Wooden Boat People
By McKenzieDriftBoat.com
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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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Greg Jensen on
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GREAT JOB GUY!!!!
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Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on
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Thanks Greg.
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The outer sheer rails are attached. Once the epoxy cures, I'll remove the temporary cross bracing and trim the frames to size. Then I can start working on the inner sheer rails.
This picture shows how I am terminating the outer sheer rails. If I change my mind later, I can cut this off and try something different.
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Permalink Reply by Phillip Westendorf on
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Guy,
I shudda bought stock in Irwin Clamps. I thought I had a few clamps, you make me feel cheap.
Nice job on the Chine and Shear Rails. Can't wait to see the inside come together.
Keep up the good work,
phil w.
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That was the result of a Home Depot sale; set of 8 clamps for $24.
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The temporary bracing is removed and the frames are trimmed. I am sure that I could remove the clamps now (it was another hot day in Idaho Falls), but I'll leave them on overnight.
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Today I worked on installing supports between the inner and outer sheer rails, and along both sides of the frames. The supports are perpendicular to the sheer rails, and will allow a gap of 1.25 in. between the rails. The frames are made from Port Orford cedar (which is a relatively soft wood) and the rails and supports are made from white oak (which is much harder than the cedar). The supports will strengthen the joints and better accomodate the carriage bolts running through the frames.
This is Frame 1 (transom end).
This is Frame 6.
This is Frame 12 (stem end).
The supports are the same width (2 in.) as the rails. When the epoxy dries I will trim the frames flush to the supports along the 2-in.-wide face of the supports. Once mounted, both rails will run parallel to each other.
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I finished the supports.
Frame 1.
Frame 6.
Frame 12.
Some overall views.
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Safety Share!!!
I was improperly cutting small blocks of wook on the tablesaw, when one of those blocks caught the blade and kicked-back. It caught me right between the eyes. Luckly I was wearing safety glasses. As a result, I now have five stiches in the forehead and a small cut on the nose. It's hard to tell, but I think it was the safety glasses that cut me. There is no blood on the wooden block. I was using two push sticks at the time to feed the wood.
What did I do wrong?
1) I should have been wearing a face shield.
2) I should have re-installed the tablesaw's guard.
3) I should have setup differently to make the cuts.
I'm a pretty safety conscience person, so I'm pretty embarrassed by this accident. But the truth is what it is. Maybe this will help someone else.
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Permalink Reply by tungsten on
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How wide are those blocks?
I'm on my saw almost every day,my rule is over an inch wide and atleast 8"long i use my hand with my pinky hooking over on top of the fence this will keep my fingers from going towards the blade.By holding down with my index and pushing with my thumb.I doit this way because i have feel and can push down and against the fence.
With push sticks,small ones like the one that comes with the saw you dont have much to keep pressure against the fence.Maybe a larger stick that has a top of say 6" long this would have been better.
if it was me i would have cut those on my chop saw with a stop so they come out the same.much safer.
if i didn't have a chop saw then i would have used my panal jig that runs in the miter slot it has a fence that i could have clamped the piece too.
when making those kind of cuts on a table saw make sure that the distance from the fence to the blade at least gets a little bigger as you push it through then it wont come back at you.
glad your ok,but small peices and push sticks are trouble.Push sticks work good on long thin peices not small blocks.
use your chop saw maybe not as accurate but much safer.
edit:yes the tables gaurd has anti kick backs on it that may have helped.
also be careful now,your a little gun shy.you have to re gain your confidence before you go back to cutting.I've had friends use my saw that were a little scared to use.its not good.
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Thanks Tungsten. The first thing I did when I got back from the ER was finish the job! You are right about the chop saw; that is the best tool for this job. The blocks are 2-in. wide. Guy
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I had a recordable accident, but at least it's not a lost time accident. I finished the rail beds today.
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