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 Phillip Westendorf on
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Guy,
There's Hagerty Insurance Company in Traverse City, Michigan and they specialize in insuring classic wooden boats, classic cars etc. I have insured my Cedar Strip Canoe and my 1969 SlickCraft Runabout with them. The cost per year is just under $ 300 for both.
Initially all I had to do was forward some basic information on the canoe and a collection of pictures of both and they let me know the value they would insure them for.
The canoe is insured at $ 5000 and the Boat slightly less.
I tried insuring them initially with my auto insurance agent and they put me onto Hagerty. The local auto insurance agent set up the initial policy and now I renew direct with Hagerty. They have been good to work with.
I'd recommend you contact them direct with a request for a quote. Here's their website.
Let me know if I can be of any further assistance.
phil w
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Guy,
Varnishing, it's just busy work, lots of it. I'd see if I could lay the boat on it's side, supported well and doesn't move. Then do one half at a time. It'll be a lot easier on your back.
Make sure you use a good brush, Badger is best (not cheap) but China Bristle will work too. Use a dark brush, so if it loses fibers as you apply the Varnish you'll see them. I wouldn't use a foam brush on this size boat, they won't hold up. I use Epifanes Clear Gloss and it's pretty thick and you need a good stiff brush to move it around. I'd assume your Interlux is a high solids varnish as well. I have eight coats on varnish on the outside of the canoe and 6 on the inside.
Also recently I saw a video on Jamestown Distributers Site with tips on applying finishing coatings. You might give it a look. Here's a link to the Varnish you have chosen and there are tip there about applying it.
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid...
Once you get the first coat on you'll see what all your effort has produced, Enjoy!
phil w.
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Permalink Reply by tungsten on
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Some interesting info thanks Dorf,never knew they made it in a 2 part.I've only used the 1 part and it didn't last long.
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Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on
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Thanks for the insurance tip and varnishing advice. I just ordered white paint for the outside of the boat and another quart of varnish. Guy
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It's official; I think varnishing sucks and I know I suck at varnishing. Oh well... it's got to get done.
I took the boat off of the trailer and cleaned the inside.
This is before the varnish...
This is after the varnish...
Here are the bases for the pedistal seats.
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The varnish has runs everywhere. Not so many small narrow runs, but big wide runs. These weren't there when I walked away from the boat yesterday, but they are there now.
I went into a few painting supply stores today looking for a "stiffer" brush, but I couldn't find anything much better than what I was already using.
I suspect that the varnish was too thick (as in viscous) and the coat I laid down was too thick. And the cooler temperatures probably didn't help. I've never varnished anything before. The varnish didn't seem too think when I was applying it. But next time I can thin it out with some solvent.
Not sure what to do now. Keep applying additional coats? Or let this one harden and do some sanding?
I'm not very pleased at the moment.
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This shows pretty clearly how bad it is.
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How to make a stiffer brush; attack a normal brush with a pair of scissors. Shortening the bristles by about ½-inch made a big difference in the feel of the brush.
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Permalink Reply by Kevin C. on
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..and on the eigth day God created varnish for people with PATIENCE and oil soup for the rest of us...sorry for your dilemma,perhaps light heat and a nice scraper...
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Nice one Kevin.
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Don't worry Guy we've all been there.Take a blade from a plane and back scrape but wait till it cures good.From my experience if you sand to early your sand marks won't disappear when you put the next coat on.
Use less and more coats.If you no a female who likes to paint hire her lol.
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Guy,
Did you thin the varnish for the first coat? The varnish I use, Epifanes Clear Gloss, recommends 50% for the first coat, 25 % for the second, 15 % on the third and 0-5 % on subsequent coats.
At Jamestown Distributers web site there are instructions and tips (left side of page) on Interlux Two Part Varnish. For some applications they recommend thinning also. Here's a link:
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid...
You might want to try thinning it on subsequent coats, after you have sanded it fair to your liking.
if you use a scraper of any kind make sure it does NOT have any sharp corners. If it does, you'll leave a few grooves that will be tough to remove. I have a curved scraper that work good for this application. It is about 4 inches wide and about 1/4" of rocker, so it will not cut with the ends (corners).
Make sure the varnish has hardened for at least 48 hrs at a temperature above 50 * F.
The boat pics sure make it look sharp, nice clean crisp workmanship!
Keep up the great work,
phil w.
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