, 2012 at 9:04pm

Guy,

Back up to the saw jig to cut the scarf on the chine logs and shear rails.  How did you maintain alignment between the Jig holding the work piece to the table saw blade.  I assume you fed the jig toward the blade to make the cuts but the fence is some distance from the jig/workpiece.  Is there a guide somewhere out of sight?  I am impressed with your workmanship, nice job!

 

phil w. (Dorf)

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 22, 2012 at 4:22am

Phil, There is a 3/4-in.-wide aluminum strip, on the bottom of the board, that runs through the miter notch on the tablesaw.  And thanks.  Guy

 

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 23, 2012 at 9:28am

Here are some pictures of the scarf jig setup with two 3-ft-wide sheets of 1/4-in. (6-mm) plywood.

This is my first plywood scarf cut.  You can see a little waviness in the pattern of the laminations.  No doubt this tanslated through the unevenness of the table surface.  I may lay one of the 1/2-in thick pieces of hydro-tek down on the table's surface for the next cut.

 

 

 

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